DANCE teacher Graham Vernon, from Samlesbury, gives his verdict on the fifth episode on Strictly Come Dancing.

Rachel and Vincent
A sexy Samba to start the show off. They are a really balanced couple and always dance well together. Good, strong choreographed routine with great musicality. However, the musical content did not do it for me.

Lisa and Brendan
Wow! Lisa has risen to the challenge - but can she keep it there? Some excellent strong lines with beautiful choreographed shapes and great styling. Well done both of you.

Heather and Brian
What a shame. Heather was heavy-footed and looked like it was difficult for her to bring her knees together, A bit wooden and lifeless. She did have a nice hip action, but it was hard to see from where I was sitting as some of the camera angles were just of their upper bodies. Did she deserve to be in the bottom two? Yes, in my opinion. Did she deserve to be saved? No, in my opinion, even though she did improve in the dance-off, there were still a lot of mistakes.

Cherie and James
Did not do it for me this week. I didn’t like the music, the choreography was weak and her dress made her look frumpy. She also looked stiff in the upper body. It was such a shame because she has something special. Everyone is entitled to an off-week, and this for me was hers.

Mark and Hayley
Mark definitely found the fun factor this week. His performance was a vast improvement on previous weeks but it was very heavy for a Samba, a little awkward looking. And his shirt! Well, what can I say? It reminded me of a gorilla. The solo section they danced did have a touch of sunlight, but I thought they were going to be in the dance-off. Do you agree?

Don and Lilia
Should not have gone this week. Not a bad attempt, his posture needed to be a little more erect, there were some good arm lines and good attempts at the lifts. In the dance off there was a greater improvement than Heather and Brian made. What a shame.

Austin and Erin
Great leg and fantastic knee action, a lively Samba bounce with yet another great performance. Superb barrel rolls which are one of the hardest Samba steps to master, and he did.

Andrew and Ola
I really thought they were going to be in the dance-off. Did you? Andrew's arms had improved, but the step clicks at the beginning were the best bits.

Christine and Matthew
Good, strong hip action developing, though a bit heavy in some of the foot positions, and just did not seem quite polished enough in some parts. There were, however, some strong lines and it was a livelier approach than we had seen in the past.

Tom and Camilla
Tom could have just stood in the middle of the floor on Saturday night as there was no way he was going to be in the dance-off. For a person to give up his honeymoon - and more importantly his wedding night - for a competition deserves an automatic entry into the final. Dedication, dedication dedication. A fantastic smooth number with lots of performance and his spins were amazing. A few little foot slips but what zing! Definitely the best male performance of the night. Do you agree?

Group numbers
I thought all the group numbers were fantastic on Sunday night's show. The number with Darcey Bussell and Chris from the Royal Ballet just sent shivers down my spine. The professional Paso number was perfectly performed with attitude and style and the Jive number done to Alicia Dixon was full of influence and energy.