Strictly Come Dancing: Lifting the Glitter Ball

With its usual glitz and glamour, Saturday night’s episode brought series 21 of Strictly Come Dancing to a close. The episode brought everything that we have previously loved about the series, as well as one key addition - the announcement of the winner of the glitter ball trophy.

After whittling down from the show’s initial 15 celebrities, this year’s finalists consisted of Bobby Brazier, Ellie Leach, and Layton Williams. Coming together to create a line-up full of actors, these celebrities combined to create one of the most animated finals we have ever seen. 

Alongside crowning the series’ winner, the final is also distinctly different to previous weeks as it provides the chance for contestants to perform their own, unique show dance. This gives the finalists an opportunity to express themselves without any constraints and prove why they deserve to lift the trophy.  

Ellie went first with her show dance and, for me, this perfectly summed up her journey. Together with her partner Vito, Ellie brought a party dance. Filled to the brim with ambitious lifts, the dance acted as a perfect celebration of Ellie’s journey towards becoming a confident dancer. This party atmosphere fully conveyed the positive, can-do attitude that she held throughout the series, which made this the ideal show dance for the couple.   

We then saw a slight change in tone during Bobby and Dianne’s Old Hollywood-inspired routine, performed to a  La La Land medley. This dance incorporated a medley of dance styles with elements of ballroom, tap and jazz. With Bobby holding a script titled ‘Bobby dreams of Hollywood’, the dance appeared to be a symbol of Bobby’s career as an actor so far, and his potential to be a performer in the future. For this, Bobby found himself just one point away from a perfect score of 40.    

Finally, Layton and his partner Nikita also brought the celebration to the final with their show dance, which also just missed the perfect 40 by one point. Dancing to Ne-Yo’s Friend Like Me, the couple’s show dance reflected on their time together, which I felt paid a perfect homage to their friendship. Performing side by side, Layton and Nikita concluded the final show dances with a wholesome but dynamic energy.  

While the final did bring bold, new dances, it also pointed to the highlights of the series. For every final, the show asks the judges to pick a dance already performed by the couples for them to repeat. Alongside this, couples are also given the chance to pick their favourite dance from the series to end the show.      

For their own choice, Ellie and Vito performed their American Smooth from week 7. This dance was a personal favourite when it was first performed due to its elegance and style. It was performed just as brilliantly in the final and was a worthy last dance for the pair. 

We also saw one of the most beautiful dances of the series repeated in the final. This was Bobby and Dianne’s couple’s choice piece which they performed in week 10, as a tribute to Bobby’s mother. This dance was beautifully expressive when first performed and it carried this same energy into the final.

Finally, the show was concluded with Layton and Nikita’s Argentine Tango which had been first performed in week 8. Throughout the series, Layton’s dances had been dramatic, punchy, and charismatic and this dance continued this. The dance had no props or setting and focused just on the two dancers. For me, this was the perfect way to end the series - a focus on dance and the journey of the people involved. 

All the finalists' dances came together, along with a group dance of all the year’s contestants, to celebrate Strictly Come Dancing 2023 and to create one of the show’s best finals to date. 

Edited by Nicole Collins