Strictly Come Dancing - The John Sargeant Saga Continues
The Strictly Come Dancing audience gasped and the judges looked shell shocked when John Sargeant and his partner Kristina Rihanoff went through to the next round.
We have had this situation before when the Judges felt that a pair should be out of the competition but they were never in a dance-off. The actor Christopher Palmer even got to the final and week after week the voting public kept Fiona Phillips of GMTV in the previous series.
This actually was cruel of the voting public. These two contestants obviously dreaded dancing and wanted out of the competition.
The John Sargeant situation is different. True, technically he is not a good dancer but he is entertaining and the show is about entertainment through dance. It is also a competition in which the public makes its' views felt.
I think that the Judges are failing to understand that John Sargeant is doing an excellent job as an ambassador for the pleasures of dance. He is totally relaxed and unruffled, enjoying the music and dancing with his pretty young partner in a gentle, solicitous manner. Technically he is improving and he does have a natural musicality. He is not afraid to be totally himself and let his own personality shine through his movements. With some of the other performers you can see the fear shining through the smile and the dramatic facial expressions.
Viewers of all ages are drawn by John's personality and wit. He knows how to deal with the Judge's cutting remarks. The message is being sent to everyone that you can be a middle-aged man, of medium stature, have a little tummy and still be a credible figure on the dance floor.
I know that Strictly Come Dancing is a competition but dance is not all about youth and high energy levels. The audience voting is showing us that we are beginning to appreciate that people can and should dance no matter what their age.
I do feel sorry though that more technically competent dancers are being eliminated. But carry on dancing John and Kristina!
Dzagbe Cudjoe is a Dance and Movement Therapist, Intuitive Counselor, Healer and Ethnologist with a keen interest in promoting Dance as a means of achieving Mind-Body-and-Spirit integration... She is the author of the manual "Dance to Health -Help Your Special Needs Child Through Inspirational Dance". Dance to Health
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