Episode 48 Strictly - It Takes Two

Hello, I'm glad you're here. It is Wednesday, welcome to Strictly - It

Takes Two. Louis and Flavia are here. This boy has left his My

Little Pony in the stable, but he's come in to try his hand at the Pro

Challenge - Vincent Simone. Glorious. And as semifinal hysteria

sets in among our celebrities, we look closely at their footwork, and

to tell us how they are doing, Ian Waite is here. And another matching

shirt. You could have made an effort, Vincent. This is Strictly -

Live from Television Centre, this is Strictly - It Takes Two, please

welcome your host, Zoe Ball. Hello and welcome to Strictly - It

Takes Two. At the weekend, Darcey said it was one of their best

dances. In just a moment I'll be chatting to Lewis and Flavia, but

before I do, let's take a look at their fantastic fusion. Rumba and

tango, two dances each end of the dance spectrum and you pulled it

off great. Well done. The emotion was perfect. It was expressive -

one of your best. You danced that with effortless dexterity. I have

one complaint - your thumb was up in the tango. The climax at the end,

oh, yes you're masterful. 9, 9, 10! And we got a 9 from Craig.

highest yet. Where did that come from? She's been on at me all week,

act it, perform it. I even put my face like this on the tango. Please

welcome Louis and Flavia. Good evening you gorgeous twosome. Top

skills at the weekend lieu business, -- Louis. You really looked the

part. How was it for you on the floor? It was challenging, because

I knew we had to keep the level, if not step it up from the Charleston

week, so to come out with that intensity, I was worried whether I

would be able to pull it off. think you pulled it off. I couldn't

take my eyes off you. You do feel you are finally getting this dance

malarkey, the character, being able to do the faces, the whole shebang?

Yes, I think so. Getting there. Some weeks are harder than others,

but to keep improving, you have to put so much in. You can't take your

foot off the gas. Flavia, your first 9 from Craig. Congratulations.

Thank you very much. It is about time. I know! Do you think if there

hadn't been the up-thumb it might have made a 10? To be honest, if

Craig picks on a thumb, I'm happy, a 9 is great. Rumba historically

very difficult for men. No men have ever got a 10 from a rumba in

Strictly history, so you should be really pleased with your scores.

No-one told me that the rumba was so hard. She said a Latin dance,

challenging, and left it at that. I remember you saying no-one picks a

rumba. Nobody in their right mind. It was a good option. It is good

psychology from Flavia. If she said this is really hard, you wouldn't

get it. This has happened a few times. I knew he would be good at

it. And it was. It is all in the teaching. You are the last man

standing in this competition. Does that feel good? Or do you miss the

lads? I do miss the lads. Sometimes if I'm in the make-up room, the

girls tease me anyway, but now I haven't got Nicky to stand up for

me... Oh, bless you. Let's feel sorry for him. He got a 10, stop

moaning. Flavia, it really does feel like you guys are back in the

competition. How determine ready you to get lieuisto the final?

think we are all so close. This is the hardest week, I keep saying.

One, you've got two dances. Secondly, everybody's tired and

thirdly you've come so far, you don't want to go now. It is going

to be really hard on Saturday, a real nail-biter I think. It is

getting really tense. We are all feeling it. You may well feel that

you are back in the race - you never really left the race, to be

honest with you. It is not just the glitter ball trophy Louis has his

eyes on. Maybe it is a number one in the hit parade.

I've been on the floor a few times. I fall in a heap on the floor.

I would like to lay on the floor, I like to lay on the floor... I like

to lay on the floor. It is like my place of refuge. I like to lay on

the floor. Come on. Come on. It is like my place of refuge. From the

top, from, from, from the top. He does like it better down there,

better down there, better down there. The floor's my place of

refuge. APPLAUSE

Everybody is getting tired, the VT room have gone barmy, but here it

is. Andi Peters has brought this in. It is not available in any shops.

There you go. The remix, the re-re- remix. We think you look a bit like

Bo Selecta's Craig David in that. It even has a bar code! How is the

foxtrot? The foxtrot is cool. There's a lot of ups and downs and

rises, and gliding and driving. It's a tricky dance. I'm liking

that you got all the terms right. This is hopeful. And what about the

jive? Well, the jive. We started the jive today, at 10 o'clock in

the morning. Just today? It's Wednesday! Flavia said come on,

like this! We have no time. We have to do it at 10.30am. How tough sit

for the celebrities? It is so hard. You are so tired, you have to fight

that. It is not just a matter of listening to what we tell you, but

you have to do it with energy in the training room. When you're

tired it is really difficult, so we get frustrated and it is like a

vicious cycle. When I feel, that she gets annoyed and I get stressed.

You've done the most training hours so far, so you are determined. Sum

on Louis and Flavia. It is only two more weeks to the final. Good luck

for this weekend. Thank you. Flavia you are back tomorrow for

the Pro Challenge. Yes! Pasha and art emare in. This weekend it is

double the trouble for our couples, as they have to learn two routines.

Here to separate the dancers from the prancers, here's Mr Ian Waite.

Please welcome the gorgeous Mr Ian Waite! CHEERING Hello darling.

Hello gorgeous. Another matching tie-shirt come bomb. I'm trying.

Festive. A real Christmas cracker. It's the semifinals. You've been in

the semifinals twice, once with Denise and once with some other

daft blonde. Two dances. They should be able to pick up the

review teens, because it won't be a problem learning the steps now. It

just, physically I think they will be absolutely knackered. Remember

semifinal week, you foregoat the routine. I think there were tears.

It's so close to the final now, you've got to fight. Lisa and robin,

how are they looking in the training room? Very Fred and Ginger.

What's typical is side by side, which has become their trademark.

Robin nearly fell over there but don't worry about that! Look at her

use of arms. And she is matching him perfectly. Look at her

finishing off the hands. A bird in flight. And looking in the same

direction as robin. This is what they look like, in unison. And she

looks so elegant. Denise and James are doing a tango. I imagine that

is a good dance for Denise, with a fire in her belly after being in

the bottom two. It is a great dance to come back to. It is very compact,

the top hold. Looking fantastic. My only worry, only a slight problem,

every time she does a promenade, if I can highlight that... It is

basically that right side. She does open it up sometimes in a promenade

position. So on a link step she opens it up. Sometimes when you

pivot, opening out into promenade, she opens up the left side. Where

does she need to be? Keep the left side up a the man and turn her head.

And then it will be perfection. Absolutely. I notice they are

wearing knee pads. They have sliding going on.

Louis quite likes the foxtrot. There is so much content. A reverse

wave, triple chasse into fall away, into chasse to the right, feather

finish, a promenade. I can hardly keep up there! CHEERING Honestly!

There's so much content in, there no wonder he is struggling. Ah.

to be honest he is capable of doing it. And he will do it. He's an

Olympician. He be be amazing. Dani and Vincent are doing an American

Smooth. Dani is back in her magic ruby slippers. Vincent, what

fantastic choreography. He isn't listening to me, he's talking over

there. Last Saturday his choreography was brilliant, as I

said on Twitter. APPLAUSE Let me point out this lift. He does a

cradle sit-lift and then throws her over. It is a simple lift but looks

very effective. Well done. Kimberley and Pasha, can they carry

on that success? It is looking very good, although all of the footage

I've seen is open. There's no hold, no ballroom hold there at the

moment. In the American Smooth there should be 40% in hold, so I'm

hoping they will do that. A couple of points. One, two, three...

quickly. Balance - superb balance on this step. To do this step you

have to have a strong core. Three, a lovely point and it is brilliant.

The way she does that, it is like a professional. Looking good. We'll

talk about their second dance later. You are going to get a second

dollop after Ian Waite tonight. APPLAUSE

Rock legend Rod Stewart is going to be performing on the Strictly

Christmas Special. Last week he popped into our studio with his

gorgeous wife, Penny Lancaster, for a bit of a gossip. Take a look.

Penny didn't get into the final though did she?

Please welcome the gorgeous Rod Stewart and his wife Penny

Lancaster! CHEERING AND APPLAUSE Hello darling.

This is very, very exciting. Thank you so much. I like the sparkle.

Sometimes it is a bit much. Thank you so much for popping in to see

us. You are here because Rod, you are going to be singing Let It Snow

from your new album, on the Christmas Strictly Come Dancing. Is

it getting you into the festive spirit? I'm so excited. I really am

in the Christmas spirit. Why has it taken you so long to do a Christmas

album? I always thought I was a dyed in the wool rocker, but the

older you get, and with two small kids, Penny pressed me into doing

it. And the record company gave me a good deal. And you get a bit more

sentimental as you get older about Christmas. You do. Is he getting

awe good present? He is. Penny, you appeared in series five, one of the

lucky ladies to dance with the gorgeous Ian Waite. He is magic

isn't he? What's your favourite dance? Probably one of the ballroom

dances as opposed to the Latin. were really good at the Latin. He

is a very adoring hubby. between two tall blondes, that's

why! Very tall blondes. I love this. Wow! I've gone funny. Did you teach

Rodney moves? We've seen you over the years pulling a couple of moves.

He is a mover, but nothing choreographed. You are touring

loads, and you've got a rock album out next year. It is 11 songs

written by Rod Stewart - that's me! We are genuinely excited. If you

weren't doing the tour could you be tempted to put on a pair of dancing

shoes for something like this? really, my knees barely get through

playing football, let alone dancing. On the Christmas album we do dance

around the kitchen to it. It is irresistible. And we dance around

the ironing board. Does Rod Stewart ever do the ironing? Never. Do you

remember when you did the series, do you remember, did it change your

shape because of training every day? It did. Alastair was still

quite young. We had got married but I hadn't quite got back to that

pre-baby thing. I see the images of all the dances as the weeks went by

and it did help. We want to test you now, we want to know how well

does Rod Stewart know Penny's body. Are you up for this? Of course.

It is time for Penny's Pins! CHEERING

Penny is here with her pins. Rod, we are going to show you - he is

very, very keen! We are going to show you three sets of legs on

Strictly Come Dancing. All you have to do is tell us which pair are

Penny's. Oh! Rod Stewart, good luck. Round one. Your three sets of pins.

Is Penny is A? B or C? A! You said A. The correct answer is... B! Oh,

Rod you are in trouble. It was Lisa Snowdon. I knew that. And it was

Kelly Brook at the end. Round two. Which sexy pair of leg rgs Penny's?

Grounds for divorce! Are they A, B or C? The hint, it is the same

colour dress as the one before. cheating. I'm looking at the shoes.

I'm going for B. The correct answer is... A! Oh, no. One last chance to

redeem yourself or you could be in serious trouble. Which pair of pins

belong to Penny? A! Look at the toes. It is of course... A!

CHEERING Well done Rod. You've won a meal

for two at the Taj Mahal in Shepherd's Bush. Thank you! Thank

you for being such good sports. CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

I love Rod Stewart and Penny Lancaster.

And don't forget the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special is on at

6.15pm on Christmas Day. Now, this year we set our

professionals the challenge to see who could perform the most kick

ball changes in 30 seconds. Currently, nobody has managed to

knock Miss Boag off the top spot. Please welcome the next contender,

Vincent Simone. CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Hello. Hello my darling. Ciao. How are you today? I'm good. I've never

been here on my own before. I need a woman next to me. At least one.

Any offers? Last year you weren't able to take part in the botafogo

challenge. Artem won. Do you think you could have beaten him? I think

so. I would have. You are really good at the Argentine tango, so

you've got quite nifty feet I would imagine. I've always been fast in

my life. That's why I got involved in the tango, to make the most of

it, so I should be fast. The only problem is that I was rubbish.

LAUGHTER Simple as that. We are not holding out much hope then. We are

judge for ourselves. It is time to see how Vincent got on.

It will be amazing to win the record today, because I've never

won anything in my life. I'm doing it because I want to make sure I am

going to be the best off out of all the professionals. Hello Vincent.

Hello. How are you feeling about it. I'm feeling quite nervous, because

I haven't done anything like this before in my life. Are you going to

change legs or favour one leg? going to try to stick with one leg.

Which leg? This right one. Not the other right one! Please Vincent,

It is not as easy as one would suspect. Do you mind if I lay here

a bit? I'm, you know, I'm little, and fragile.

I'm too little for this world. Vincent, please crawl off the floor.

Thank you. Now he's got rhythm! I'm exhausted

and probably a bit upset. I lost the rhythm halfway through. I think

I should have practised more before I came here today. APPLAUSE

You do make us laugh. embarrassing. It is like the

Italian take on Riverdance. Exactly. Irish Italian-ish. How many do you

think you managed? If I did one correct one I will be over the Moon,

honestly. Vincent, your kick ball changes have been counted and

verified. I can reveal thaw performed...

-- that you reformed... 53 kick ball changes in 30 seconds.

Are you happy? Amazing. You got more than one. The good thing is

you are above Karen Hauer. Really? What's the point of turning the up?

33? Erin Boag is at 71. Tomorrow we have Artem, Pasha and flaveia. Do

you think any of those three could beat Erin Boag? Flavia yes. Thank

you Vincent. You are adorable. Every home should have one. Vincent

Simone! Every country. Time for Karen and Ian to reveal all about

the Viennese waltz. This week they have fun in the dressing up box.

The oldest of all the ballroom dances the Viennese waltz, dating

as far back as the 18th century. Before the 18th century men and

women wouldn't have dared dance in hold. Sir, please, I'm a lady.

However, in the classic balls of England and Bavarian Germany a new

dance was causing quite a stir. the first time men and women were

lustily embracing one another. Originally the dance was seen as

scandalous, a man and a woman embracing each other on the

dancefloor. Gasp. Children, cover your eyes. But the controversy soon

died down and the Viennese waltz became the staple dance in the

courts of the upper classes. Who, I reckon, quite liked the thrill of

being a bit ris Kay. Who, dear, you dear? Me, dear? No, dear.

From the first time it was danced, up to today, the Viennese waltz

really hasn't changed much at all. Despite being fairly simple, the

footwork, lines and movement have to be revise in order to sell the

beauty of the dance. The three steps that we should see within a

Viennese waltz are a natural turn, as in a turn to the right. And the

reverse turn, which is a turn to the left. And finally, a change-

step, and that's it. APPLAUSE Waite gait a powdered wig,

ladies and gentlemen. Jennious. One more of those for Ian Waite. A

third dollop of Ian Waite. grandmother, nanny Ethel, it is her

89th birthday today. Happy birthday nanny Ethel. Let's look at the

second dancing. Lisa and Robin are doing a sal Sam. It is looking good,

lots of -- doing a salsa. It is looking good, lots of armography.

Recently they've been a little bit, some of their technique has been a

bit suspect, and the judges haven't said anything, but in is looking

very good. Good. One of the things I wanted to point out, and I hope

she doesn't mind me doing that, that's the only thing missing that

I can see at this early stage, the body rhythm. She needs to keep the

body rhythm going. If you continue like that... You continue doing

that for the rest of the show. Denise and James are doing a rumba.

Yes. This is looking fabulous. Fantastic lines. It looks sensuous,

touching. As you can see, they go into this lunge and they finish.

All the lines are fantastic. This is going to be one of their best

dance. What I wanted to talk about, if I am going to emphasise that, is

her feet. The way she's using her feet, the way they are using the

floor. He is articulating her toes, arches and ankles. That's something

we miss on the live show. You see the performance but not the finer

details. She's doing a brilliant job. Does she get the thumbs up

from you? She does. Louis and Flavia and their jive. How is this

one looking, and he is over there listening. It is a bit flat, to be

honest. I would like a little bit more bounce. More on the balls of

his feet. He's coming! I would like him to flick and stretch his toes.

Che flex them at the end. He is nodding. Good boy. It is only

halfway through the week, you can take that on board.

Dani and Vincent dancing the tango. She's dancing with the master.

at what Vincent is doing - sliding her along the floor. When I first

saw that, I thought they've made a mistake, but we are going to see a

different part of the choreography and she does a similar thing. She

goes down into a... What is the that call? I don't know. A low

lunge. Very interesting choreography again. But the

difficulty is when she's swinging round, she's got to get back up on

to her balance without falling or slipping. The transitions. It is

going to be difficult for her. She's going to be perfect by the

weekend. Kimberley and Pasha, got a 40 last week. Can she continue her

success? It is looking very good, very fast and frenetic. Which is

what we want. Lots of side by side, fun, characterful steps of the

Charleston. I like that! Did you see that step? I thought we could

try that. Can we? I'm taking my shoes off for a start. We are going

to turn you in, face me. Down. And turn.

CHEERING Look at that! That was great fun. The it worked. Thank

goodness. Careful trying this at home. Remember that this man is a

professional. I do my best. Thank you very much to Waite way. We love

you. That's it for today. A big thank you to all my guests.