Weeks 5, 6, and 7 of Strictly Charity and BBC Strictly Come Dancing: an Interesting Insight

The past three weeks, we have witnessed Strictly Charity and BBC Strictly Come Dancing unfold simultaneously. The Elstree Studio ballroom has observed an array of talent as the couples poured their hearts and souls into their performances in attempt to wow the judges, and coinciding this, our dancers are doing all they can to win the ninth annual Strictly Charity event.

From cheeky Cha Cha Chas, to joyous Jives, the past three weeks have truly had it all, so kick back, relax and get ready to have your dose of dance magic!

Annabel and Johannes: Week 5 kicked off with Annabel and Johannes dancing to Kool & The Gang’s “Ladies Night” in an exquisite Charleston. Annabel shone in a silver and gold tassel dress, with a pink fringe, and Johannes matched her with a pair of pink trousers, a pink neckerchief and a white striped shirt. Anton complimented the couple by explaining that “it was just terrific” and the couple scored 27/40.

Nigel and Katya: Nigel and Katya Foxtrotted sophisticatedly to Etta James’ “ I Just Want To Make Love To You”. Nigel looked crisp in a pair of brown trousers, white shirt and orange tie, while Katya matched Nigel in an orange ballroom dress. Craig complimented Nigel’s “wonderful musicality” , and they earned a respectable 29/40.

Eddie and Karen: Eddie and Karen danced a Samba to “Calm Down” by Rema ft.Selena Gomez.

The couple both rocked outfits with black and white patterns. The judges acknowledged their efforts with score of 24/40.

Krishnan and Lauren: Krishnan and Lauren’s Quickstep to Frank Sinatra’s “The Lady Is A Tramp” brought joy to the dance floor. Krishnan looked debonair in a black tail suit, while Lauren sparkled in an emerald green ballroom dress. They scored 30/40 for Week 5.

Angela and Carlos: dancing an American Smooth to Madonna’s “Cherish”, Angela impressed in a light pink blouse with a dusty pink ballroom skirt and a silver belt. Carlos, spruce in a light blue shirt and a pair of light pink trousers, received feedback from Anton that “it’s lovely, lovely, lovely to watch.” They scored 28/40.

Ellie and Vito: the duo brought intensity and passion to the floor as they danced a dramatic Pasodoble to “Insomnia” by Faithless. Ellie’s intense eye look complimented her dark purple, black and red dress, while Vito wore a purple pair of trousers and a waistcoat. Craig made it clear that he was impressed by stating that “this partnership is definitely on fire.” The couple earned a solid total score of 37/40 for week 5.

Layton and Nikita: this couple brought it all with their Salsa to Johnny Pacheco and Celia Cruz’ “Quimbara”. Layton’s yellow attire and Nikita’s pink attire helped earn them the first score of 39 in Week 5 in 13 years! Anton shared that “it was pretty much perfect”, which gives no doubt as to why they earned a whopping 39/40.

Bobby and Diane: Bobby and Diane danced a Viennese waltz to “ golden hour” by JVKE. Bobby wore a combination of grey and white, while Diane wore a peachy cream ballroom dress with red flowered details. They scored 32/40.

Adam and Luba: Adam and Luba danced the Couple’s Choice to “Backstreet Boys Medley” by the Backstreet boys, in matching all-white attire. They earned 32/40 for Week 5.

Zara and Graziano: Zara and Graziano danced to LeAnn Rimes’ “Can’t Fight the Moonlight” for Week 5. Zara wowed in a satin lilac ballroom dress while Graziano matched her with a satin lilac shirt and black trousers. They scored 28/40.

Angela and Kai: Angela and Kai danced an Argentine tango to Sexteto Mayor’s “Tanguera”. Angela looked the part in a black dress with a black flower in her hair, whilst Kai wore a black suit. Shirley shared her thoughts on the dance by explaining that she was “in awe”. They scored 34/40.

Sadly, all good things must come to an end. Zara and Graziano and Eddie and Karen found themselves in the dance-off for Week 5, with Eddie and Karen unfortunately being the next couple to leave the competition.

Week 6 of BBC Strictly Come Dancing, welcomed the frightening spirit of Halloween week. The ballroom was eerie and the stage was prepped for a night of terrifying talent.

Angela and Carlos: Angela and Carlos kick started the night with a Pasodoble to District 78’s “BLACK swan SWAN lake.” Angela made her appearance in all black attire and white sleeves with bold makeup, alongside Carlos who too wore all black. Shirley praised her for setting “the tone for the evening absolutely fabulously”, and the couple scored a great 33/40.

Adam and Luba: Adam and Luba danced a truly magical American Smooth to Perry Como’s “Magic Moments”. The duo earned themselves 32/40.

Zara and Graziano: Dancing a Charleston to “Jeepers Creepers” by Al Donahue and his Orchestra, dressed as Skeletons, Zara and Graziano impressed Craig for having “great swivel”. They scored 25/40.

Layton and Nikita: Layton and Nikita impressed the judges with their Tango to Olivia Rodrigo’s “Vampire”, leaving Motsi stating that she is “so happy that [they] are in this competition.” Layton took to the floor in a black and purple corset ballroom dress, alongside Nikita who wore an all white suit with stockings. Together they earned a solid 36/40.

Bobby and Diane: Bobby and Diane wowed the audience with a Cha Cha Cha to Delia Rose’s “Come-On- A-My-House”, earning them a fantastic score of 30/40.

Krishnan and Lauren: Krishnan and Lauren danced a Viennese waltz to Seal’s “Kiss From A Rose”, leaving judge Anton stating that their “reverse turn was perfect.” They earned a total score of 27/40.

Angela and Kai: this couple delivered a brilliant Charleston to the “Murder She Wrote theme”, in screen accurate costumes. Craig was so impressed that he described their performance as “ a swivel masterclass”, no wonder they scored a fabulous 33/40.

Annabel and Johannes: Annabel and Johannes danced a fiery Tango to “Need U Tonight” by INXS, dressed as Devils. They earned a total score of 29/40.

Nigel and Katya: Nigel and Katya danced the second Cha Cha Cha of the night to “I Was Made For Lovin’ You” by KISS, earning a total score of 30/40.

Ellie and Vito: Ellie and Vito danced a Salsa to “Murder on the Dancefloor” by Sophie Ellis-Bexter, dressed as Zombies in bright green body paint. Anton found their performance “absolutely spectacular” , and overall the judges were royally impressed awarding the duo a whopping 38/40, which is the highest Halloween scoring Salsa ever in Strictly history.

Unfortunately, the spine chilling holiday special had to come to end, and alongside this, two dancers had to find themselves in the dance-off. Week 6 saw Adam and Luba and Zara and Graziano voted into the bottom two, sadly sending Zara and Graziano home for week 6.

Week 7 of BBC Strictly Come Dancing had it all! Let’s dive deep into the dancing world of glitz, glam and all things sparkle.

Layton and Nikita: Layton and Nikita were up first this week dancing an energetic Jive to “Shake Ur Body” by SHY FX, T.Power, Di, leaving head judge Shirley to state that “it was absolutely outstanding”. They earned a total score of 36/40.

Angela and Kai: Anton described Angela and Kai’s Waltz to Nat King Cole’s “Fascination” as ”beautiful and elegant”. Overall they scored 28/40.

Nigel and Katya: This duo danced a Tango to “Nothing Breaks Like a Heart: by Mark Ronson ft.Miley Cyrus, earning a total score of 33/40.

Angela and Carlos: Angela and Carlos danced a Samba to “Ain’t It Funny” by Jennifer Lopez, earning a score of 27/40.

Annabel and Johannes danced the Couple’s Choice to “Wings” by Birdy, playing tribute to Annabel’s husband who sadly passed away earlier this year. The judges were left speechless, Anton made it known however that “this was perfect”, earning them a score of 35/40.

Bobby and Diane: Bobby and Diane danced an Argentine tango to “Sail” by AWOLNATION earning them a total score of 30/40.

Ellie and Vito: Ellie and Vito danced an American Smooth to “Ain’t That A Kick in The Head” by Robbie Williams leaving Craig to explain that they “have gone from strength to strength”. Overall this couple earned an outstanding 39/40.

Adam and Luba; Adam and Luba danced a Rumba to Callum Scott’s “Dancing On My Own”, they earned a total score of 27/40.

Krishnan and Lauren: Krishnan and Lauren danced the Couple’s Choice to “You Can Call Me Al” by Paul Simon, earning them a total score of 29/40.

Week 7 saw Angela and Kai in the dance-off for the first time alongside Adam and Luba. Unfortunately Adam and Luba were next to be sent home from the competition, loosing their chances to get their hands on the coveted glitter ball trophy.

Stay tuned for the next instalment of Strictly Charity and BBC Strictly Come Dancing, as the final draws closer, the competition heats up and they unravel simultaneously side by side!

In addition to the three weeks of incredible performances seen on BBC Strictly Come Dancing, our dedicated couples from Strictly Charity have been hard at work to make their routines flawless and performance ready for the competition on the 3rd of December. We’re giving you an exclusive insight to the past three weeks of Strictly Charity, so get ready!

Jp and Amy: Jp shares that they have been working on a new introduction for their Viennese waltz, which over the past couple of weeks has developed and gotten stronger as a dance. They’ve also admitted that they are planning on polishing the routines moving forward in hopes to perfect them. Their determination is continuing to shine as they endlessly put in hard work!

Julie and James: It is clear that Julie and James have their eyes on the glitter ball trophy this year, as they have exclusively admitted that they have completed both routines, their music is edited and moving forwards they are solely focusing on polishing!

Georgina and Martin: This dynamic duo have been working on adding some new daring moves which requires Georgina to put her whole trust into Martin. Martin has explained that he is “absolutely loving it” and it is clear that Georgina has completely put her faith in Martin which is why their relationship is so strong.

Paul and Ella: Paul explains that the couple’s strongest dance at the moment is the Quickstep due to the routine flowing more smoothly. Despite the challenges they have faced previously in training, the duo have evidently made significant progress through their determination and dedication.

Matthew and Ana: Matthew shares that their training is going well, and that they have managed to find time at work to practise their dances in the discharge lounge at the hospital for patients waiting to go home!

Lorna and Terri: Lorna and Terri are still having lots of fun in rehearsals, which is exactly what Strictly Charity is all about! The ladies joked about still hating their Charleston, but admit that they are really beginning to enjoy the dance much more now and they are feeling like they are progressing.

Wes and Gemeilah: This super team have been working hard on their posture and positioning for their Waltz the last few weeks to help improve their togetherness. Wes explained that the Salsa is coming along nicely and all that’s needed now is for them both to polish it.

John and Sadie: John and Sadie are still having a fabulous time in rehearsals and John can’t stop singing Sadie’s praises. Sadie admits she feels much more confident now, and although they feel like they have a little bit more work to do on their Samba, they’re feeling positive about their Waltz.

Rebecca and Andrew: Dancing? It’s a challenge, explains Andrew, but he’s smiling through every step he takes!

As the big night draws closer, the dedication and determination is heating up the competition. It’s clear that the dancers are working together to make an unforgettable night of incredible performances to support Inspire Suffolk.

Stay tuned for more updates as we get closer to both finals! Don’t forget tickets for Strictly Charity are now available for purchase, so book now before they sell out, at ipswichdance.co.uk/events and join us at the Ipswich School of Dancing to proudly support Inspire Suffolk.