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How are we at the quarter finals already? We’ve sorted out the wheat from the chaff and are down to the final 5. We’ve seen countless routines but now we’re seeing the performance shine through and the judges are picking up on the smallest of mistakes!

We were treated to 3 group dances this week too: Anton’s homage to the musicals, a West Side Story tribute and a Chicago-inspired number. I have to say that I am slightly biased because West Side Story is my favourite musical so of course that one was my favourite! Karen and Janette were just perfect as Anita and Maria; I just wish that the dance was longer!

Ore & Joanne:

Have we seen the best of Ore? I feel like he’s never been quite as good as he was in Movie Week and then the jive the week after. This week was a Foxtrot to Pure Imagination from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. I wish that there wasn’t a load of extra dancers in this as their costumes were too big and hid Ore and Joanne too much! I thought the dance was good but nothing spectacular.

Judge Rinder & Oksana:

Oh! What a dance! Rinder’s hips really are magical! A Jersey Boys inspired Samba left a lot to be desired. I really didn’t like this at all and I felt like he took a massive step back. Other than his hips, the rest of the dance was a bit rubbish! He wasn’t even in time with the other dancers from the get-go!

Louise & Kevin:

Kevin smashed it out of the park once again with choreography and the concept of the dance. Calamity Jane is such an underrated musical! I loved that there was more musical than quickstep! There was tap and jazz in there which was right up my street and I thought the dance really suited her! She brought out more character too!

Claudia & AJ:

My favourite of the night and she finally got a 10! I absolutely loved this; Claudia really let herself go and went for it with the Lion King salsa. She was wiggling and popping and mostly, she looked like she was having a good time! I’m annoyed at AJ for misjudging that last lift because other than that, the dance was perfect!

Danny & Oti:

I was surprised that they picked Dreamgirls as a musical pick as I thought they would pick a film where there was a strong male lead for Danny to play. I thought Oti was fabulous as Beyonce and Danny was a great Jamie Foxx but for me, it didn’t work with all of the other dancers everywhere. I thought his footwork wasn’t as crisp as usual.

Unfortunately, we’re getting to the point where good dancers will be in the bottom two. Both Judge Rinder and Ore are good dancers but it ultimately depends on the dance they’re doing. Ore always looks great in ballroom whereas Judge Rinder looks awkward during faster, more upbeat numbers. I think Judge Rinder was the right call to go as his technique is not as good as the others!

Next week, each couple will be doing two dances and it will come down to what dances they are doing and how they can cope in terms of stamina. I fear for Claudia as she is doing a Rumba!

Until next week, keep dancing!

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SR

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Strictly Come Dancing is back on Saturday and Sunday evenings on BBC1.