Strictly star shuts down criticism that routine 'didn't have a place on show'
Strictly Come Dancing contestant Layton Williams has hit out at criticism from former stars of the BBC show over his racy pole dance performance during Blackpool Week.
Alongside his professional partner, Nikita Kuzmin, the 29-year old danced a Couple's Choice routine in the famous Tower Ballroom to Christina Aguilera’s Ain’t No Other Man. It appeared to go down a storm, with the judges Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas and Anton du Beke awarding the pair a series high of 39 on the night.
The couple, who are among the favourites to lift the Glitterball Trophy next month, glammed up in matching corsets over black shirts and leather trousers as they strutted their stuff on the dancefloor. The extravagant showing proved too much for ex-Strictly pros Brendan Cole and James Jordan, however, who said it belonged elsewhere.
Brendan Cole and James Jordan felt the performance was suitable for Strictly's audience (BBC)New Zealander, Brendan, who won the inaugural series of Strictly with newsreader Natasha Kaplinsky in 2004, compared the performance to something from Magic Mike. "Maybe I’m stuck in the past, but I just think the whole basis of Strictly is a competition based mainly around Ballroom and Latin dancing," he explained to Sky Bingo.
Bredan continued: "It felt like I was watching a Magic Mike show and that’s not something I like to see on Strictly. I think he [Layton] has done better performances. I’d put out something so beautiful that the majority of Strictly watchers could fall in love with and would love to see."
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James, meanwhile, told Hello! magazine: "Did I think that dance had a place on Strictly? Absolutely not." Now, after dropping down the leaderboard with a score of 34 in week 10, Layton has responded to his critics, citing his dedication to thinking outside the box with Nikita, 25.
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"I feel like we’ve always come out and kind of like done something potentially a little bit more out there pushing the boundaries… we’ve thrown in this and that… and there’s always an element of surprise," he told Metro.
"Why shouldn’t we be swinging from poles and living our best lives? It went down pretty [well] if you ask me so I’m really proud and I stand by it, it’s also a couple’s choice. Get into it."
Nikita agreed, stating there was "nothing more to it" than simply swinging and dancing around a pole. "At the end of the day, we’re just two boys dancing together and we are having fun, we’re trying to bring a show, and well, if somebody doesn’t like this, it’s absolutely fine," he added.
Amongst Strictly's fanbase the routine received mixed reactions on social media, with one X user siding with Brendan and James. "Nobody is watching #Strictly in Blackpool to see pole dancing. I hate the Couple’s Choice concept," the concerned user commented.
Many rushed to defend the performance, however, and dubbed pole dancing as an "art form". Another user enthused: "To the people saying that was inappropriate, pole dancing in a form of dancing, it is an art form. It doesn’t need to have sexual connotations just stfu."
Another added: "A mixture of theatre and pole-work (which is DAMN hard) and synchronised dancing, Layton and Nikita deserve straight tens just for the ATTEMPT #strictly."
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