Interviews - Pre Finals

It Takes Two

In the It Takes Two (ITT) studios with Zoe Ball, Danny and Oti review the Semi Finals. Danny said that having never been in a dance-off, he now had the whole Strictly experience but the semi-finals was probably not the best time for it. We tend to agree Danny. You gave us serious palpitations.


Oti admits that her contact lenses had been broken and she could not see a thing during the American Smooth. That heart-stopping leap had been undertaken literally blind. All she could see was a blue figure in the distance, and considered herself a lucky girl being able to jump off a bridge into Danny Mac's arms! 

Daily Mirror

"Strictly Come Dancing's last three couples lift the lid on the show ahead of final battle" 

Danny Mac and partner Oti Mabuse; Louise Redknapp and Kevin Clifton; and Ore Oduba and Joanne Clifton are all desperate to lift the Glitterball trophy

 After three months of training, fake tans, sequins and tears, the three remaining couples take to the Strictly Come Dancing ­ballroom floor tonight – and they are all desperate to lift the Glitterball trophy.

As they prepare to perform their best dances of the series in the final and put on a spectacular showdance, we hear how fulfilling (and terrifying) the experience has been for Danny Mac , 28, and partner Oti Mabuse, 26.

How does it feel to make the final?

Danny : The final’s what you dream of at the start of the competition but you only ever take it one week at a time. It really is the best thing I’ve ever done.

What’s the best thing about your partners?

Oti : When I met him, he was sitting on his phone not talking to anyone, because he didn’t think he was good enough to be there. Getting to know him and getting his personality out there, getting him to open up, has been the best thing. 
 
And the worst?

Oti : We love lunch but the only problem is when lunch comes out of the body, he ends up burping. It’s like ‘Danny, really?’.

You end up tasting a bit of the burp. I think it’s absolutely cute because you look at him and think, ‘ Danny Mac would never do something like that’.

How low on confidence were you before Strictly?

Danny : The adrenaline that goes through your body and the fear of what might happen is indescribable. Oti and I don’t watch the VT, we go into our own little zone and have those two minutes to chill – in front of hundreds of people.

Has your dance experience been a disadvantage?

Danny : If that’s the case, then that would be a shame. I did three years of dance training at drama school. Never before and never since. The thing that bothers me most about it is that I know what I came into this competition with. 

And giving credit to that for anything I’ve achieved would be taking everything away from Oti, and that wouldn’t be fair because it’s 100% down to her. I was never going to be a dancer – that was never going to happen. I’ve never been employed as one. If people want to believe that because they don’t want to vote for me, then so be it.

What was your best moment?

Danny : The samba and getting that score [40]. It was the first time everything went as well as it could. That was the first time we went out and Oti said, ‘There’s no story here, you’re not a ­character – it’s just you and me out there having a party’. Because the thing I was most terrified about was being myself.

And the worst?

Danny : The foxtrot, not because it went wrong but because of the ­disappointment in Oti’s face that she felt she hadn’t done enough. When ­someone’s given you that much effort – to see that in their face is awful. I made a mistake. It broke my heart that she felt she hadn’t done enough for me.

What can we expect from the showdance?

Oti : Ours is about Danny. With the first dance, you have three weeks to prepare and people didn’t see that he came in going, ‘I can’t do this’. It’s really me just saying, ‘Danny, this is about how you accepted who you are and began to see the worth in you’.  

Judges, Family & Friends

Danny and Oti overjoyed to hear Judges' Choice for Finals

By the time our Team arrived at the ITT studios for that final interview with Zoe, they already knew the routines selected for the final act. The first dance, the Judges' choice, was Danny's favourite: the Quickstep. The second, chosen by Danny and Oti was of course that historic Samba. The third routine was the 'Showdance'. It gave them free reign to create a portrayal of Danny Mac's "Strictly journey". 

The review of Danny's Strictly adventure began with Zoe in the ITT Studio.  A recap of the highlights of that journey and the dances that brought him to this point took us from that initial meeting with Oti, through Danny's debut Cha Cha, his top scoring Charleston and Samba to the American Smooth.

It was poignant, heartwarming and just a little emotional. Perhaps the most touching of all for Danny was the input from friends and family.  They were all immensely proud of him as they wished him well for the Final.  

 

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Ore & Karen - Louise & Kevin - Oti & Danny

Tomorrow is Finals day.

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[1] Acknowledgement for source material: BBC & Linda Kent
[2] Related Posts: a)  http://amariblaize.blogspot.com/2017/01/oti-mabuse-wild-child.html?spref=tw  & http://www.writtenbytracey.com/2017/02/15/favourite-finds-oti-mabuse-black-girl-magic-in-the-ballroom/

dotidivas.blogspot.com Editors: Amari Blaize, Maria Connolly, Mai-Britt Rodway, Denise Guyett