‘Strictly Come Dancing’ Same-Sex Teams Bring The Heat

This season of the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing features two same-sex teams, and both brought passion and heat to the dance floor this week. Out Radio 2 host Richie Anderson stepped up his game – literally – for Week Two as he and his professional partner Giovanni Pernice turned out a show-stopping quickstep to Barry Manilow’s “Dancin Fool” complete with canes and cartwheels. But it was a few moments referencing Beyoncé’s iconic “Single Ladies” choreography that put the routine over the top. Strictly Come Dancing judge Shirley Ballas called Anderson’s performance a “transformation” from his first effort. Related: SCD’s Radebe & Whaite Show The World ‘It Gets Better’ Major props to Pernice, who appears to be able to teach anyone to dance. And what he might have lacked in a bit of execution, Anderson more than made up for with his spirited commitment to the choreography. The campy quickstep garnered the team a well-deserved score of 32. https://youtu.be/gf4wv2g48Xc Comedian Jayde Adams and pro partner Karen Hauer, the second same-sex team this season, served up a tension-filled tango full of queer drama. Set to Adele’s hit song “Rumour Has It,” the duo found their groove exchanging passion-filled glances as Hauer’s choreography spanned the entire dance floor. I love the sharp dip at the 1:13 mark, and Hauer’s dramatic exit at the routine’s end was perfect. While Adams’s execution might have been a bit sharper, the pair garnered a respectable score of 26. During her childhood through her teens, Adams often took part in freestyle disco dancing competitions with her older sister Jenna. But in 2005, Jenna had a seizure out of the blue caused by a then-unknown brain tumor. She died six years later, at the age of 28, and Adams hasn’t danced with anyone else since. She has dedicated her appearances on SCD to her sister. A longtime LGBTQ ally, Adams told BBC producers she wanted a same-sex partner because “boys ain’t strong enough” to lift her. “When I danced with my sister, I was the base and I used to lift her all the time,” she said. https://youtu.be/5Vt7F_QYipY