Strictly Come Dancing 2016 kicked off in a blaze of glory with not one, but two live shows this weekend.
All 15 couples entered the Strictly ballroom for the first time and showed us if they could move. Surprisingly there weren’t really any terrible dancers (we don’t think Ed Balls got much chance to show off anything).
Now we’ve had time to soak up all the dances, watch them over and over again, and debate them among ourselves, we’ve selected the 5 performances that we loved the most. Our picks don’t reflect the judges’ scores and are solely our own preference.
5. Lesley Joseph & Anton Du Beke – Waltz
This was definitely not the best dance technically but there was something very lovely about Lesley’s Waltz with Anton. The fact that her Birds of a Feather co-star Linda Robson was blubbing away in the audience may have helped the performance make an impact.
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4. Ore Oduba & Joanne Clifton – Tango
Energy is something Ore had in abundance as moved around the dance floor with Joanne. It was a confident and cheeky Tango, injecting something new into the notoriously serious style. I think Ore could go a long way!
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3. Will Young & Karen Clifton – Tango
Who knew that Will could dance this well? He led Karen around the ballroom with confidence and he didn’t miss a step. Will’s performance was packed with power and it definitely proved to be a fitting end to the first week’s live shows.
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2. Louise Redknapp & Kevin Clifton – Jive
I expected good things from Louise as she used to dance a lot during her pop music days but the styles on Strictly are pretty different. A Jive in week one is a cruel hand but Louise made the best of it and wowed with her energy and speed. Her partnership with Kevin is one of the best this series.
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1. Danny Mac & Oti Mabuse – Cha Cha
Danny may not have topped the leaderboard but for sheer enthusiasm he got top marks from me. He was all over the ballroom with plenty of energy and hip wiggling so mesmerising it should probably be illegal. It was nice to see Oti get a chance to show what she could do too. Wow.
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Strictly Come Dancing 2016 continues at 6.20pm Saturday on BBC One.
