Dancing on Ice blog 2012: Week three

Welcome to Dancing on Ice: The Movie! Week 3 has arrived and all celebrities are now grouped together for the first time since the season began, and all skating to songs from the cinema!

Debuting an array of interesting costumes, the celebrities entered the ice and lined up for the cameras.

There was no opening skating performance from Torvill and Dean this week but with such a large group waiting to perform their programmes, time must be limited!

I also have to say that I am enjoying the new judges!

Having two major skating personalities on the panel (Robin and Katerina) gives the judging credibility. Louis Spence is also a fabulous addition to the group as his comments are witty, never cutting but very relevant.

Chico and Jodeyne
Top Gun Chico was on top form this week and displaying his romantic side by skating to “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’”.

Looking extremely stable and confident whilst moving across the ice, Chico could be this season’s underdog!

Lifting Jodeyne with ease and performing some difficult pair elements, he looked relaxed and his basic skating flowed alongside the nuances of the music.

I enjoyed seeing his serious side portrayed through the routine. A total of 18 (slightly lower than last week) was deserved and also allows for improvement. I look forward to seeing him skate for many weeks to come!

Rosemary Conley and Mark
“The Wind Beneath My Wings” was chosen for Rosemary and is so fitting with her style of skating. I think she is amazing to come on the show (being the oldest contestant) and skate although I am sure she has performed this better.

A little stumble in the middle of the routine deducted from the flow but some positives to take are her lines during lifts as she points her toes and has lovely straight leg lines.

Speed is lacking but it is so soothing watching her skate and I hope she gets another chance to perform!

Sam Nixon and Alexandra
“Kung-Fu Fighting” was the comedy routine for Sam and it made me laugh throughout!

His kicks needed a little more flexibility but he attempted them with so much gusto that you had to laugh!

His movements were strong and in character, and the assisted back flip with Alexandra at the end was completed without problem.

Sam looked steady on his feet and that, coupled with the choreography, allowed for his good scores.

There is room for improvement with his basic skating and it will be interesting to see if this has been worked on next week.

Chemmy Alcott and Sean
Chemmy is a real speed demon when she moves across the ice and her attack throughout the programme is great. She is like a rough diamond – with a bit more polishing she could be really good.

Skating to “Rescue Me” from Sister Act she revealed a lovely sparking outfit from underneath a nun’s habit!

She had a platter lift in the routine and although it didn’t work I give her a lot of respect for trying it, as it is a very difficult overhead lift – but I would not have included it, as she simply is not ready for something like that.

I doubt this will affect her confidence as she has an athlete’s mindset and is very focused and driven.

Corey Feldman and Brooke
I am not sure quite what I think about Corey – his opening line of “I think I am one of the best dancers there is” didn’t make me warm to him.

I like confidence but it sounded too arrogant. Skating to “Stand By Me” from the film in which he starred, I was unimpressed with his skating.

Clever light trickery did not detract from his jerky movements across the ice and the dancing at the beginning almost resulted in him tumbling into the line of dancers!

It’s a shame but I hope I don’t see him again next week!

Jennifer Ellison and Dan
Jennifer has had problems with her ribs this week due to training the same movement repeatedly so has had the extra challenge of making last minute changes. Skating to one of my favourite songs, “Listen” she looked lovely in a peacock blue dress with her hair piled up high.

She moves well when dancing and standing on the spot but her skating is a little wooden and slow. At this point in the competition, I don’t think this will pose a problem but unless attention is paid to this she may encounter problems later in the competition.

I would like to see her skating alone and skating with bended knee and down in the ankles allowing for smoother basic skating.

Jennifer’s positions throughout the lifts are beautifully held and this is her dancing background shining through!

Mark Rhodes and Frankie
The Blues Brothers was the film of choice with the song being the upbeat “everybody needs somebody to love”.

I loved his facial expressions throughout the programme and he had such a cheeky smile at the end! Between Sam (his TV partner) and himself – Sam wins the skating hands down! He has improved slightly from last week but still seemed shaky and slow when moving around the ice but he looks like he is thoroughly enjoying it!

What he lacks in fluidity Mark makes up for in enthusiasm and his improvement in marks reflects this and was deserved for his comedic performance!

Jorgie Porter and Matt
I really enjoyed the energy from Jorgie throughout this routine but I would have loved to see her skate more!!

Her acting ability shone through at the beginning and her musicality was excellent. I like the fact that her first week was slow and graceful but this had more punch – it shows that she can perform to differing music genres.

I think the seat lift at the end was a little lucky in staying up as she slipped on the take off but thanks to Matt’s strength and experience and her lycra knickers she stayed up!!

Matthew Wolfenden and Nina
Wearing a very fetching white suit and skating to “Night Fever” Matthew looked the epitome of 70’s cool! Although once again a very assured performance and a very high level for week 2, I don’t think it was as good as last week.

He was slightly out of time with Nina, and synchronicity with your partner is very important. I may be hypercritical, but when someone skates well you want to see him improve.

He scored high this week but in my opinion, Jorgie was better. It is set to be an exciting competition!

Charlene Tilton and Matthew
“Diamonds are a girls best friend” although it would seem that skating lifts are not! Bruised ribs due to the effort it takes during these means that she has had a painful few days this week.

I love her energy but her skating is slightly lacking in places.

She holds herself well whilst in the air but I don’t think she did more than three forward pushes in the routine, preferring to stay on two feet and glide.

The performance aspect is not the problem but I would like to see her gain confidence in her skating and skate alone.

Sebastien Foucan and Brianne
I have to say that I really enjoyed watching Sebastien this week! Skating to “Mad World” he pushed hard throughout the quirky routine and interacted well with Brianne.

This shows that he is a hard worker and takes on the judge’s comments.

He lifted Brianne with ease and seems confident on his skates and with what he is completing. A score of 18 was well deserved and with Sebastien having elements of his skating needing improvement, the weeks to come will prove interesting!

Andy Whyment and Vicky
Grease is the word and Andy sported a very fetching wig for the role! I thought he did really well during this fun routine and looked steady on his feet with good basic skating.

He lifted Vicky with confidence and the handstand lift was really impressive! There was no wasted time and the constant movement across the ice was nice to see. I agree with Katerina that he needs even more kneebend and to also listen to the music but I love watching him!

An increase of 2 points this week was well deserved and hopefully his scores will keep rising each week!

Heidi Range and Andre
Adorned with gold glitter galore Heidi wore a gold bodysuit whilst skating to “Goldfinger” from the Bond movie.

She was a little high in the knees on her forward skating, which made the routine lack fluidity across the ice although it was much, much better than last week.

Her feet could turn out a little more on the exits of lifts but overall a positive performance from the Sugababe!

The Skate Off
So out of the 13 celebrities who performed the unfortunate 2 in the skate off were: Charlene and Mark.

I agree that out of the whole competition they were in the weaker section but I do wish Corey had been included in this! Mark provided a performance that was slightly worse than the previous routine due to some technical errors but maintained the fun element throughout.

Charlene looked to be thoroughly enjoying her skate and nearly slipped out of Matthew’s hands at the end! A close call between the two but the unanimous decision was for Charlene to be given the chance to skate next week.

It’s a shame to see Mark leave the competition as he brought fun to the proceedings!

Next week the celebrities face their biggest challenge yet and Torvill and Dean perform a solo routine!

If the skating bug has bitten you, then tune in watch more skating this week as the European Figure Skating Championships 2012 are being held in Sheffield.

This event will cover all disciplines and provide exciting viewing, as our homegrown talent will be performing and representing Great Britain.

Coverage will be provided by Eurosport and the BBC throughout the week, so check the scheduling!

And if the TV is not enough, get your skates on and come on down to Blackburn Arena to try the sport out, it’s a great way to get fit, have fun and learn a new skill!