The Final Act - A Samba Masterclass

One for the History Books

Oti's masterpiece routine was fittingly the closing performance of this season's Show. It was the first Samba in ten years of Strictly to score the perfect 40. Discarding the usual Brazil beach and feathers setting, and replacing it with a performance based in a tribal context deep in the forests of the Amazon, Oti created a sensational piece the reaction to which suprised both of them.

Claudia Winkleman, one of the presenters said previous sambas were like a little parrot hopping about; she had never seen one as brilliant as  Oti's. Of course she was talking to a gifted Latin professional and in particular, the Queen of Samba!

This was the first ever dance of the series where our novice dancer, now a supernova, had lost all his inhibitions; he no longer needed a character behind which to hide. All there is to do is be himself, be amazing, have fun, go with the flow, go wild enough for Darcey, add a large dose of free abandonment and simply enjoy it.

And those hips...how they would they move. He had tentatively rolled them during the Cha Cha, his debut performance; then in the training room the drill master insisted that he worked them to perfection, even taking him along to the local samba club where he could roll with the ladies.

Our team is about to step on to the Strictly dance floor for the very last time. Oti said, if this is the last dance we ever do together then we are going out there to have the best time ever, release and just let it be memorable. And that is exactly what they did.

At the end of this magnificent display, Danny Mac the actor, now accomplished dancer, acknowledges and applauds his teacher, Oti Mabuse, who is overwhelmed by the emotions of the moment. He had learnt so much from her, not only about dance but also about himself.

Head judge Len said you could not improve on perfection, if anything it was even more perfect the second time around. Bruno said this was one for the history books and would never be forgotten. Craig gave his highest ever accolade: 'one word, three syllables darling - FAB-U-LOUS'. Darcey simply called it a Samba Masterclass.

Although two of our team's three dances in the 
finals scored a perfect 40, the marks for the Quickstep, the first dance, pinned them as runners up. 

 With or without a glitterball, they were our winners, our champions and we had not seen the last of the glorious, magnificient #TeamDoti. There was the Live Tour to come in the New Year. We are certain to be there to bid them a final farewell.  

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