The Voice, Week 4 Blind Auditions: Jaz Ellington is The Man!

Danny, Tom and Jessie were all left bashing their buzzers (not a euphemism) in frustration this week, as all had their chosen ten before Jaz Ellington claimed both the stage and Will's heart.

Singing The A Team, Jaz showed his quality, quietly strong, if you get me, add in the falsetto, straight into my Top Ten - and with that name, was there ever any doubt? What happened next was Jessie asking him to sing again and this time he did her favourite song, sung by an earlier auditionee, Ordinary People. Co-written by Will and John Legend at a low moment in Will's life, it was the most emotional performance of the whole series so far, as first Jessie and then Will began the eye-wiping. Tom was wearing a soppy smile and Danny was just mesmerised, leaning across his buzzer. Naturally, being me, I was bawling my eyes out on the sofa and having the mick taken out of me by the kids. I've included his first audition too; check both out below:

Jaz was the stand out singer, but there are special mentions for Harriet Whitehead, who sang What's Up and was sadly not picked because they were all down to their last one. But she was my next favourite of the night:

Lindsay Butler was nabbed by Tom; very pleased for her, I liked her a lot too, effortless and fresh sounding, I reckon she could be extremely versatile:

Danny completed his ten with John James Newman, he hummed and hahhed but he went in the end, thankfully, as I liked John's style very much:

I personally wasn't enamoured of some the coaches chose: Indie and Pixie I just didn't get all four turning for them at all; thought them very ordinary - Jessie was victorious. Others were good but had tuning issues or sounded similar to stuff out there. One who wasn't chosen was Ben Lake, another show singer - too operatic for them - but classical singers do well commercially. Becky Hill was the one who did the earlier version of Ordinary People and I have to say I preferred her mum and dad! She came across a bit of a diva - could be trouble for Jessie!

The completed teams stand thus:

Danny: Aleks Josh; Bill Downs; Bo Bruce; David Julien; Emmy J Mac; Hannah Berney; John James Newman; Max Milner; Murray Hockridge; Vince Freeman.

Jessie: Becky Hill; Ben Kelly; Cassius Henry; David Faulkner; Indie & Pixie; Jessica Hammond; Kirsten Joy; Ruth-Anne St.Luc; Toni Warne; Vince Kidd.

Tom: Adam Isaac; Aundrea Nyle; Barbara Bryeland; Deniece Pearson; Denise Morgan; Leanne Mitchell; Lindsay Butler; Matt & Sueleen; Ruth Brown; Sam Buttery.

Will: Frances Wood; Heshima Thompson; J Marie Cooper; Jay Norton; Jaz Ellington; Jenny Jones; Joelle Moses; Kate Read; Sophie Griffin; Tyler James.

Team Scatty: I've had to rejig! Max Milner; David Faulkner; Vince Kidd; Adam Isaac; Jaz Ellington; Joelle Moses; John James Newman; Bo Bruce; Hannah Berney; Matt & Sueleen. Apologies to those I've dropped but this is tough! The boys and Joelle just leapt out at me but choosing between the girls was a  nightmare! And there's no way I'm knocking them down to five! I'll let the coaches do that for me ...

Let the Battles commence! Saturday 7pm and Sunday 7.30pm this week; the coaches culling their teams down to five! See the trailers here.

Katherine's Power Paso keeps her in DWTS

Week 4 on Dancing With the Stars was Rock Week and luck of the draw gave Katherine Jenkins and Mark Ballas a Paso Doble to perform.

The Welsh Warrior showed up and a feisty, angry performance full of attack ensued, although it lacked a little precision and finesse. This dropped them from the top of the leaderboard, scoring 24/30. The judges were pretty spot on with their comments I thought, but happily Team Kama (I've decided; full names are too long) made it safely through to next week.

The Voice: Week 3 Blind Auditions

The girls pinched it on this penultimate week of the blind auditions, with some of the strongest we've heard so far.

Star of the show was Joelle Moses, who sang Rolling in the Deep, slowly seducing us and all four coaches who were unable to resist. A properly soulful, controlled yet emotive voice made the song her own and the tempo let us savour every note. A standation from the Big Four and the wonderful dilemma of choosing for herself - the promise of shoe sharing with Jessie wasn't enough, she belongs to will. 

Hannah Berney sang You and I, which I was unfamiliar with. Initially I thought it the wrong choice but upon a second listen, I was sold. A strong, different vocal, showing what she could do - I was willing Danny on; I think she made the right choice for the songs he'll choose.

And finally, Bo Bruce, with a fab, understated version version of Without You; I really enjoyed this and she's another won by Danny, a perfect choice, and Holly agrees. Like Danny said "we probably share the same record collection" although turning down someone who "eats the same soup" (will) was tough!

All three above sound so completely different, this is going to be some competition when they get into the battle stages. The other who stood out for me although we didn't hear the whole thing, was Denise Morgan. She sang Love Song, a feisty, versatile vocal we should have heard more of, I liked her a lot - she went to Tom. And another who impressed - Jessie nabbed Kirsten Joy, who did a terrific version of Emily Sande's Heaven.

The rest was a funny mix - some sweet notes, some bum notes, many brave song choices which some got away with and some didn't. Alyson Brown may have made it through had she not tackled Somebody Else's Guy; Jay Norton I really didn't see the appeal of but will nabbed him. Nathan James reminded me of a Rider of Rohan, but that's because I'm re-reading Lord of the Rings again. He went with a rock anthem, thinking he was different. Signing one of Tolkein's elf songs would have been different and he may have made it through; you could hear there was an ex choirboy voice there, struggling over the power. 

I'm loving that the judges get all techy, with vocal runs and range and breathing and stuff. I just need to find out what it all means ...

The teams now stand thus:

Danny: Aleks Josh; Hannah Berney; Bill Downs; Max Milner; Bo Bruce; Murray Hockridge; David Julien; Vince Freeman.

Jessie: Ben Kelly; Kirsten Joy; Cassius Henry; Ruth-Ann St.Luce; David Faulkner; Toni Warne; Jessican Hammond; Vince Kidd.

Tom: Adam Isaac; Denise Morgan; Aundrea Nyle; Leanne Mitchell; Barbara Bryceland; Matt and Sueleen; Deniece Pearson; Sam Buttery.

will: Frances Wood; Joelle Moses; Heshima Thompson; Kate Rea; J Marie Cooper; Tyler James; Jay Norton.

Team Scatty: Hannah Berney; Max Milner; Bo Bruce; Vince Freeman; David Faulkner; Vince Kidd; Adam Isaac; Denise Morgan; Joelle Moses; J Marie Cooper *eek* I'm full! May have to ditch one or two depending on who we hear next week! Although I've managed to end up with an even split of boys and girls, this was completely unintentional, I assure you - I don't do tokenism. It was very male dominated until this episode; it can all change next week! Until then, you can have a listen to all the auditions here, to hear what made the coaches turn for their artists.

Intimate theatre setting Strictly perfect for Katya and Pasha

Strictly Come Dancing's Katya Virshilas and Pasha Kovalev sashayed their way into the hearts of an enthusiastic crowd at Chatham's Central Theatre on Sunday.

They were joined by rising stars in the world of dance, Ryan Hammond and Lyndsey Muckle, who won through to the recent Got to Dance semi finals, and local dance troupe, Dance Alley, familiar to visitors to Medway's Fuse Festival (i.e. moi). 

Linked by an easy going and jokey host for the evening, Katya and Pasha began with a lively samba, then a slow cha cha with shades of Argentine Tango, before being joined on stage by Ryan and Lyndsey for a tricky salsa. Then it was the first appearance for Dance Alley, who'd been challenged to choreograph two routines to two different music medleys and did brilliantly with a bunch of 80s disco tracks that most of them had probably never heard before.

Pasha and Katya were back on stage for a gorgeous American Smooth foxtrot to The Buble's I'm Your Man, with Katya in a beautiful minty fresh dress reminiscent of Camilla's foxtrot dress in Series 6 with Tom.  A welcome break for them followed, in the shape of a Q&A with the audience. We found out that the costumes on Strictly get sold on, that Katya was asked to audition for Strictly and that dancing on live TV is stressful and nervewracking (Katya) but it's great to get a live audience reaction (Pasha). Katya told us that Pasha listens to classical music in the mornings - he asked: How do you know? She replied: Your girlfriend told me! They get nervous in front of the judges and before performing, but they're careful not to let their celebs see that - in case it freaks them out! 

Pasha advised that dancing underwater is great, that neither of them (him and Chelsee) could talk but it was fun, although kind of weird with costumes and no shoes. He was inspired by Cuban club dancers, particularly a 90 year old woman who sizzled! She'd gotten too close to the barbecue apparently ... no, I jest ... but he's been looking for a more experienced woman ever since.

According to both of them, Craig is awesome and the sweetest man they know - all the judges embellish their characters but backstage and on tour he's always smiling and jokey. 

Back to the dancing and Ryan and Lyndsey brought us an impeccable sophisticated rumba to Diamonds Are Forever, before Katya and Pasha reprised Pasha and Chelsee's quickstep to Sing Sing Sing. All four of them treated us to a traditional Argentine Tango to Roxanne, followed by Katya and Dan's Viennese Waltz reprised by both couples. Some huge and magnificent lifts followed, in a cha cha/rumba to a Michael Jackson medley, by Ryan and Lyndsey, before Katya and Pasha did similar to I Will Always Love You. 

Dance Alley were back for their second performance to a modern medley and then for me, the best dance of the night, as both couples performed a stunning Paso Doble, with solo sections for each and, as had been the case throughout the evening, traditional music - which so adds to the overall effect. I want Katya's paso dress, it was amazing. And there was a cloak alert: Pasha knows how to work it. Go on my son, as Len would say.

Ryan and Lyndsey showcased their fantastic lifts again - they do the whole overhead thing, like you see on Dancing on Ice - but the routine is still predominantly dance, not freestyle. The dancers stopped for a breather again, teaching us to merengue* to Move Like Jagger, before "persuading" five couples up on stage for a cha cha lesson/competition. The winning girls, age 12 and 9, got a special dance with Pasha. *not to be confused with meringue, a gooier, stickier, more fruity version with added cream.

Rounding the evening off was a jive to Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy in Company B and Stuff Like That There. Pasha wore a uniform so I can't remember much of the specifics. There was jitterbuggin and stuff. 

A hugely enjoyable evening with brilliant dancing and you went away feeling you knew the stars of Strictly just a little bit better than before. If you have the chance to see Katya and Pasha in a theatre near you - go!

Snippets: Kath Jenkins on DWTS; Jersey Salsa Slam; Street Battle 2012; DVD offer

Katherine Jenkins and dance partner Mark Ballas are still topping the Dancing With The Stars leader board, this week scoring 29 out of a possible 30 for a gorgeous, romantic and emotional waltz to Josh Groban's To Where You Are.

Both song and dance were a tribute to Katherine's dad, who passed away in 1996, as the stars this week were asked to think of the most poignant year of their lives to celebrate. If you're not blubbing even before they begin then maybe you're having an exceptionally wonderful day. Or you have a heart made of granite mixed with concrete and steel.

Fancy a weekend away in Jersey? Salsa Fever present Jersey Salsa Slam on the weekend October 19th to 22nd. Staying at the Metropole Hotel in St.Helier, this second weekend is hosted by Rohan Brown and brought to you again following the success of the first last year. Deposit is £50, with an early bird half board offer of £154 or weekend passes for just £40. That sounds pretty good to me! Visit the Salsa Fever website for full details.

Sadly, if you go to Jersey then you can't attend Street Battle 2012, which takes place on the same weekend at Butlins in Skegness. There's over £25,000 in cash prizes plus workshops from some of the hottest talent in the street dance industry. See more info on the Street Battle website.

Dancing in the UK has 15 different DVDs for sale, at just £6 each, including P&P.  They cover waltz, samba, rumba, tango, mambo, cha cha, foxtrot, Latin jazz, Argentine Tango, salsa and street dance - email them for full details, there's a discount for anyone purchasing three or more. dvds@dancingintheuk.co.uk

Dance cards - no, not those sort!

Like I said, not your traditional dance cards, but greetings cards for those addicted dance fans out there!

Ballroom Cards.com via Dancing in the UK, is an exclusive online store for dance greetings cards, celebrating the beauty of dance. And if you order online by 3pm it's same day despatch for all cards in stock! They stock all styles of dance cards, including Latin, Tango and Ballet as well as traditional ballroom.

As an added bonus, they will actually produce cards for artists and photographers, so if you've some great dance images and think they would sell well as a card, get in contact with them and see if you can work something out!

The Voice - Week 2 Blind Auditions

Another varied week, some very different voices for the coaches to choose from and I'm over halfway to my Top Ten already!

Stand out for me this week was David Faulkner, who turned all four coaches - if you can sing Stevie, capture all the energy and passion he has and stay in tune while you do it, making his song your own, then you are The Man as far as I'm concerned. Jessie got him in the end. He reckons he's shy. Shy? Don't make me laugh - he came alive on that stage! And a nice guy too. Enjoy his performance again here:

Also impressing me were the two Vinces, Kidd and Freeman. Vince K had me wondering for a minute what the song was, I knew I knew it but couldn't place it, you know how it is? Then it dawned and it was, wow - brave or what? Jessie got him too. Excellent audition, you ain't never heard Madonna like this:

Vince F. belonged to Danny; this we all knew and will confirmed. Singing Sex on Fire, he really got the audience rocking, husky and strong:

Other special mentions go to Heshima Thompson singing Dynamite, simple, effective and a lot of energy - he's wills. David Julien grew on me with his version of Danny's The Man Who Can't Be Moved and Danny it is who gets him. Matt and Sueleen I liked a lot, a very folksy A Little Time, melodic and harmonious - Tom gets them, but only after they toss a coin between him and Jessie. Not sure that's an entirely a good way to start your relationship, but hey. Barbara Bryceland has a gorgeous tone and sings Wild Horses beautifully - she wants Tom, he's hers!

Of the others, I thought Sam Thornton was unlucky not be picked considering the tuning issues of Aleks Josh, who ends up with Danny; Kerry Ellis was brilliant but clearly a professional they probably felt they couldn't have taught anything new to; Frances Wood was taken by will after a plead, kind of cutting herself off from the others - I didn't actually think she was that strong. Deniece Pearson, from Five Star - yes, I do remember them, very well *moves on quickly* sang Fighter: "tone and power" says Tom and she makes his sixth coachee "Six Bomb Six Bomb" sings Jessie!

Now, all this business with Shansel, the untrained opera singer - totally not what you were expecting but far too quivery for me to enjoy. None of them turned and then they all kicked themselves, with it reported here that will is trying to sign her up. Now, if you cast your mind back to the 'How it Works' post I did, you'll remember that if any coach doesn't have their full allocation, they can recall someone who didn't make it through. So all will needs to do is only choose nine. It's not rocket science people, come on! Unless they've changed the rules since then, obviously. And this is TV so who knows?

So far then, the teams stand as follows:

Danny: AleksJosh; David Julien; Max Milner; Vince Freeman

Tom: Adam Isaac; Audrea Nyle; Barbara Bryceland; Deniece Pearson; Matt and Sueleen; Sam Buttery

Jessie: Ben Kelly; David Faulkner; Jessica Hammond; Toni Warne; Vince Kidd

will: Frances Wood; Heshima Thompson; J Marie Cooper

and Team Scatty (sorry - you know this'll be the kiss of death for them): Max Milner; David Faulkner; Vince Kidd; Vince Freeman; J Marie Cooper; Adam Isaac.

All the team bios and performances can be found on the website here. They'll be back next Saturday, 7pm.