Congratulations Kelvin and Oti – Strictly Winners 2019!
A great final packed with so many excellent dances; we saw Kelvin, Karim Zeroual and Emma Barton each perform three dances; a judges pick, a show dance and then their favourite dance. The standard has been so high this year and though Kelvin was the favourite for much of the time, Karim could also easily have swung the votes, as could Emma and Anton – the latter being more of a respect vote perhaps.
Anton has been with the show since it started 15 years ago, and has patiently, kindly and creatively worked with some very challenging partners – this year, he was paired with Emma Barton and at last had a good chance of being able to get dancing to the Glitterball trophy. They couple achieved several 10s over the series and provided some obviously memorable moments for them both.
The finale was kicked off by Karim and Amy with the judge’s choice of a Quickstep. A very fast ad well synchronised piece that showcased Karim’s footwork and showbiz personality. Their show dance was a modern piece which was emotional and personal for Karim; for myself, it didn’t quite work but am very much a ballroom and Latin person - the judges liked it! And then their own choice as their final dance was that awesome Jive – well worth seeing again, jaw droppingly good.
Emma and Anton repeated their Charleston, then gave a Gene and Ginger showcase piece which was a real throw back to the glamour and glitz of the period. Craig deducted a point for a very minor synchronisation issue right at the beginning of the routine, which seemed a bit mean but he was staying true to his judging criteria. However, as the judge’s marks don’t mean anything in the final, because the result is purely based on the audience vote, I think I would have given them a 10.
From the start, Kelvin and Oti were definitely the stars of the night with Kelvin giving us a second performance of his Rumba, scoring 39 points from the judges and showing that the male in the Rumba can be masculine as well as fluid and emotive. So many gents feel the Rumba is too feminine for them and feel awkward about dancing it; it’s actually a very strong dance for the leader, the key is to project into the story, and keep a good flow with moments of stillness on the 4.1. His show dance was brilliantly choreographed to show off the highlights of his Strictly story and impressed the judges who awarded the pair a perfect score of 40. Finishing off his finale dance trio, he took to the dance floor with partner Oti for week one Samba- still an awesome performance .
Bearing in mind that Kelvin joined the show last minute as the replacement for injured Jamie Laing just days before it was due to begin, it’s been an incredible journey resulting in some memorable dance performances. Kelvin is an actor know for his roles in Emmerdale Farm, The Shore and Springtime on the Farm. He is also a professional F1 racing driver; now he’ll be known as the 2019 Strictly winner and I do hope he can take part in the Strictly Roadshow in 2020 as I would love to see him perform live. Looking utterly shocked as he received the Trophy , he said: "I'm absolutely speechless, I did not expect that, it's been such a privilege to be here." Of course ,his dance partner, Oti Mabuse, played a huge role in the journey providing some very sensitive yet challenging choreography, plus no doubt lots of support, time and perseverance. Teamwork and chemistry at their best!
For anyone who wants to learn to dance in 2020 go to our website and book onto the beginner group for January – as Mike Bushell said, it’s not just for the youngsters, we specialise in teaching adults to dance and have an awesome time while we learn so get those dancing shoes out and join in for 2020. www.comedancingwithme.co.uk
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