Episode 42 Strictly - It Takes Two

It's Tuesday. Coming up on tonight's It's Tuesday. Coming up on tonight's

show, they are Charleston went swimmingly but were they out of

their depth? Alex and Jones are here. With this weekend's

swingathon, Karen Hardy has her work cut out in Choreography Corner, we

reveal how Aliona fares in Dance Challenge, and our designer

casts her eye over the weekend's outfits. This is It Takes Two.

Please welcome your host, it's Ball! CHEERING.

Hello, and welcome to It Takes Two. This weekend, our magnificent seven

became the sensational six. Hats off to Alex and Jones who performed a

very cheeky Charleston but were harshly dubbed mediocre by judge

Craig. They will be here, but first let's remind ourselves how events

I love the goofiness that you put I love the goofiness that you put

in, especially the goofy swing, and downs, legs in the air. Ilfelt

you took a major step tonight. I just felt it was

mediocre. Oh no! I found it fun and entertaining. CHEERING. It

enjoyable to watch. I was quirky, sweet, really funny. I

knew this dance would suit you. 6. 7. 8.

James is really upset. He doesn't James is really upset. He doesn't

think we were marked fairly. It seemed to go well, we didn't mess it

up, it was all there from what we had practised. I suppose it's

detrimental because it looks will be bottom of the leaderboard

and James doesn't think that dance reflected that score. Please

give an extra large cheer and Jones! Ah, thank you. CHEERING.

I'm going to come to you in a moment, Mr Jordan, I know you

lot to say, but first of all Alex you were so looking forward to your

Charleston, you really looked forward to doing it. How was it for

you out on the floor? Well, really enjoyed the dance and it's

the dance I've wanted to do, thought I fancied a bit of

Charleston Charl and the week leading up, it was tougher than

thought because hands and feet different things, which for me is a

problem but we got there and the dance seemed to go well.

audience loved it and we got front of the panel and we went

here to here. You could see it physically drain from you. You were

all excited and then Craig says mediocre and your little heart

sinks. There is a love-hate thing going on with Craig because he

slated your rumba but then he absolutely loved you, and then again

on Saturday - do you you know where you are at with him? There was

rumba rumbagate, you know, the whole

sexless, cold nightmare which we moved on from and then things

of got better. The tango was all good and then not so good this week,

and for somebody to say you've a step back, it's like: oh, no. You

haven't. Nobody else seems to with that. Is it difficult

to pick yourself up and then and do a swingathon? Yes, it was,

wasn't it. I suppose it was. I still had steam coming out of my

ears. I said to her: you watch me go in this swingathon, I'm going to

give it everything. It was like the Hulk, argh! Yes, how long was he

supposed to spin you around? Not that long! Look, there he she goes.

Somebody help me! You got proper G-force going on there. Yes.

look at you, you made it into final three, up there

and Harry. At what point did you realise how far you had got in the

swingathon? I couldn't breathe let alone know what else was going on.

I don't think you moved until I made you leave the floor but I saw Jason

leave and thought: hang on a where is he going? Is he going to

the toilet? Yes, so to get to the last three was great but for me and

I know Alex also, the Charleston our little baby and I knew it was

good dance, it was fun. I didn't expect to be necessarily higher up

the leaderboard but I just was undermarked so I just think it's

unfair. Alesha did say that. did. You went from top of the

leaderboard last week to then third from bottom this week. Did that make

the results show even more tense? think the results show for everybody

is tense obviously now because we are down to the nitty-gritty and it

can go either way but being in a vulnerable position on the

board does not help and I thought: oh gosh, it would be such a shame if

we didn't get to the quarter-final. And we thought with the Charleston

that people would like it and that the judges might like it. They

obviously did. And they did. That's the great thing, everybody

home did love it and picked up the phones and voted. It could

actually gone in our favour people at home I

have thought: there's no way that is a 6, and possibly picked up

phone and voted for us so it could have helped us. But at the end of

the day it's the people at home are important, they are the

judges of this competition. they are better judges. And you

in the quarter-final. Now, you are

you are not the only one who to have a bit of a moan. Oh no. Not

Alex, surely. Yes, surely! Alex isn't a finely tuned athlete

myself. Ha ha! But it's the really that I just can't take it.

Oh what? James, I couldn't see. have been through the mill.

know what you are seeing. It's not looking great though, is it?

Please, don't moan. That was fine. You was on the wrong leg. No. Yes.

You was on the wrong leg. No. Yes. Yes. No. You didn't expect me to

get it first time, did you? Anything else you would like to moan

about? I've got a bad rib. My hair was in my eyes. It's because

these shoes. I don't want her moaning in the studio. Don't want to

hear any moaning. My this hurts, my that hurts. So heavy. I don't

to hear moaning. Do you want pads? No. Don't moan then. Shut

up. Boring. You are boring, can't get it. We are going to have

to change it, I cannot do it. You are lucky you haven't got a nag

a partner. LAUGHTER. So good, I do love it! This week you

have the American smooth. James, what do you have planned? You can do

lifts and everything. I know. Yes, it's a bit of an

the moment because we are still - they all are, let's face it!

Mondays and Tuesdays aren't the best, let's be honest, so we

still piecing it together. haven't really got much of a

at the moment but we are working a few little steps, a couple of

ideas. It will be fine. will be fine on the night, won't it?

It is movie week as well and you've got an absolute classic. Pretty

Woman. I see what you did. James, your favourite film? Yes, I love

it. Janet loves Pretty Woman. Janet's back. It it is

good movie, not one of favourites. No, Ghost is your

favourite, isn't it? No, it's not! Pick on me again, on TV. So will you

be in like a Julia Roberts inspired frock? That's what we are hoping. I

was thinking about the knee high boots and short - probably not.

Not at 7.00? No. For you, Maybe you could be in that outfit.

Listen, good luck this week, we loved your Charleston, forget about

the 6, that was then, have a great week. Alex and Jones! Thank you.

Thank you. Cheering. In just a second, I will be talking

to Aliona about taking Dance Challenge, but first at

stage of the competition we are getting to know our professional

dancers pretty intimately so time to put your knowledge to the

test, see if you can is. Can you guess the dancer

these clues? Now, this person is the sex symbol of Strictly Come Dancing.

He wrote that about himself, obviously. This guy just

class. He is, like, always in a suit, always looking

This dancer is known as the biggest flirt on Strictly. This person's

catchphrase is: bella, ladies love me. Can't really do

me. Can't really do the it is. So who do you think it is?

Mmm, do you have an inkling? I think Mmm, do you have an inkling? I think

I do. Yesterday we launched our Pro Dance Challenge to set a new

world record in botafogoing, oh yes. Please welcome our next contender,

Aliona! Hello, gorgeous lady. Going to talk to you and Harry later in

the week but I must say, congratulations on your quickstep.

Thank you so much. It was glorious. Thank you. When did you know it

was going to be that good? On Thursday night. Yes? That's when

all came together and this is going to be the one?

We will talk about that later on in the week. Onto the challenge. How

you think you did? I have no idea. I know last year I was last.

were the bottom, weren't you, so can go up, Aliona. I am hoping it's

better this year. OK, well, fingers crossed, the

crossed, the suspense is killing me. Natalie scored an impressive 63.

Let's see how Aliona did. The dancers are absolutely gunning for

this because we have the world record at stake. The most botafogos

in 30 seconds. I am going to be joined by Richard, who is leading

choreographer to the stars. We also have the official world record

adjudicator with us, and we want world champion.

You always want to beat everyone You always want to beat everyone

because you want to be the holder. Well, will the next

challenger please come to the floor. Hello Aliona. Hello. Are

to go as fast as you possibly can? Yes, I am. I am doing this for our

team. I know Harry really to win, this is for both of us.

Dance for your life, my darling. Please take to the floor.

Dancer ready? Yes. Richard? Dancer ready? Yes. Richard?

Ready. Adjudicator ready? Ready. For the record, 3, 2, 1, go.

Stop. How do you feel? Exhausted. My Stop. How do you feel? Exhausted. My

legs just gave in, in the middle. Yes. You did fall off

halfway through. Possibly five faults there, but we will have to

check on the slow motion. Please do, slow-mo, thank you.

I think it went all right. My thighs gave in a bit in the middle. The

first half was good; the second half was a bit dodgy. CHEERING.

Come on, Aliona! You get so even watching it. How many do you

think you manage? I have no idea, absolutely have no idea. OK,

standby, we can find out now, Aliona Vilani, this is how you did.

Aliona, your botafogos have been Aliona, your botafogos have been

Aliona, your botafogos have been counted and verified and I can

counted and verified and I can counted and verified and I can

Aliona, your botafogos reveal that five of your botafogos

were disallowed because they weren't into the floor enough. So your total

number of approved botafogos is - 64!

CHEERING. Well done, Aliona. It puts you top

of the Pro Dance Challenge leaderboard. You beat Natalie Lowe.

Who do you think will be your biggest competition out of the other

pro dancers? Probably one of the boys. I know they get very

competitive, so I've seen James practise and he was fast.

fast. Yes. We will see you on in the week, with Harry, and

tomorrow we will see Erin face the challenge. Give it up for Aliona!

Last week, Len issued a warning to all couples: abide by the rules or

be penalised. Did they manage to do it? Here to tell us is a lady known

as the Queen of choreography, it's the gorgeous Karen Hardy.

we like the way she moves, Karen we like the way she moves, Karen

Hardy! Owe yes! I love that. What mover you are. Bit of that, bit of

that. You had Coyy with you Saturday . Hopefully Cox will be

here on the Friday panel. here on the Friday

Choreography-wise has it stepped a notch? Of course, and

reason is, if they learn something like a chasse, side, together, side,

very simple step, that step we would use in a quickstep, a waltz, a

cha-cha-cha, so now when their professional says we are going to

a chasse, they know it. So they are not worrying about the steps now but

it's more about the dance itself, and I'm just loving it. So was I.

Now, let's talk about Alex and Jones first. Alex handled the hats

brilliantly in her routine. Three hats she had to get through. Yes.

I was thinking: don't drop it. How difficult is it to do tricky

choreography and handle props? Talking of tricky choreography, for

a special lady at home Miranda Hart, she wanted swimming and she got it.

The thing about Charleston, not only is it over-the-top actions of

whacking yourself or lifting the shoulders but what Alex and Jones

did this time is the hats. The hats are a nemesis to any dancer, but

even if you got one hat, that would be a probable, which it normally

- it would be a problem - six hats in total were going on that floor.

Anything could have happened. could have dropped one, missed

off the coat hook, it was a really I like the idea of it, it was very

challenging, but what it played in their advantage is that normally

hats hide the face and people don't like that on TV. It actually

pictured and framed their faces. They had some great

they were lifting it. I absolutely loved it. Great number. Good. Well

done Alex and Jones. Holly and Artem, quite a contemporary foxtrot.

What made it so good? Well, first things first, the music was

incredible, and then along with it I think this is a step that everybody

has loved it and I have chosen it here. Gorgeous! Got to be done,

hasn't it? That's how I think I look when doing it at home, but it's

a different story. Straight into hold. I think probably we have been

critical before with Artem pushing his luck with choreography. Full

class, straight up into top line, even when I look back at it,

detail of how her hands lay, of the women were even still

grabbing the man's arm, to the point of perfection. Perfect fingers.

great number, great content and that little tease factor in it I think

made it contemporary. The other thing, I think if they had done a

traditional soft, fluffy let's say foxtrot, I think that could have

gone against them. Each professional knows the celebrities' mojo now,

what makes them tick, that was a great number. Much more up Holly's

street, wasn't it? Yes, saucy and contemporary. So Ola and Robbie,

should the trousers have come off or not? What I am going to say is:

thumbs up to Ola, because look I've spotted. Look at this, heel,

heel, heel, heel. It's a Latin dance, absolutely no heels. Except

for the paso doble. But look, do we do? Ola knows that

he is not technically the strongest in this field at the moment,

technically, so what do we do? We got to keep this in there. We got to

put entertainment in there. he goes. Because what happens?

Everyone at home, even if they saw it, by the time he has

they would have completely it and gone: oh my gosh,

unbelievable! He has got no trousers on. Jason and Kristina, the

judges said "That was a Charleston", underlined several times. What was

so good about this Charleston? I think we've always talked about his

performance but you've got to at the level now. We've got knees

twisting one way, hips going another, facial expressions,

going another way and they are in harmony. Look, they are a wink out

there. That's all they are out, and now they are back in sync with each

other, so it is absolutely brilliant. The quality that is in

this now. I think from the beginning we've always gone: here is Jason, he

is going to be able to do all the performing, it's a Charleston, he is

going to do this bit no problem I wanted to point out how strong

that choreography was able to master it. Do you

is having a bit of trouble with the side by side, because at Wembley he

had a bit of a problem with the Said, a tiny mistake with the side

by side. This competition is so close, if they make a mistake you

are probably going to pull them but to be honest, even as a

world professional we all make mistakes, and what he did here is he

made a mistake but did we see it? No. No. I was blissfully unaware.

Ignore it. Fantastic number. Harry and Aliona. Harry made this

quickstep look so easy but it incredibly complex, wasn't it? It

was. It is the greatest have seen on here. On this series?

In this series. The choreography was what we call high level professional

pieces of choreography put together. Slows and quicks, ups and downs. I'm

going to attempt the impossible now. Stick with me. OK. I want you to

understand what is going on in their heads count-wise, especially in a

quickstep, I won't get it all but will have a go. I am excited.

No, don't be. So if we look at how to count this, quick and quick slow,

quick, quick, quick, quick, quick, quick, slow, quick, quick, slow,

slow, slow, slow, quick, quick, slow, quick, slow, quick, quick,

slow, quick, quick, quick, slow. impossible for you to even speak it,

he performed it. There was another section, quick and quick and

quick, quick, quick. You have remember your hold, this

choreography, you've got to presentation, I just really want

people to understand how difficult that choreography was. There were no

tricks, there was no lifts in it, was pure dance and it was brilliant

and out came those tens. Hoo hoo! Yes, hurrah. Chelsee and Pasha, and

the judges felt Chelsee could have acted through her Argentine tango

little more but in terms of footwork, was she on the money?

Yes, the complexity again. Pasha always loads her choreography,

flicks probably could have bit quicker.Ity want to look at

something else. They are always talking about her acting. We all

know that she is an actress, so I think she is going to be getting a

bit frustrated by now. Something teach my students always:

and doing are two different things. So if you said to her: right, I want

you to show me pain on stage, would scream, wouldn't you? OK. So

out of your voice. But through you don't have a voice except your

body. She is too stiff. That's why the emotion is not coming through.

So if I did that with my hand or I did that with my hand - Ooh,

at that. I could feel it. Just throw the arm like that with no

body, and then we add the body, oh! Ooh, look, feel that movement, let's

get carried away. You've still got it woman, I love it! I don't

what it is. She has got to get her back moving and she will be acting

just as great as she does in Waterloo Road. Let's talk about the

swingathon. Ooh, fabulous! There they all are out on the floor

together. Who for you was out? This is how you do it.

the background, can you see someone spinning around, it's still catching

your attention. Clever move. Look this, let's throw the arms in the

air and together, catches the judges and look at this, a double flip, and

not only that, let's put in as well. Nice. They would have

done that two or three times in that time that the music was playing,

all those three points that I captured there, very clever

choreography. The judges, someone like Len, we are in our

prime, we have anything up to 20, 25 people on a dance floor normally,

and our eyes are so critical what we want to see, but the

professionals with theirography are just as - with their choreography

are just as clever because they know the exact pieces to put in

that's going to get them those marks. Karen Hardy, you are

Georgeous! Earlier we asked if you could

who our dancers were talking about. Have you got it right? Did

guess? You guessed it, it's me. Vincent Simone, of course, how

you not have known that? This weekend, all our couples looked

absolutely stunning as always. Robbie Savage even got leggy with it

in a pair of sparkly football shorts. Only on Strictly of course.

I will be talking to our designer and expert shortly after this

Please welcome designer Celia Please welcome designer Celia

birthwell and our fashionista with the facts, Oonagh O'Hagan!

Hello, ladies, lovely to have you with us. Let's talk about Chelsee's

dress first of all. Quite a different look, doing the Argentine

tango. Do you think this combination worked well? Purple

a little bit of turquoise. I think the colour combination is brilliant,

and it's saved by the beautiful choker of all those wonderful stones

round her neck, and it fused - it felt close to her face and I like

the combination. The purple and then that worked as well, so I think she

is quite beautiful, I like her little head. She is absolutely

stunning. You made a while we were talking. I do see a

little bit of Elizabeth Taylor in her face. She will be absolutely

thrilled. I hope she knows who Elizabeth Taylor is actually

she is so young she might not. But the stones and beading actually

served a purpose, didn't they Oonagh? That is right, they

there for a function as well. stones round the bottom

weight to them so it keeps the dress down when she does the kicks,

well as being in a crepe fabric. At the top also this lighter and

darker, very flattering, very hour glass, along with that turquoise

piping. That elongated the body, didn't it? Yes, and very

That high neck as well. I thought it was a mandarin collar but it's not.

It's a choker actually, isn't it, but she has a very pretty neck and

holds her head in a particular way, doesn't she? Very poised.

Absolutely. We could all learn from Chelsee. I don't think she knows

how pretty she is. What about Holly, she was doing the foxtrot,

maybe more tango than foxtrot initially. Did you like her frock,

Celia? I think the colour is wonderful and the detailing on

back was particularly nice. the mesh, yes. The mesh at the back

is level and all the godets that gave it all the fluidity. Very nice

movement, wasn't it? Absolutely, and it has got wiring in the bottom

but very different from a usual foxtrot dress. How is it different?

Usually a foxtrot dress would be very Princessy, you wouldn't

this was at all like that. Lots of layers, petty coats, usually

pastel colour and this is of course very red, she looks very LA

Confidential in it. Very smooth in her body. This was in a crepe to

keep it down as well so when she is doing those kicks - Those

incredible kicks that she did. It fitted the music very well as well.

The combinations were good. Absolutely, and these are crystal

strings when they put them all together, it took a day to put them

all on. One day, just one dress. But she carried it off so

brilliantly. Well done to Holly and well done to the frock. We've got

Alex's Charleston dress in the studio here. Tell me a bit about

this, Celia. Well, it's a pale apple green. It actually is Lycra,

although it looks like crepe. It's quite a boyish shape and it's quite

suitable for the dance. you tell me about the stones, how

many crystals on there? Come on, facts. I know, a huge amount, 5,000

stones on that, round the neck on the Chevrons, can't believe it,

absolutely. On the back of you have those beads which echoes

the 1920s long necklaces so that's where a lot of the work will be.

The swingathon was very exciting, seven couples on the floor and they

all had a go at helping to choose their outfits and the designs of

their outfits, didn't they, Oonagh? That is right, it made it much more

feel like a competition because they all got to say what they wanted to

wear so Holly went back to these trousers, like a 1930s suit, and the

polka dot dress very 50s as well. It reminds me of Cha Cha from

Greece. She wore it well, didn't she? She stole the show for me but

then I do like a polka dot and like that scale. Also, a print is

quite unusual on this show, so somehow it stood out for me, plus I

think she is a great dancer, and I think he is a wonderful teacher.

Pasha. I think she is marvellous - he is marvellous. I think we all

know who Celia's favourite is in this competition. Celia for

Thank you so much for coming sharing that with me. Celia and

Oonagh! Thank you to all my guests tonight. See you tomorrow at 6.30 on