Strictly have announced 2023’s Movie Week dances, so we’ve had a look at the archive to see if we can spot any interesting patterns in the previous 148 movie-themed performances in the show’s history. We’ve analysed the data by dance style, number of male and female celebrities performing each style as well as the overall average score. Some dances are definitely favoured for selection in Movie Week, but we were surprised that other classics hardly feature at all. Which dance styles dominate at the Strictly movies and which are flops in terms of average scores?

The data

• 148 Movie-themed dances have been performed; this includes 12 danced in Week 10 Quarter-Finals in Series 8 & 9 (with understandably higher scores) as well as 136 danced in Week 3 shows (Hollywood Week in 2012, Movie Week from 2014 onwards).
• Where dances were scored out of 50 or 30, scores have been adjusted for the purposes of comparison.
• Disappointingly no Cha Cha Chas, Foxtrots, Salsas or Tangos are making an appearance this year; neither is the least danced movie-themed style to date included, the Argentine Tango – performed only once by Colin & Kristina in 2012. The Cha Cha Cha is a bit of a movie week flop, with the lowest average score overall (23.3) which may explain its omission this year.

Infographic

Dance by Dance

American Smooth (Jody & Jowita)

• The more expressive, elaborate, glamorous American Smooth unsurprisingly tops the chart for most performed, with 20 danced so far.
• Balanced between male and female celebrities.
• Average score: 28.2.
• Here is the highest scoring movie-themed American Smooth to date, a Quarter-Final dance performed to ‘Singin’ in the Rain’ by Jason & Kristina in 2011 earning them 37 points.
  

Charleston (Angela & Carlos; Krishnan & Lauren)

• Another specialty dance with potential for great creativity and more than a splash of Hollywood style; the 4th most performed with 15 danced so far
• Balanced between male and female celebrities.
• Average score: 28.5.
• Anneka & Kevin’s Kill Bill Charleston was the lowest scoring Movie-themed dance ever (11 points); we love this ‘Half a Sixpence’ Charleston by Tyler & Dianne from 2022, with the joint highest score of 38 (as well as their highest scoring dance overall).

Couple’s Choice (Eddie & Karen)

• Eddie continues a trend of more male celebrities than female dancing their Couple’s Choice in Movie Week.
• His will be the 5th male celebrity routine; the only female celebrity to have danced Couple’s Choice in this week is Caroline & Johannes in 2018 scoring 21/30 (28 when adjusted).
• Average score: 32.8 (The 2nd highest).
• Couple’s Choice is a high-scoring dance-style and with the iconic Men in Black theme, it could be a winning combination for Eddie & Karen if danced well.
• Max & Dianne’s zany Simpsons-inspired routine scored 24 in 2020 (32 when adjusted) and included some unusual inflatables choreography as well as fantastic hair, make-up and costumes.

Jive (Adam & Luba; Nigel & Katya; Nikita & Gorka)

• 2023 will be the first time three Jives have been danced in Movie Week.
• Three is a bit of a theme; it’s also the dance style with the 3rd highest average movie-themed score (30.9).
• More female than male celebrities dance a Jive in the movie-themed shows (currently 6:3).
• Some iconic routines for this dance style in past Movie Weeks – not only Jay & Aliona’s Pulp Fiction Jive (37) in 2015 but also Chelsee & Pasha’s Shrek-themed Quarter-Final dance in 2011, which scored 39. There’s definite potential for high scores here; whose Jive are you most looking forward to?

Paso Doble (Zara & Graziano)

• The 3rd most performed movie-themed dance, we could not believe that of the 17 Pasos danced, 14 were by male celebrities!
• The overall average for the Paso in movie dances is 28.5.
• However, the female celebrities do well with this style when they perform it; their average for a Movie Week Paso was 34, so this could be good news for Zara.
• Here is Frankie & Kevin’s 45-scoring (36 if adjusted) West Side Story routine from Week 3 of 2014, which Donny Osmond awarded a 10.

Quickstep (Angela & Kai)

• The 2nd most performed Movie Week dance style after the American Smooth with 18 routines.
• More frequently danced by female than male celebrities.
• A slightly surprising low average score of 26.6 (the lowest ballroom average).
• With a Grease-inspired Viennese Waltz coming up on Saturday courtesy of Layton & Nikita, here is the show’s highest scoring Movie Week Quickstep – also Grease-themed – with Faye & Giovanni scoring 36 in 2018 to ‘You’re The One That I Want’.

Rumba (Amanda & Giovanni)

• Amanda will be the 7th female celebrity to perform a Movie Week Rumba; predictably more have been danced by women celebrities than men.
• The average score for this dance in Movie Week is the 4th lowest, 25.8 (and it is one of 3 Latin routines in the bottom 4).
• However, 3 previous Series winners have danced a successful Rumba in Movie-themed shows. In 2011’s Quarter-Final, Harry & Aliona scored 36 for their Robin Hood Rumba. Caroline & Pasha earned 42/50 (34 when adjusted) dancing to Aerosmith’s brilliant ‘I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing’ from Armageddon. Last year, Hamza scored 25 dancing to the theme from Jurassic Park.
• It’s 3 series since Giovanni last Rumba’d (with Michelle); his only Movie Week Rumba (James Bond-themed) was in his first Series with Georgia in 2015, which scored 27 in Week 3 but was improved by 9 points when they danced it again in the Final.

Samba (Bobby & Dianne)

• Movie-themed Sambas are favoured for male celebrities; Bobby & Dianne’s Romeo and Juliet inspired routine will continue this trend.
• Given its reputation, it is unsurprisingly the 2nd lowest scoring dance style in this data, with an average score of just 23.5.
• No couples to date have scored above 28 with the Movie-Samba combination, with Sara & Aljaž’s Series 19 Shrek routine earning this score.
• We hope Bobby & Dianne can break through the 30-barrier this weekend; it is only Dianne’s 2nd Samba on Strictly but in 2018 with Joe she scored an impressive 32.
• Last year, Tony & Katya performed a Full Monty Samba receiving the lowest score of 2022’s Movie Week (18) but still managed to survive.

Viennese Waltz (Ellie & Vito; Layton & Nikita)

• Saturday night’s routines will be the 6th and 7th of this dance style performed on a Movie night show, with a balance between male and female celebrities.
• There are notable alumni in the group that have had this combination, including Winners Joe & Katya in 2017 (32), and two other Finalists: Helen & Gorka (31) from 2022 and Pamela & James from 2010’s Quarter-Final (40), who remain the only couple to achieve a perfect score with a Movie-themed routine (not including Finals).
• The average score of 30.2 is the 4th highest.
• Grease and Disney-inspired dances often do very well, so we’re anticipating some rave reviews for both these dances this weekend.

Waltz (Annabel & Johannes)

• The Waltz is a much under-performed dance style during Movie Week, with only 2 appearances so far.
• With only 2 dances, both of which were high-scoring, the average score of 33 is highest of all the styles, but it’s a tiny group to compare.
• The elegant, classy Breakfast at Tiffany’s theme seems well-suited to Annabel & Johannes; let’s hope they can continue the pattern of high-scoring Waltzes to date.
• Here is Jake & Janette’s Godfather Waltz, which scored 40/50 (32 when adjusted) and landed them joint 4th on the Leaderboard in Movie Week in 2014.