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| My dancing shoes. Moab, Utah. |
Ever since last weekend there has been a Strictly Come Dancing-shaped hole in my life. I genuinely felt a bit depressed on Monday morning knowing that I had seen Harry Judd's Quickstep, Vienese Waltz and Tango for the last time. And of course, I am missing the sight of the lovely Aliona gracing my TV screen, with her outrageous hair and her outrageous outfits. I can confirm that Aliona has replaced Natalie as my favourite Strictly professional - purely on the grounds of her choreography and dancing abilities you understand.
Some scientific (google) research reveals that Aliona has been dancing since the age of 5, so it is a fair bet that she has accumulated the required 10,000 hours of practice. By contrast, Harry - even assuming he managed 8 hours a day for every day of his time on Strictly - has amassed a paltry 800. To my mind this makes his performances all the more remarkable; the ability to master so many dances to such a high standard in such a short period of time is staggering. There must be some underlying talent, but I think much more than that it is a testament to the power of trying real, really hard. I call this the spirit of Harry
It has been five days since Strictly ended, and I feel it is time to move on with life. Contemplating this year's series brings two thoughts to mind. First, I wish I could do a good Argentine Tango. And a decent Quickstep, come to think of it. At some stage I will have to do something about that. Second, if I want to get better at climbing, I probably just need to try really really hard. As Kanye West said, "determination, dedication, motivation". The spirit of Harry lives on!
