Viennese Waltz tips from Anton Du Beke

Fresh from leaving the show on Saturday night, Anton gives us his top 3 tips on dancing the Viennese Waltz:

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Laila Rouass & Anton du Beke - Salsa

They’ve not impressed in the Latin so far this series, the training looks good but can they ‘bring it’ on the night?

Why Laila, why always the mistakes? Especially when you’re apart from Anton it just makes it so obvious.

Emma asked me yesterday my prediction for who was going out tonight, I predicted Laila last night and I stand by that tonight after seeing that performance.

Unfortunately Len’s right, they want to be in the final but they rarely manage a flawless performance and I can’t see them progressing further than tonight.

A real letdown and I’m going to have to say a 5 (possibly the lowest score I’ve given all series – I’ll have to go back and look!)

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Laila Rouass & Anton du Beke - American Smooth

I was really enjoying the start, up until the slip in the spin. She really does have to watch those shoulders too. The dance does look like Anton is throwing her round quite a lot, and I don’t just mean in the lifts!

Started with lots of promise but I don’t think it delivered and I’m only going to give it a 7 I’m afraid.

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Leaderboard

Well it appears I was the only one entertained enough by Laila and Anton, and I'd have had Natalie a little closer to Ricky, but otherwise the leaderboard is about right...

1. 37 points - Ali & Brian
2. 34 points - Chris & Ola
3. 31 points - Ricky & Natalie
4. 31 points - Laila & Anton
5. 26 points - Natalie & Vincent

Still the competition Viennese Waltz to go though...

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Laila Rouass & Anton du Beke - Charlston

Well a dance that requires a major dose of character, shouldn't be a problem for Anton!



A great story and performance and the most enjoyable Charlston of the night, seeing as I've given an 8 and 9 I'll have to give this a 10!!!

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The moment of truth, dance off, and result

Will my prediction of a Laila and Ricky dance off pan out?

Bottom three as expected, now who have the public gone for?

Yep Natalie & Vincent are saved by the audience, and Laila and Ricky are in the dance-off.

More importantly it's Erin versus Anton!

If Ricky can perform without making any mistakes then we could have a competition on our hands, otherwise I think he's going home.

Laila still stumbles in the same move near the end, which is a shame, and she looks very uncomforable during the final pivots. But not a bad performance, all down to Ricky now.

Looks like a much improved performance on earlier and I really don't know how to call this one.

I think Ricky has been more consistent, though Laila has scored highly in a few of her dances.

On that basis I think it will be Ricky going home.

Just waiting on Len to confirm whether it's 3 or 4-0...and Len confirms it would've been 4-0.

Do you agree with the outcome from tonight? Look out Natalie and Laila, there's no-one below you now!

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Laila Rouass & Anton du Beke - Waltz

Will Laila have recovered from her injury enough to cope with the demands of the rise and fall in the Waltz?



Just needs to make sure she keeps her core strong as still looks a little loose at times.

Shame about the glaring mistake at the end though, I don't think there's any dances this series that she's managed to complete without a mistake!

Even with the mistake, and the posture issues, I think she should achieve 8's.

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Laila Rouass & Anton du Beke - Rumba

I thought their Paso last week was very good, and deserved higher marks than it received. Anton's Latin choreography has been a bit weak this series so i'm hoping we see some improvement in the content.

That foot/ankle injury is obviously causing Laila serious problems and the dance has definitely suffered.

I think they might let Anton get away with that lift this week!

The main problem is that Laila couldn't generate any hip action as it requires pushing into the floor.

So difficult to have any opinion on a score and there have to be a lot of generosity to get anything higher than a 6, unfortunately.

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Laila Rouass & Anton du Beke - Paso Doble

This should actually be a Latin American dance that Laila can cope with!

Smouldering start...but wait was that a lift?!!!

Excellent performance, not sure how the judges will feel about the lifts, though it did seem to lose drive as the dance progressed.

For me it would easily be a 9, if I ignore the lifts!

Judges scores: CRH 7, LG 7, AD 8, BT 8.

Anton, Anton, Anton...why did you do the lifts? You're not Brendan Cole!

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Laila Rouass & Anton du Beke - Viennese Waltz

Back to ballroom, and Anton's forte, we should see significant improvement this week

The training mid-week for this looked excellent, let's hope she can perform tonight.

There's something just not quite right with her frame, it doesn't look like she's quite standing up from her core, which is resulting in a slight chin protusion.

That slip right in front of the judges won't do them any favours.

Anton felt this had the potential to be 10's, but it hasn't quite lived up to it on the night, could well get 8's though.

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Laila Rouass & Anton du Beke - Samba

An awful Jive last week could well have seen them leaving, but the public saved them - rightly so I think. How will the Samba compare?

Anton's very much a Ballroom boy so I wouldn't be surprised if he haad to pick up a few things from Laila.

A very funky routine and looking really good, up to the first travelling voltas that Laila unfortunately made a slight hash of.

Not their best dance, but not even close to their worst. I think it will get 7's.

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Laila Rouass & Anton du Beke - Jive

So Ian told me that we really need to vote for Laila and Anton on tonight's show, and from the training videos I had to agree.

I only hope they've chosen a slow song...

...wise choice!

Poor Anton, there's a reason he (like I) were pre-determined to be ballroom dancers!

Not actually bad in places but there are some truly awful points.

I think we really could see a top one week, to bottom the next situation.

Looking at 5's as I predicted.

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Training updates - Viennese Waltz & Jive

So we have the difficulty of the constantly rotating Viennese, and making it look smooth and effortless, compared to the speed, energy, and lightness required of the Jive.

With the Viennese Waltz there should be a smooth lilting sway from side to side, rather than the classic 'rise and fall' of the other traditional ballroom dances (Waltz, Quickstep, Foxtrot).

Both partners should be driving the dance when it is their turn to come forward. This will result in a much smoother action than if the male is driving then pulling his partner.

The Jive needs to be a bouncy and fun dance with light, quick movements and plenty of personality - i'm already feeling for Joe if he's been picked for this one!

So who's got what, and how's their training coming along?

Zoe Lucker & James Jordan - Jive

Looking quite light on her feet but yet again she needs to get over those nerves of hers!

Could be a solid performance and receive 7's.

Joe Calzaghe & Kristina Rihanoff - Jive

So far Joe has proved to be very heavy-footed, contrary to the bookie's early odds. How [or even will?] he cope with the fast and bouncy Jive?

Actually looks like Joe is getting involved in the dance and enjoying himself. Needs to make sure that his toes are pointed down during the flicks.

Could well be his best dance yet though and might even manage 6's (ignoring the [personal opinion] over-marking of last week.

Ali Bastian & Brian Fortuna - Jive

Brian's favourite dance is looking a little awkward at times but really good at others.

Haven't really seen enough of the dance to give an accurate judgement but i'll predict healthy 7's.

Craig Kelly & Flavia Cacace - Jive

Craig's been in the dance-off twice now and I imagine his confidence has taken a real knock.

Needs to keep palms down rather than facing upwards and really should be pointing his toes downwards rather than letting them flick aimlessly during the kicks.

Also needs to bring his feet together a little more during his chasses (and in some cases actually do chasses!)

However it looks like it could be 6's.

Ricky Groves & Erin Boag - Jive

Could this be a return to the funny for Ricky? His Foxtrot would've been a LOT better last week if he could've kept his frame under control, less of an issue when it comes to Jive.

Looking pretty good, energetic and with a nice amount of bounce. Again another celeb who needs to keep those toes down during kicks - interesting to see that he's got himself a pair of dance trainers.

I'm expecting another lively performance from Ricky and at least 7's.

Chris Hollins & Ola Jordan - Jive

So another Latin dance for Chris, and another chance for Ola to wear very little!

Needs to take smaller back steps when rocking back and keep the head up when he's kicking (a problem he had during the Quickstep).

Looking good but yet again there's toes being flung around that should be toward the floor.

Realistically I think 6-7.

Laila Rouass & Anton du Beke - Jive

Laila and Anton definitely deserved their top spot last week, but how are they going to cope with the move from slow and elegant Foxtrot, to fast and frantic Jive?

Well she's looking a little flat-footed, and wearing boots probably doesn't help!

Needs to do something [anything!] with her free hand. The training doesn't appear to be at full speed/performance so really hard to judge.

If that was at full speed then we'll struggle for 5's!!!

Phil Tufnell & Katya Virshilas - Viennese Waltz

I saw some surprisingly impressive hips last week, let's hope Phil's knee has recovered further and he can show us a really smooth Viennese.

Needs to translate the 'bob' into more of a sway but not looking too bad, need to see him out of practice hold to be a better judge of how his frame is holding up though.

Should be 7's.

Jo Wood & Brendan Cole - Viennese Waltz

Jo still isn't strenghtening her ab's and standing up, she looks introverted and is totally lost in Brendan's frame.

It's very jerky and bouncy and is nowhere near as smooth-looking as it should be.

Unless she relaxes, and starts to stand up, this will be more 5's. The only saving grace she has is that there's only really 3 steps in the Viennese so nowhere near as much to learn as the other dances!

Natalie Cassidy & Vincent Simone - Viennese Waltz

Very nice presentation with the hands but again does need to avoid bouncing when she closes her feet, and also make sure she keeps the frame up all the way round the dance.

To avoid getting dizzy she really needs to try and focus on the wall as she goes round so that her brain can cope.

Could come off quite nice though and probably straight 7's.

Ricky Whittle & Natalie Lowe - Viennese Waltz

I've not been impressed with Ricky's frame in the first couple of ballroom dances and at times there appears to be significant improvement, then at other times his shoulders are out of alignment and it ruins the whole look.

I'd say 7's but the judges like him so will probably be 8-9.

Jade Johnson & Ian Waite - Viennese Waltz

The tallest couple should definitely be suited to this dance.

We saw Ian and Jade at the International Ballroom Dancing Championships last night and Ian gave me a preview of Jade's frame and posture, which is looking very good.

This is looking very good and could be the highest scoring Viennese of the night.

I'm going out on a limb and saying 9's!!!

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I'm putting Jade and Ian in top spot with Jo Wood (or even possibly Laila) in bottom spot.

Ian said that he'd seen Laila's Jive and people will really need to vote for them so it will be interesting to see how the performance comes off.

What about your views, who would you place top, who do you think should be going out?

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The moment of truth!

How will the public have voted this week? Will Anton & Laila's top spot protect them from any backlash from the public?

Yes, is the answer to that question - we'll never know how close that vote was!

Joe Calzaghe saved from the bottom spot for yet another week, is the whole of Wales voting for him?!

Jo Wood saved as I predicted, Craig could still be in the bottom two...

Well done Ian, could tell you were getting a little worried there!

Out of these two it's difficult to call but I think Lynda might be going home, she has surprised me before though.

str

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Leaderboard

Leaderboard is as follows:

1. 34 points - Laila & Anton
2. 33 points - Zoe & James
3. 32 points - Ali & Brian
4. 32 points - Ricky & Natalie
5. 29 points - Natalie & Vincent
6. 29 points - Jade & Ian
7. 28 points - Ricky & Erin
8. 25 points - Chris & Ola
9. 24 points - Lynda & Darren
10. 24 points - Craig & Flavia
11. 24 points - Phil & Katya
12. 20 points - Jo & Brendan
13. 20 points - Joe & Kristina

As predicted then Laila is top and Joe is stuck to the bottom.

Getting a little bit more difficult to call now but I think it will be a Joe and Craig bottom two...what do you think though?

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Laila Rouass & Anton du Beke - Foxtrot

I've predicted this to get the top marks of the night, don't let me down Laila!

Will be interesting to see if the midweek publicity affects how the public vote, but let's hope the performance is what people focus on.

I want to see a 9's performance here guys!

Foxtrot is definitely my favourite dance and this is the best Foxtrot so far (not surprising considering Anton is the Ballroom expert professional on the show.

Can't quite tell if there wasn't a slight mistake there or not, and Laila still needs to watch her shoulders.

Without seeing the feet I still think this should achieve 9's.

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Anton du Beke in hot water

The BBC has received dozens of complaints about Strictly Come Dancing star Anton Du Beke's use of the word "Paki".

...taken from the Telegraph online the article continues...



Anti-racism campaigners have called for Du Beke to be sacked from the BBC One show. Others have questioned why the BBC is standing by Du Beke when Carol Thatcher was sacked earlier this year for describing a black tennis player as a "golliwog".

Du Beke made the remark backstage to Laila Rouass, his dance partner, after she had a spray tan. He told her: "Oh my God, you look like a Paki." The comment was overheard by several members of the Strictly team, including fellow professional dancer Brendan Cole.

After the incident became public at the weekend, Du Beke issued an apology.

The BBC has received 63 complaints and hundreds of fans have debated the issue on the corporation's messageboards. Some said Du Beke was making a harmless joke and claimed that he was the victim of political correctness.

However, others said his behaviour was unacceptable. One viewer wrote: "Refraining from using such language is nothing to do with being politically correct. It's to do with basic human decency and treating people of Asian descent with respect.

"I'm not comfortable with Anton's continued presence in the show, especially when Carol Thatcher was sacked for making a similiarly controversial remark."

A spokesman for Hope Not Hate, the anti-racism campaign, said: "If calling someone a Paki is not racist behaviour then what is? Quite simply the programme has to ask itself: is it going to condone racism on its show, or is it going to deal with it quickly and decisively?

"The BBC took a clear line on the Carol Thatcher golliwog comment. If anything, this comment is even more offensive."

In his apology, Du Beke said: "I must say immediately and categorically that I am not a racist and that I do not use racist language.

“During the course of rehearsals Laila and I have exchanged a great deal of banter entirely in jest, and two weeks ago there was an occasion when this term was used between the two of us.

“There was no racist intent whatsoever but I accept that it is a term which causes offence and I regret my use of it, which was done without thought or consideration of how others would react.

“I apologise unreservedly for any offence my actions might have caused.”

The BBC is standing by Du Beke, a rising star at the corporation and the man tipped to replace Bruce Forsyth as Strictly host. A spokesman said the case differed from the Thatcher case because she did not make a "full and frank" apology.

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Laila Rouass & Anton du Beke - Quickstep

Anton is the only actual Ballroom professional in the males so this should be good.

With Anton's charm, and Laila's looks this could be the first time he makes it to the final, but let's get through the first couple of months eh Anton!

A couple of mistakes there, and for me the dance is lacking drive and energy. Laila needs to have more tension in her upper body.

Think this should be solid 7's though.

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Laila Rouass & Anton du Beke - Cha Cha

Aside from a slight mistake last night, their Tango was good last night, so i'm hoping for good things with their Cha Cha.

Cheeky start, slight mistake with her timing creeping in and I don't think the judges will be so forgiving this time.

No real hip movement of life in the dance, probably lost all confidence with her early mistakes.

Predicted a 7 but think this will only manage a 6 at best.

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Laila Rouass & Anton du Beke - Tango

From the training videos I had this down as an 8, so will be interesting to see if they live up to the hype.

Not sure if Anton should have called all his old partners rubbish (I seem to recall he did alright with Lesley Garrett).

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Needs to put the chin up just a bit, it's making the top line look soft, maybe stand up a bit more from the rib-cage.

Looking good however but a real shame about that mistake in not going to promenade (made worse by Anton not carrying on!)

That's really let down a good performance and i think it'll be 6-7

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