As part of our work with the BBC on supplying the shoes for 'Strictly Come Dancing' we thought we'd invite one of our sponsored dancers to give us their thoughts on the show that will dominate television screens across the country between now and Christmas.
This week Neil Jones, who along with partner Katya Jones are choreographers on the show, gives us his thoughts on the second week which sees the first couple exiting the competition. Here's his thoughts couple by couple, do you agree or disagree? Neil's comments on the exit of Iwan Thomas are at the bottom!
First up on week two is Jamelia & Tristan MacManus. I think I preferred the performance from last week. I thought the energy was great but within her ChaCha she was taking steps that were too big and with this the gaps were too big. Her legs and feet were turned in a bit too much too. From the waist up - great, from the waist down, there is work to do. Rated: 4.
Daniel O'Donnell and Kristina Rihanoff were up second this week after an encouraging performance last week. Whilst I am certainly impressed by Daniel, I do have to agree with Craig's point that he doesn't have enough swivel in his feet. Great confidence from Kristina to let him dance on his own, and I think he held his own. I can see him getting better over the coming weeks and can't wait to see the improvement. Rated 6.
Third couple of the night was Kirsty Gallacher & Brendon Cole. I know Kirsty's not too confident but she really gave it her all. For me it was a little bit too bumpy and Kirsty didn't look too comfortable when dancing on her own. She needs to soften her legs and feel the rhythm in her body. Her feet need to become more musical. It was a bit stiff in my opinion. Rated: 5.
Jay McGuiness & Aliona Vilani were next up after an encouraging first week. This was a beautiful waltz with great footwork. The main things to note here is just to brush the feet together a bit more and lower the knees. I do love Jay but am I the only one that didn't want him to cut his hair? Either way, keep up the great work! Rated: 8.
Iwan Thomas and Ola Jordan next and I absolutely love Iwan, a great personality! ChaCha is not an easy dance though and I can see that he is thinking too much. You only need to think of the rhythm of your feet. I want to see him back next week but I have lowered his score upon reflection of him being slightly behind the music. I think he'll be better in the Ballroom dances. Rated: 4.
I thought Georgia May Foote and Giovanni Pernice looked great and Georgia looks a natural Ballroom dancer. In hold, she's certainly amazing but out of frame there is room for improvement. She'll need to improve her neck line and stretch up through the spine. I agree with Len in saying that she'll need to improve her technique but it was an improvement on last week. Rated: 7.
Next up was Ainsley Harriott and Natalie Lowe. Ainsley is Mr. Personality and I love watching him! His performances so far have never really been about technique, but his steps should be smaller to allow for more musicality, but we need to remember dancing is always about a mixture of performance and technique. Rated: 6.
It was Carol Kirkwood and Pasha Kovalev up next and after last week I would start with saying that Ballroom is a lot better for Carol but she needs to work on her feet and her frame. She needs to beware of the correct footwork and pick up her left arm to improve her frame. We love her and her smile, but it's a dance competition and I can only rate them on their dancing merits. Rated: 4.
Kellie Bright and Kevin Clifton were next with their sea-side themed ChaCha and I enjoyed their performance. I think she needs to remember not to push her hips forward in the New York; it's a check so the weight should be balanced in the middle. Well done to Kevin on the choreography and I can certainly see them going far this year. Rated: 7.
Next up with a Waltz was Anthony Ogogo with Oti Mabuse. I have a degree of sympathy for Anthony because dancing with an injury is not easy. With the height difference I think he needs to be lower in his stance and work from his feet. My advice is to keep working on the usage of the legs. Rated: 4.
After an impressive first week I was excited to see what Anita Rani & Gleb Savchenko would come up with in week two with their Charleston. So far this was the performance of the week. I do agree that there wasn't enough of the Charleston steps, but the music was too slow and swing dances are always a bit mixed. Great choreography from Gleb and I think the judges were harsh as they killed what was a tough routine! Rated: 8.
Jeremy Vine & Karen Clifton looked better than last week and there was some great lifts in their American Smooth. Jeremy should have lowered himself more to compensate for the difference in height. On a positive note though he did look better than the previous week so keep it up. Rated: 4.
It was Katie Derham and Anton du Beke next with their Tango. I agree with the judges on that there was a bit too much wobbling but I think Anton is doing a great job with Katie in making a not so amazing dancer look great. Rated: 7.
The first Quick Step of the series was for the impressive week one leaders Peter Andre and Janette Manrara. Peter really knows how to sell his performance but he does need to work on his frame. Keep aiming to create the shape using your body. Rated: 7.
Finally it was Helen George and Aljaž Skorjanec with their ChaCha. I disagreed with Darcy and Craig on this one though, and think she looks stiff because she dances with two straight legs when you really need to be bending one at a time. She then needs to rotate her hips more, but I want Helen to listen to Len and not Darcy and Craig! Rated: 6.
After another incredible week with some great performances, it's such a shame to see Iwan go. I don't want anyone to go out after such a short time. I want to watch each and every one of them dancers grow and develop week after week. I think it's a shame with Iwan because he hasn't been able to do as much training as some of the others. In addition to this, Iwan was the one dancer that I really wanted to see grow. I think out of all the dancers out there, Iwan was the one that had the most potential to really transform into a top dancer. Other dancers I think will develop, but they don't have the scope for developing as much as Iwan. It's a shame, but I'll still be looking forward to next week!
Neil and his partner Katya will be dancing at the Royal Albert Hall this Thursday night in the International Dance Championships. They'll be competing in the Professional Latin category and if you want to come and cheer them on in what promises to be a great night of dancing, then you can book tickets by clicking here. Whilst Neil is working as a choreographer on Strictly, he's also working hard on other choreography and you can see some of his latest work, 'Fifty Shades of Ballroom' on his YouTube channel by clicking here!
Follow my live tweets next week by following me: @Mr_NJones. Also, follow me on Periscope for my thoughts after each show! Follow me (@Mr_NJones) by clicking here!
