Lewis Cope is Strictly’s best-ever dancer – but he had to go

If Lewis Cope isn’t the best dancer Strictly has ever had, he is certainly the best male dancer. He is elegant, light-footed, energetic, playful, acrobatic, impeccably-timed and so, so charismatic.

Watch his Halloween Night “Creepy Couple’s Choice” to “Creep” by Radiohead and tell me it’s not one of the greatest dances in the show’s history. His partner, Katya Jones, has never had this much fun (last year she was dealt a duff card with Wynne Evans) – Lewis’s talent has been a gift that has challenged her as an artist and choreographer and has allowed her own star to shine even brighter. And now he’s gone.

Last night saw one of the most shocking dance-offs in Strictly history, as two of its all-time greatest contestants were forced to fight for a place in the semi-final. Amber Davies and Nikita Kuzmin – who had just got a perfect score for their Charleston to “Sit Down You’re Rockin’ the Boat” from Guys and Dolls – were up against Lewis and Katya for their West Side Story Salsa.

That Salsa wasn’t his best – a little discordant, a little incohesive – and was the first time Lewis has looked less than professional. It cost him. But what really cost him, and what will catch up with Amber, too, is that no matter how breathtaking a performance you put in, the public will only let experienced dancers get so far.

Look, Strictly is inherently unfair. There is simply no way to cast celebrities who can all start the competition at the same “beginner” level – not least because a lot of famous people have, by nature of the industry they’re in, had some kind of stage training. Sometimes, as is the case with Lewis and Amber, it’s a lot of stage training. Lewis is a TV actor who appeared in Billy Elliot on the West End as a child and who was a runner up in the Sky competition Got to Dance in 2013, and Amber is a former Love Island winner turned West End actor who has appeared in musicals like 9 to 5, Bring It On and Back to the Future.

Obviously this issue comes up every single summer when the line-up is announced and everyone just about gets over it once they get to know the contestants and realise how important it is for the programme to have brilliant dance content right from the very start.

Let’s be honest, true amateurs seldom make good TV (especially when episodes run very long) and now that Strictly is more than 20 years in, casting is tougher than it’s ever been. A-listers, national treasures and politicians are much less willing to make themselves vulnerable on it, so its “moments” must come from the dancing. The dances are what you gasp at, rewind, talk about, and share with your friends who aren’t watching. And the standard has never been higher.

Lewis and Amber in particular are so consistently spectacular that it is hard to tell whether they or their partner is the professional. They push the boundaries of the routines, the form, and their own bodies. Every week they leave me wowed, every week I am thrilled to see what they’ll attempt next, and every week I repeat: “this is why the show needs experienced dancers”.

Except the final is now only two weeks away, and that’s where things start to shift. Here is where the “journey” becomes more important than talent – and when the public start to be much more serious about who “deserves” to be there.

Which brings me to Balvinder. This weekend wasn’t just a shocking one for Strictly – it was also incredibly emotional. Balvinder Sopal has been in the dance-off more than any other contestant in history. Before Saturday night’s episode, I was sure it was her turn to go. And then she performed a beautiful and immaculate Viennese Waltz that left the judges and the public sincerely stunned.

Motsi acknowledged how demoralising all those repeat dance-offs must have been and gave her an enormous hug and we, watching, were struck by the resilience and resolve it must have taken for her not just to keep going and trying her best with such grace but to triumph over everyone’s expectations in the process. While it looked like Balvinder was losing a popularity contest, she was actually getting on with what Strictly is all about: learning to dance.

I was very moved – and even more moved the next night to see her face of surprise and relief when Tess announced that she was saved from the dance off. This was not a sympathy vote. Her place in the semi-final was hard-earned.

But what about Lewis – so generous and dignified in his defeat I almost cried, and with what looked like the whole studio (and judging panel) still in a state of sad shock about how things had played out? I feel short-changed that I won’t see him and Katya dance again. Should Karen Carney or George Clarke have been in the dance-off instead?

Well – no. Lewis’s job was always to play the showman, not the victor, and thanks to him, this year’s Strictly has been unmissable. But when it comes to the glitterball trophy, it has never come down to talent alone but humility, transformation, and sportsmanship – and the public will always vote with their hearts.