Anton & Erin At The Barbican

Anton and Erin will be the grand finale of a dance event to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of The Barbican this Saturday. Anton & Erin will give a dance demo to close a dance workshop.

More information and booking.

El Brendo

The Viva España show comes to London's Olympia on 16th-18th March. According to the website, it's the world's larget Spanish property and lifestyle event.

Not that interesting so far.

The event will include Flamenco lessons and a 'Strictly Spanish Dancing' Flamenco competition. Slightly more interesting.

The Flamenco competition will be judged by a panel including Brendan Cole. Now that's more like it. Brendan will be doing his best Craig Revel Horwood inpression on Sunday 18th March. You can sign up to enter now on the website.

Lesson 5

No Anton last night. He was off filming something in Leeds. This is what happens when you have a media star as your teacher. But he left us in very capable hands - the fabulous Kimberly.

We learnt two completely new dances this week. We started with the jive. The jive was pretty pacey, but we seemed to get through quite a bit, and it was way more fun than I was expecting. I'm finding that with nearly all the dances.

Then we did a little bit of the tango. I loved it. I love the attitude of the tango, it's great. Of course, I was telling myself that I was Zoe Ball, but I know that I wouldn't come close.

It was a really good class, and really had to think about what I was doing, especially in the tango.

I look forward to seeing Kimberly again too.

Darren and Lilia Interviews

There are three short interview videos on Chatshow.net. They're pretty old, having been posted in early 2005!

In the interviews, Darren & Lilia talk about their relationship, working together, Strictly, and how TV has changed their lives.

A bit old, but worth a look if you haven't seen them before.

Dancing On Wood?

Yet another celebrity has expressed an interest in taking in part in Strictly Come Dancing, although this is a little more unusual.

According to Metro.co.uk, Olympic ice dancer and star of rival show Dancing On Ice, Jayne Torvill has stated that she'd love to take part.

She told the Daily Express: "It would be great fun, although I'd be worried people would think I'd have an advantage over other contestants. I don't know if I'd be any good in those high heels, though!"

Anton and Len on TV

There is not one, but two chances to see Anton du Beke on TV next month.

On Monday 5th March at 10.30pm, he will be appearing on the strange-looking Kill It, Cook It, Eat It on BBC Three. The show follows an animal from slaughter to the table. In the edition that Anton will be on, all about beef, he and other meat-eaters will discover how to choose the best cuts and how to make cheaper meat taste good. Not for veggies!
Thanks to Nat for the tip.

On Friday 23rd March, Anton will be joined by Len Goodman on a special celebrity edition of Sudo-Q on BBC One at 3.15pm.

New Vincent & Flavia Website

Vincent and Flavia have just launched a brand new website, VincentandFlavia.com.

The site has a sexy flash intro, a nifty music player, a gorgeous gallery and a forum.

Get over there an feel the passione. See you on the forum!

Vincent & Flavia "Do A Tiffany"

Vincent & Flavia recently took to a different kind of dancefloor, entertaining the shoppers in a Northampton shopping centre.

The Northampton Chronicle & Echo reports that there was quite a crowd to see the pair at Weston Favell Centre. Flavia was pleased to see so many people.

"It's been going well. The first session was at 11am, which was very quiet last year because it was quite early, so we had to get people to stop. But this year, we got here at 11am and it was packed."

Bruno Down Under

Bruno Tonioli was a guest judge on the Australian Dancing With The Stars this week.

According to The West Australian, Bruno was a big hit. He called rugby player Wendell Sailor the "king of bling", pole vaulter Tatiana Grigorieva "a true Russian rocket" and co-judge Todd McKenney "a little bitch".

Go Bruno!

Lesson 4

I can't believe I've only done four lessons. It feels like I've been going forever.

It was great to be joined by Zoe again this week. She came becuase her friend Cheryl wanted to come. As if Zoe needed an excuse to attend again!

We went back to the waltz this week. We are slowly building on it, with natural and reverse turns being linked now. It wasn't too tricky, but it was nice to continue to build on it.

The rumba and cha cha basics require zero brain power now, and I could do with moving them on, much as I love them. Of couse, I don't really look at how the rest of the class are coping. I'm hoping that Anton will add to them, or teach smoething new soon.

Simply Ballroom

Surfing YouTube, as I do from time-to-time, and I came across this clip featuring the cast of Simply Ballroom performing on the South African version of Strictly Come Dancing.

The quality is rubbish, but it's great to see a number from this amazing show. Simply Ballroom is touring the UK again at the moment. It's worth going to see if it comes to your town.

Len On Al Murray's Happy Hour

Len Goodman was a guest on Al Murray's Happy Hour on Saturday.

But fear not if you missed it! It will be repeated on Friday at 11pm on ITV1.

There are clips on the ITV website, but I can't see them myself. My flash player must be out of date already...

There are some photos too.

Louisa Goes Back To School

Louisa took Vincent to visit her old primary school recently, and teach the pupils to dance.

Female First reports that the pair visited St Peter’s & St Paul’s Primary School in Islington, to promote dancing, and a new Disney DVD release.

The Evolution Of Dance

This comedy piece has been doing the rounds for a while, but it was only brought to my attention late last week.

Enjoy...

Happy Birthday, Darren!

I have just read that Darren Bennett and his twin brother Dale turn 30 today!

Happy birthday, Darren! I hope there is a big dancing party planned.

Lesson 3

I'm still loving these lessons. I wish I could go more than once a week!

Last night we did a 'rhythm dance', which is an exercise designed to build up to a proper dance. I think I heard that the one we did was for quickstep practice. I really enjoyed it, and it made me engage my brain. I think most of the class had to think hard about it, especially when we did it up to speed. That needs more practice!

We returned to the rumba and cha cha too. I think we need to add some more steps to those now. When I can natter to my partner while doing them, it's getting too easy.

We are still getting new starters each week, but we had so many boys yesterday. It was fab. And it's even better when they're strong leaders. I'm having a ball.

Ian And Vincent on Richard And Judy

In case you missed it, here are Ian Waite and Vincent Simone chatting and dancing with two partnerless young ladies on Richard & Judy last Tuesday.

I'm loving Ian's new haircut.

Thanks to Fig Roll from the Digital Spy forum for uploading it.

Carol Smillie At The Ideal Home Show

According to the Ideal Home Show website, Carol Smillie will be appearing at the exhibition.

I cannot find any information on exactly when she'll be there, so if anyone can enlighten me, please do.

If you click on her name, there is a nice pic at the top of the page of Carol in dancey mode.

Jan's Husband Attacks Craig: A Reconstruction

I saw this goofy video on YouTube and just had to post it. It's a 'reconstruction' of the alledged scene in the bar when Jan Ravens' husband confronted Craig Revel Horwood after Jan was eliminated from Strictly Come Dancing.

Watch and enjoy...

Love On The Dancefloor

There is a lovely piece in the Croydon Guardian about a couple who met while practicing their dancing at the Semley Studios.

It's a sweet story, and I hope with the popularity of dancing at the moment, that more people can meet in this way.

Strictly Ballet Dancing

There has been a rumour flying around for a wee while, which I think originated from the Daily Mail, about Darcy Bussell taking part in the next series of Strictly Come Dancing. I can't find the whole story online, only what has been posted on forums. Some suggest she'd participate, but I've also heard her name suggested as a judge.

I think Darcy Bussell is amazing, but I'm not sure I'd like to see be a participant on Strictly. Although ballet and ballroom/latin are completely different and it would not be 'easy' for her, I think that someone who is a dancer by trade, whatever that dance style is, would have an advantage. She has the ability to learn and repeat steps which has to be an advantage. And she is still dancing now. We're not talking a bit of childhood ballet that stopped years ago, like Jill and Denise.

If you're a dancer, you can have a good crack at any form of dance. I'm made to do street jazz sometimes. I can't make it look good for toffee. But I can still pick up and repeat the steps, even if it doesn't look that great.

You can't put a dancer against a sportsman or a presenter in a dance competition. It would be like putting Madonna in a rap contest.

Strictly Baby Ballroom: My Thoughts

As this programme has been talked about so much over the past couple of days, I thought it only right to add my twopenneth.

I thought that the young dancers featured were all fantastic. They handled themselves well and had their heads screwed on. They worked had to get to their positions in the rankings. They are all a credit to the dancesport world.

I thought the parents came out pretty unscathed. They were shown as supportive. At times they nagged their children to practice, but it's no different than nagging children to do their homework. I did object to the parents talking to the children in financial terms. Yes, the children need to understand that everything has to be paid for, but children simply don't have any concept of how else that money could be spent or what it is worth.

In my opinion, Channel 4 gave a fair account of juvenile dancesport. However, not having been involved in the scene myself in any capacity I am willing to be corrected.

I learned a lot through this documentary, and I wish all of the children featured all the best in their future dancing careers.

Stop Press: Richard & Judy

I have just heard that Ian Waite will be a guest on Richard & Judy this afternoon. The show will feature a discussion about tonight's Strictly Baby Ballroom programme, so we can only presume he'll be a part of that.

Today (Tuesday 6th February), Channel 4, 5pm.

Thanks to Elizabethjo of the Digital Spy Forum for the tip.

Lesson 2

This week has felt like one of the longest weeks ever. Trauma at work and controversy at dancing. I thought Monday would never come around again.

I enjoyed last night's lesson immensely. Last week's nerves were long gone. It was nice to be joined by two lovely ladies who also use the Anton & Erin Forum, Nicola and Zoe. It felt like we'd met before, even though this was the first time.

We returned to the waltz to begin with. As most people were there last week, it seemed to be better. The change step seemed to take with most people, so it made it a more interesting experience. There were two women for each man, so we danced with a partner in two shifts. It was great because you danced with a partner every other round.

We then moved on to the rumba. It's similar to the cha cha, so we came back to the cha cha too. I'm loving the latin way more than I expected. We seemed to cover a lot more in our little hour than last week.

I stayed and watched a bit of the improvers class. The class has been running for about a year, and it shows. They were in the middle of learning a foxtrot. I think I'll stick with the beginners class for now. I'm sure the pace will slowly build over the coming weeks.

It was great to meet Nicola and Zoe. They both got to dance with Anton, and I hope they both enjoyed the lesson. If anyone else is in town and fancies joining the lesson for a week, I'd love to see you.

Comic Relief Does Fame Academy Returns

I'm pleased to see the return of Comic Relief Does Fame Academy next month. I loved it last time around. Nothing beats Gina Yashere's rendition of U2's Vertigo.

I had to mention this becuase two SCDers are returning as judges. Lesley Garrett is using her holiday from The Sound Of Music to participate in the show. And my latest pointless crush, Craig Revel Horwood, is also back.

The big news, however, is that our Claudia Winkleman has been promoted to hosting duties on the main show with Patrick Kielty. There is no word yet on who will replace her on BBC Three. Those are going to be some difficult high-heeled shoes to fill.

Darren And Lilia Event

Believe it or not, I don't make it to every single event featuring the stars of Strictly (WHAT??).

But thankfully there are people out in Blogland who can get to things I can't.

On Wongablog, there is a lovely review of a recent Darren & Lilia event with some stunning photos. Make sure you go and check it out!

Did You Miss Lilia On Loose Women?

Yes, so did I. But fear not, YouTube saves the day.

Baby Ballroom Dancer

There is an article in the Norwich Evening News all about Luke Miller, one of the juvenile dancers who appears in tomorrow's Strictly Baby Ballroom documentary on Channel 4.

It seems that his mother Lynn wasn't that keen on the idea to begin with.

"We tried to avoid it like the plague because the woman making it seemed to be stirring up trouble. But they did shoot Luke dancing and they interviewed me and [Luke's father] Richard because we were in charge of the British team last year.”

Adele Silva: "He's NOT My Boyfriend"

There is an interview with Adele Silva in today's Mirror. Despite an article in that very paper earlier in the week linking her to Brendan, Silva insists they are not an item.

"Brendan is a really lovely guy but contrary to what people have said, he's NOT my boyfriend. I've known Brendan for a little while and I'm not going to deny I've spent some time with him. But I'm very much a single girl and I'm loving being on my own right now."

It's so ridiculous when papers contradict their own stories...

Brendan Flynn?

All I Care About Is Love. No, not another reference to Brendan Cole's love life, but a song from the musical Chicago.

According to The Sun, Brendan has been approached to play the part of charismatic lawyer Billy Flynn in the west end production.

Brendan is not the first SCDer to be linked with the role. Both Anton du Beke and Aled Jones' names have been connected with the part in the last couple of years, but neither actually went on to tread the boards.

Donaheys Events

Donaheys Dance Club frequently run events which star the pros from Strictly Come Dancing. These are held a Dukinfield Town Hall in Dukinfield, near Manchester.

I've not been to any of their events myself, but I always hear rave reviews.

They have Ian & Camilla, Darren & Lilia and Vincent & Flavia lined up for the coming months.

See the Donaheys website for more details.

Brendan And Adele Silva

Yes, it's been at least a month since Brendan was linked to anyone. Step forward Adele Silva.

According to The Mirror, Adele spent a night at Brendan's place this week.

I still don't get the press' facination with Brendan's love life. He's no Darren Day now, is he?