Strictly Come Dancing 2020 – Part 1

A very different series of Strictly Come Dancing awaits us this year, with social distance rules and virtually no audience.  Nevertheless, there was clearly much enjoyment to be had in last week’s partnership reveal show, and no loss of zest.  And last night’s first Live show did not disappoint, leaving a warm glow.  As usual, I will kick off with four contestants, and come back to this theme in future blogs.

Caroline Quentin

We first came to know Caroline in Men Behaving Badly (1992-1997), but she has hardly left our TV screens since.  Mars (men) sextile the North Node and closely conjunct the Midheaven in Taurus, may symbolize that role.  She has Sun conjunct Venus in Cancer, and has been involved in programmes about houses (namely: The World’s Most Extraordinary Homes and Restoration Home), a Cancerian theme.  She also has the Entrepreneur Archetype: Jupiter trine Uranus.  A most interesting feature of her chart is Jupiter exactly trine her Ascendant, on the cusp of the 5th House, at the Galactic Centre – that’s almost a superpower!  No wonder she has been popular and successful throughout her career.

In the partnering show, nearly all the celebrities said they were over the moon with and would have picked their designated partners; so we cannot infer anything from their reactions!  But she seems genuinely happy with her designated partner.  For the transmission of the partnering show, Caroline had Jupiter opposite her Sun (high hopes);  Neptune trine her Sun, a chance to reconnect with her Inner Dancer (she originally wanted to be a dancer so it is a childhood dream come true); and Mars trine her natal Uranus – all fired up!  For the start of the Live shows, last night, Neptune was still trine her natal Sun.  With her partner Johannes she performed the American Smooth last night, and drew great praise from the judges, and a very successful first score of three 7s.  Her full Cancerian emotion was on display.   In her transits for the Final show Neptune will still be trine her natal Sun (still enjoying reconnecting with dance), but Pluto will be opposite her natal Venus, a tough time personally.  And she will have North Node sextile her natal Uranus – a surprise for her, plus Uranus opposite her natal Neptune, complexity.  I think she will enjoy the Strictly experience, but would not see her in the final.  She will do well, though.

Her synastry with partner Johannes Radebe reveals her Neptune opposite his Sun (he can help bring out her Inner Dancer, but the experience is more complex for him); her Jupiter trine his Mercury and conjunct his Uranus, transits which provide a some successful showcasing of his teaching.  She describes him as “patient, funny and kind”.  His transits for the start of the Live shows show Saturn square his Mercury (something holding him back), Chiron on his Venus, some emotional pain (which may be in his private life) and Uranus opposite his Pluto (there may be a sense in which he may be performing below par).  For the final, Uranus opposes his natal Sun, so he could be feeling detached at that time, Chiron will still be on his Venus, but Uranus trine his Neptune, making some sense of recent difficulties.  He will be on a real journey, as they say. Right now, though he seems confident of being able to bring out Caroline’s highest potential.

HRVY

Young HRVY was born in 1999 but found fame as a singer at an early age.  With 0 planets in Earth, he may find difficulty in grounding, and with 6 planets in Air he may overthink things.  Last night’s performance showed him to have real dancing feet, though his jive was so quick his feet almost didn’t touch the ground!  But he has 6 planets in the Fixed signs, which gives him strong will power.  He is a Sun sign Aquarian with Mercury conjunct the Sun, so may have a futuristic mental outlook.  With the Sun also conjunct Uranus, he can surprise you, and no doubt will do so throughout this competition.  Sun conjunct Neptune gives him a spiritual side, and Sun sextile Pluto means you could underestimate him – he is definitely one to watch!  Mercury square Mars provides quick mental reactions (could be good at the Tango head-turns!).  His Mercury is closely conjunct Neptune, so he could be good at channelling (e.g. may channel Fred Astaire!).  Mercury is also sextile exactly Chiron, making him a problem-solver (he may be a person who habitually uses the phrase “no problem”!)  With Uranus sextile Pluto, he can flow with change.

He began his music career with a single, “Thank You”, released on 20th December 2013.  Yes, you read that right…at the tender age of 14.  Transiting Uranus, his ruling planet, was sextile his natal Sun (the sign of sudden success).  The next year, he was a supporting act for Little Mix!  On 20th November this year he will release his debut album, when Saturn is sextile his natal Jupiter, Saturn square his natal Saturn and Uranus square his natal Sun.  So he will be under a lot of pressure, with the dancing competition alongside that.  Uranus is currently square his Sun and Saturn sextile his natal Jupiter now, as we start the Live shows.  He put in a breathtaking performance last night, with superlatives from each of the judges, and the top score of 8, 8 and 9.  For the final, the Uranus square has passed, so that may be more associated with the excitement of his debut album.  At the final, Jupiter would be square his natal Mars in Scorpio, he’d be really going for it if he is in the final!  But Saturn will be square his natal Mars, so he would be required to exhibit great flair with great discipline, balancing his natal T-square of Mercury, Mars and Saturn.

His partner Janette Manrara is a bright spark, always cheery and effervescent on screen.  Their synastry shows their Mercuries are exactly sextile, providing great mental rapport.  His Chiron on her Mercury will pose her conundrums, but at the same time contribute to their solution.  Her Uranus sextiles his natal Sun, which is a successful sign for him.  Her Pluto trine his Venus constitutes a deep partnership, very transformational for him.  Her Pluto on his Mars brings a lot of energetic connection between them, which may become obvious in the fast-paced dances.

Her transits as they begin the competition shows transiting Pluto closely sextile her Sun, which builds to an exact transit at the final; that is extremely fulfilling.  But Chiron opposes her Venus, and Uranus opposes her Saturn so it is a challenge for her, on some level (perhaps the age gap?).  Other prevailing transits for her at the final are: Jupiter square her Pluto (a sense of power for her) and Saturn square her natal Pluto, a bittersweet edge – maybe  they will come second in the final?  But I see them as a sure fire entry into the final.

Maisie Smith

Maisie is another youngster, who plays Tiffany in Eastenders.  She was born the year after HRVY, and shares a similar element balance with HRVY.  With 7 Air planets she is mentally focussed, and with 0 Earth planets, you would assume her to be ungrounded.  Of course, both may have worked on these issues since they arrived on the planet.  And dance would definitely help ground them.  Maisie’s mother has described her as extremely grounded, so perhaps she has an Earth sign rising (we do not have her birth time).  Motsi last night described her as bringing “the dance to Mother Earth”.  She also has 6 planets in Mutable signs, making her adaptable and versatile.  Maisie has the Sun in the very feminine sign of  Cancer, so could do well in the feminine qualities required for some dances, and she obviously revels in the girlie costumes.  She has an unaspected Sun, which indicates a free spirit.  Mercury conjunct Jupiter may make her a quick learner on the dance floor.  Her stage school teacher described her thus: “Maisie has the most incredible memory and when it comes to script work she is fantastic.”  And Mercury trine Uranus could add touches of brilliance, and quick thinking, e.g. picking up after a missed step.  Venus trine Neptune indicates one who has musicality and innate dance ability.  Mars conjunct Pluto means she is a powerhouse of energy, in herself.  She has the Entrepreneur Archetype, like Caroline Quentin, and can go far, diversifying the avenues for her talents.  Like HRVY, she began her career young, as the red-headed daughter of red-headed Bianca, at the age of 6.

Her transits for the beginning of the Live shows bring up a square to her Sun from Mars, so she will be uninhibited from the start (she was, actually, fearless!).  She came out all guns blazing, in a frilly pink number.  At the final stage, Uranus will be square her Neptune, so there may be some hitch along the way, but she will give some spirited performances to be sure.  And on her performance last night, you would think her entry to the final to be guaranteed.  She came second on the leaderboard, after HRVY had performed.

Partner Gorka Marquez has clearly done a good job, from the outset, of allowing her talent to shine.  Their Synastry shows his Venus sextile her Mercury (good communication between them), his Venus trine her Chiron (a good relationship), his Jupiter sextile her Venus (a real marker for success, and Excellence in relationship, plus his Uranus on her South Node, adds another layer of success.

For the duration of the contest, he has Neptune opposite his natal Mercury, and Neptune sextile his Saturn.  The latter transit can bring inspiration down to earth.  The first transit may mean that he may take his eye off the glitterball at some point.  Chiron square his Uranus at the end means there is a possibility of injury during the competition.

She scored three 8s.  Bianca will already be proud, wherever she is!

Bill Bailey

Wow – Here we have someone who is very grounded, with 8 planets in Earth!  You might expect him to be a little too heavy on his feet, but actually he is more agile than you would expect for a veteran comedian.  Sun in Capricorn (politics) trine Jupiter (comedy) points to political satire as one of the strings to his bow.  With 0 Air signs, he is also very instinctive.  He has the energy (Sun trine Mars) and he has the enthusiasm (Sun trine Jupiter) to go far.  Mercury conjunct Venus gives him a way with words, and Mercury square Mars quick mental reactions.  Jupiter trine Uranus points to the third Entrepreneur in my quartet!  He is comfortable with Power (Jupiter exactly trine Pluto), and has the anarchic Uranus-Pluto conjunction in Virgo of the mid-1960s.

As well as being a stand up comedian he is known for appearances on Never Mind the Buzzcocks and QI.  He is also very musical, and played musical instruments during his performance last night.  He is an exponent of animal and wildlife conservation, and says he feels an affinity with the 19th Century naturalist Alfred R. Wallace.  The two are both Capricorns with Mercury conjunct Venus.  He begins the Live shows with Pluto on his Sun in Capricorn!  He seems to be embracing this challenge spectacularly.  He also has Saturn trine his natal Mars, some self-discipline, and Jupiter sextile his natal Neptune (currently loving life).  For the final he has Mars square his natal Sun, which is a bit frenzied.  Pluto will still be on his Sun (a long transformative process, throughout the series).

He is partnered with last year’s winner, the brilliant Oti Mabuse, who may not win again this year, but with his Jupiter squares her Sun – he will make her laugh!  Good, deep, connections include: His Neptune sextile her Saturn, his Uranus sextiles her Pluto and his Chiron trine her Pluto – they will transform each other.  Oti’s starting transits show Jupiter on her Saturn in Capricorn, a lightening up, a tonic;  and Chiron square her natal Uranus, also a shake up for her in some ways.  They came together over African rhythms last night, and put in a fun performance of the Cha Cha.  Her final transits show Pluto opposite her Venus, possibly too much of a challenge;  Uranus trine her Uranus – a personal success of sorts; and  Chiron square her natal Uranus still, still undergoing a shake up.  I think she will have a lot going on in her private life.  Not a serious contender for the glitterball, but a welcome and rewarding diversion in her life.

So we already have two possible contenders here: HRVY and Maisie, and Caroline keeping the flag flying for the older generation.  I will be back in two or three weeks with the next instalment!

Aspects

At tea time today, the Sun will be conjunct Mercury retrograde at 3 degrees Scorpio. You may experience deep insights into life and love.  You may solve a mystery, from the low key “Where did my glasses get to?”, to the more profound “Why are we here?”.  Conversations may produce revelations.

In the early hours of Wednesday (28th) morning in the U.K. [1.33 a.m.], Mercury, still retrograde, re-enters Libra (from Scorpio).  You may return to a brief spell of soothing cultural themes, after a spell of furrowing your brow over the mysteries of life.  Gaze at beautiful paintings, and listen to beautiful music.

Eight minutes later, at 1.41 a.m., Venus enters Libra from the regular end (Virgo), emphasizing the planet Venus in both ingresses.  You may be pondering relationships or money, and see the issue from two different angles.  But the proximity of these two changes of sign may produce an intensity of real significance.  Venus is happy and harmonious in her own sign of Libra, and that may assist you in finding the sweet words to overcome any tensions.  A spot of insomnia may prove worthwhile, or you may have a beautiful dream.

It’s Happy Halloween for Saturday (31st), with a spooky Full Moon at lunchtime at 8 degrees Taurus.  Be sure to have all the edible treats on the table; the tomato sandwiches, the mozzarella sticks, the liquorice spider webs, etc.  And of course, the thoughts of dear ones departed who may be taking advantage of the collective tradition of the thinning of the veil.  If you have forgotten how Aunt Maud can provide guidance, you can re-kindle that telepathic pathway!

After lunch, Uranus opposes the Sun, requiring a change of orientation in some way.  Earlier insights, either from the day itself or earlier in the week, may lead you to understand what changes are required.  Expect the unexpected.  Be open and flexible, and use your intuition to the max.

The week in bullet points:

  • Today – insight and focus
  • Wednesday – love and money
  • Saturday – trick or treat

 

Date: Oct 25th, 2020 · Comments RSS · Tags: Celebrities