New Lesson 22

The class was so thin last night, that we all got one-to-one tutoring.

It was fantastic!

I was taught a long cha cha routine. I think the teacher was surprised that I was able to pick up the whole thing. My partner told me they would take a few weeks to get a routine like that together. But I thought it was fine, and by the end of the class I was able to do it through with out any assistance. It was good, because the teacher got to see the sort of level I am capable of. I might even be able to move into a more advanced class.

Meanwhile, the Tuesday session is under threat again, due to the class being so thin.

There could come a point where I have to choose between the entertaining Anton, and progressing my dancing forward at my local class. I hope it doesn't come to that.

Listen To Gethin And Camilla Again

If you missed Gethin and Camilla's radio shows over the bank holiday, fear not! BBC iPlayer comes to the rescue.

Click here for Gethin's show

Click here for Camilla's show

Anton: "I Used To Just Throw On A Backpack Full Of Rocks And Run Up A Hill"

Anton du Beke has given an interview to the health section of the Daily Mail.

Anton has never been a gym bunny: "Being fit is the easiest part of being a dance professional. I used to just throw on a backpack full of rocks and run up a hill. You don't even have to go to a gym."

He says a few 'controversial' things in the interview.

"Diets are all nonsense: they don't work. Just don't get fat in the first place. I've no time for fat people, they should all be shot. What really upsets me is when I see fat kids. They've invariably got fat parents and they're the ones who are to blame. They need a good slap for having forced their bad ways on their kids. When I was at school, there would be one fat kid in the class. Now there are hordes of them. I don't understand the psychology of fat people, nor the flip side of that, size zero."

I agree that we have to tackle the problem of childhood obesity. I was that fat kid in class, and I wouldn't wish it on anybody.

But being a big adult is very difficult too. I wish I had the sort of job where you can dance all day. Instead, I have to sit on my fat rear looking at a PC screen all day. I have been fighting a loosing battle with my weight my whole life. I tried the gym and hated everything except the classes. I dance as much as I can, but it makes little difference.

I don't judge Anton for his opinion. Most dancers feel this way, and I don't blame them. No-one wants to look at a fat dancer, despite the fact I have been forcing audiences at the Broadway Theatre to do that for 25 years! Ha ha ha!

If my six numbers ever come up, I might open a fat dancers academy. Or maybe I'll just stick with the duelling piano bar idea...

Vote Strictly

Strictly Come Dancing is nominated for two television BAFTAs, and you can vote in one of the categories.

First, Strictly is nominated in the Entertainment Programme category. Also nominated are Britain's Got Talent, Harry Hill's TV Burp and Have I Got News For You.

Strictly Come Dancing is also nominated for the Sky+ Audience Award For Programme Of The Year.

The competition for this award comes from The Apprentice, Gavin & Stacey, Andrew Marr's History Of Modern Britain, Cranford and Britain's Got Talent.

Visit BestOnTheBox.com to cast your vote. As long as it's for Strictly...

Radio Hams

Your favourite show is all over the airwaves this Easter Monday.

Camilla Dallerup will be hosting on BBC Radio Norfolk. She'll be joined by former partners Gethin Jones and James Martin, as well as a host of other personalities. Tune on on your radio or online from 1pm.

Click here for the trail.

And before that, Gethin Jones himself will be presenting for BBC Radio Wales. He'll be joined by fellow Series 5 participant John Barnes and professional dancer Anton du Beke, among others. Tune in from 11am.

Lesson 36

We had Kimberley this week.

In the beginners class we did an American rumba. American rhythm dances are to latin what American smooth is to ballroom, and the American rumba is just one example. It was pretty easy, but more interesting than the social foxtrot we did a few weeks ago.

In the second class we worked on rumba technique and spent most of the hour on rumba walks, which I still can't do. I love working on technique, especially where latin is concerned. My latin hip action needs work. I must start practicing at home! Hopefully I can work on the exercises we did last night.

Sport Relief: Monday Musings

It would be remiss of me not to cast my eye over Friday's performances on Sport Relief Does Strictly Come Dancing.

I am writing my thoughts from memory, as not all the clips are on YouTube.

David & Denise

David and Denise did the waltz. David was very flat-footed, and didn't look the most comfortable dancer. I was surprised, and I don't know why. I guess I presumed that someone with David's charm and charisma would be a dancefloor demon. Denise was graceful and elegant as always.

Elaine & Matt

Actress Elaine certainly got into the character of the tango. Aside from looking like Matt was holding her up at some points, I thought she did a decent job. The dance had drive and attack. Sometimes her head looked a bit odd, but all in all, a good performance.

Gemma & Darren

Another outing for Darren's red suit from the Christmas Special a couple of years back. With limited training, Gemma did a pretty good job of the American smooth. It was all a bit 'placed' and 'nice' for my liking, and the end lift was a but clumsy, but Gemma showed potential and could be good if she were a participant in the series.

Jade & Roger

Jade & Roger's jive was great. It had bags of energy, and like Gemma, Jade showed potential. It was brilliant to see Roger dancing again. I remember liking him the first time around. And unlike another of Camilla's partners, I don't think Roger had lost anything. I'd love to see him on the next tour. Unless Gethin was available, of course.

Kara & Mark

Kara was excellent. She did a good performance of Karen's iconic choreography. I was slightly disappointed that this was the same routine that Mark performed with Karen on Sports Personality
Of The Year, but I don't want to detract from Kara's excellent performance.

Kara & Mark were worthy winners, although I would have been torn between them and Elaine & Matt had I been voting.

Here are the videos so far...

Elaine & Matt



Gemma & Darren



Click here for Kara & Mark.

Move It 2008

Last weekend, I visited the Move It dance exhibition in London once again.

Saturday started very well, with a tango performance from the fabulous Anton & Erin.

After we watched that, we wandered around for a while before I went to Anton & Erin's class with Aimee, Andrea and Nicola. We did tango, which Andrea made me lead. To be fair, I think we did pretty well, except continually cocking up the kick ball-change part of the routine.

I had a sort break, and then went to a Latin class with Karen Hardy. Karen is an excellent teacher, and I can understand why those that take her classes enjoy them so much. She commented on how difficult it was to teach such a mixed-ability group, but she coped very well, making it fun for everyone. I partnered with Celeste, who also made me lead. It was good to finally meet Celeste after all this time.

Karen went downstairs for a meet & greet, but I had to go to my next class, an Advanced Tap Class with Janet Devenish from Stella Mann College. The routine was pretty tricky, and she used some ISTD terminology that I'd never heard (what the Hell is a paddle??). Also, it was difficult to see what she was doing, especially when she kept counting rather than saying what the steps were. But the routine was good, and I actually got to see it when students from Stella Mann performed on Sunday.

After the class I went downstairs, just in time to say Hi to Karen, as the girls had handily made it to the front of the queue. Karen was lovely. Mum had already told her I had been at the tap class. I hadn't even changed my shoes! Karen said she'd love to learn tap, but just doesn't have the time. Maybe I should have offered to teach her in return for Latin lessons!

The day ended with a Line Dance class with Johnny2Step. I throughly enjoyed the class, even if the choreography of the routines was pretty simple. I was quizzing Nic about Line later, and she explained that the choreography generally doesn't get too difficult. The key to success is putting your own stamp on it and using your creativity. I've always been interested in Line, but have never really had space in my schedule. I've always enjoyed in on the rare occasions I've tried it. Maybe I should investigate further.

Sunday kicked off with a fantastic cha cha performance from Ian & Camilla. They are fantastic, and I hope to see them do their cabaret at some point.

Afterwards, we went to say hello.

Nicola, Andrea and I later did Ian & Camilla's class. It was very basic cha cha and jive. I have no idea where Ian gets all his energy from, but he frequently berated the younger people in the crowd, telling them to keep up! He was very motivating. Of all the pros, he is the one that I am most intimidated about taking a class with. I won't go into why. I was great to have a taster, and he seems like an awesome teacher. Maybe some day I'll feel a bit braver and attend a workshop with him...

My final class of the weekend was one of my favourites - Learn The Routine: Chicago. Kelly Rainford from the Urdang Academy took the class. She focused on storytelling and the theatrical side of the routine as much as the choreography. Having seen Chicago about 9 times now, I had a pretty good idea about what the choreography was anyway! It was All That Jazz. I loved the class, and if I ever had the opportunity to be in a show, Chicago would be my choice without a moment's hesitation.

I had a fantastic day once again, and I hope next year will be as good.

Strictly Doesn't Miss A TRIC

For the second year running, Strictly Come Dancing has won the award for TV Reality Programme at the Television & Radio Industries Club awards.

The programme was nominated against the same shows as last year, The X Factor and Dragons' Den.

Sport Relief Does Strictly Come Dancing: Tonight!

Don't forget that the Strictly special, Sport Relief Does Strictly Come Dancing, will air on BBC1 tonight as part of the Sport Relief telethon.

The programme starts at 7pm, and I would imagine that the Strictly segment will be on before the news at 10pm.

Click here for a sneak peek behind the scenes from the BBC.

Craig Revel Horwood's Autobiography

Craig Revel Horwood is currently working on his autobiography.

The book, entitled All Balls And Glitter, will be published in September.

Comissioning editor Kate Gribble told The Bookseller: "It is Strictly that has brought him to major public prominence... and its secrets will be spilled unsparingly—both onstage shenanigans and breathtaking backstage gossip."

I Wanna Dance With Brendan

Brendan Cole is looking for a partner to take to a pro-am competition in Flordia.

According to What's On TV, I Wanna Dance With Somebody will follow the training of Brendan and his chosen partner as they get ready for the competition.

The show will air on BBC1 in the autumn, probably just before Strictly returns.

Channel M At Donahey's Workshop

Manchester-based broadcaster Channel M were filming during Donahey's beginners workshop with Anton & Erin earlier in the month.

Here is their report, including chats with Anton and Erin.

Lesson 35

Anton was back this week.

We did tango and jive in beginners. Although not complex, both were new amalgamations and it was good to link the steps in a different way.

I like a bit of jive, and we hadn't done it for a while. And I don't recall having done a shoulder shove before. It's not that often he does American spins in beginners, so either I am happy with.

In the second class (which I never know how to describe - is is inter, is it advanced?) we did waltz. Fall away and slip pivot was OK, but the pivoty, swivelly bit that followed confuzzled me, largely because I could not get the timing in my head. I'm not good at 'going with the flow'. Too many years spent doing classical dance like tap where everyone can tell if your timing is off. I'm not used to following and hoping it all works out. I like some degree of control, and last night it just wasn't happening. I feel like such a muppet on nights like that. I know I can dance, but sometimes I think I look like a total div and it upsets me. So often I am muddling through, but I want to be better. I didn't have any problem at Donahey's. Why do Mondays allude me so much? I don't know what the answer is. Get a new brain and some new feet, probably.

New Lesson 21

I really shouldn't wait a week to write about the class, becuase I'm not certain of what we did.

We started with rumba and although we learned a new amalgamation, I don't think we did any new steps. ZZZzzz...

Then we probably did the waltz again.

I have no Tuesday classes for a couple of weeks, but I'm sure I'll live.

Dancing With Colin

Colin Jackson is presenting a new show for ITV Wales about dance called Dancing With Colin.

He told icWales that people still talk to him about Strictly: "I was at a school in Penarth recently and the sixth formers, particularly the boys, were commenting on dance more than sport, which surprised me.”

And he thinks he would be better if he had another shot at the glitterball: “When I look back now I kind of wish I could do [Strictly] again, as I could do it so much better. I would be more confident as I would know what to expect.”

Dancing With Colin starts on Wednesday at 10.35pm on ITV1 in Wales. For those outside the region, you might be able to find it on SkyDigital. See this link for instructions on how to tune.

Tess Adores Bruce

A very short piece from the Daily Mail.

Tess says: "Whenever he calls, [my daughter] Phoebe grabs the phone off me and shouts, 'Brucie', and her face lights up. He is part of the family."

Aww...

Strictly Judges Want More Money

According to The Sun, the Strictly Come Dancing judges are holding out for a pay rise.

I'm not sure exactly why this is news. Most artists will ask for more money when it comes to contract negotiations. I'm sure everyone involved is doing the same. It's a ratings winner, and valuable to the BBC in international sales.

Frankly, it would be bigger news if they all agreed to go back on last year's salaries.

Anton's Walk

Grease star Olivia Newton-John is walking along the Great Wall of China next month, and is taking a host of international celebs along with her to raise money for the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Centre.

Anton du Beke will be joining Stage 2 of the walk in April. You can sponsor him here. It is a 23km section, from the Black Mountains to the Gobi Desert.

DWTS participant Leeza Gibbons is also taking part, participating in Stage 1.

Strictly Nominated II

Strictly Come Dancing has recieved another award nomination.

It is nominated in the Entertainment category for a Royal Television Society Programme Award. The competition in the category comes from QI and Armstrong & Miller.

Lesson 34

Anton told me he wouldn't be in this week, and that Kimberly would be running the show.

We started with the social foxtrot. This is a bit coma-inducing for me, but it's nice for those who struggle to feel a bit more like they are able to dance. We briefly finished up with rumba.

In the second class, we went for some kick-ass cha cha, which was brilliant. We got through loads, and the routine was fab.

Kimberly is brilliant, but if she says "Thank you for putting up with me" any more, I think I shall have to tell her off. It's great to have her. I learn different things from her than Anton, and I think she is a really good teacher. Of course I love Anton, but I go to lessons to learn to dance and I don't mind who teaches. All of Anton's substitutes have been fantastic.

Anton & Erin in Dukinfield

On Friday I attended my second Donahey's dance in Dukinfield, Lancashire, and again it was Anton & Erin I had made the trip to see.

Once again, there was a lovely crowd of lovelies there too - Nicola, Andrea, Bev, Jack, Ashleigh and Ciara. And I got to meet the lovely Pamela (my roommate for the evening), Sandy, Kerry, Hannah and Irishfan too.

As always, it was a magical evening of social dancing, but we were all itching to get to the reason we were there - Anton & Erin's wonderful cabaret.

It was fantastic when that moment arrived. As is often the case, we got slightly agitated looks from the table next to us as we all whooped and cheered. All of their dances were beautiful, but I think the Viennese waltz was my favourite.

Later, we queued up to say hello. It feels like an odd thing to do when I see Anton every week, but it was great to chat to Erin.

For the first time, Donahey's organised workshops with Anton & Erin, and are doing the same with all the professionals who perform at their dances. I took the intermediate workshop on Saturday afternoon and had a blast. It was fab to see Zoe again too, who wasn't at Friday's dance.
We started with a waltz, which was brilliant. I felt that I learned loads without feeling lost. And I got a brief insight into why Nicola, Andrea and Zoe enjoy taking lessons with Erin so much. She is an excellent teacher. I wish she was always around to keep Anton focused. I must get myself over to her class next time Anton is AWOL on a filming assignment without her.

We then went on to American smooth. I enjoyed it so very much, I can't describe it. It was brilliant fun, I think most of the others felt the same way. I must ask Anton to do it in our class.

Dukinfield Town Hall was a brilliant venue for the class. It was great to have so much room.

I had a brilliant time, and was destroyed that I couldn't make the dance on Saturday night. Next time, for sure!

Thanks as always go to Paul and everyone at Donahey's for a well-organised and entertaining event.

Gethin: "I Loved Every Second"

There is a short interview with Gethin Jones on the BBC News website.

On Strictly: "Every other person still comes up to say hello or to want to have a chat about what happened. Strictly is hugely popular and I loved every second."

On the lows: "The lowlight was obviously going out in the semi-final. And seeing Kenny Logan in a kilt."

On being confused for Steve Jones from T4: "I saw him the other day and he said that everyone thinks he did Strictly Come Dancing."

Kelly Brook Gets Juicy

After strutting her stuff on the dancefloor, Kelly Brook has lined up her next project... her own line of fruit juice!

According to KentOnline, Kelly owns land in the region, and wants to put it to use: “I definitely don’t have as much land as people say I do but there is enough to be quite productive. It would only be a small venture but I think it would be a great thing to do."

Perhaps next year's celebrities will be requesting it in their dressing rooms...

Claire Sweeney: "Ballroom Dancing Is A Very Different Kettle Of Fish"

The Manchester Evening News caught up with Claire Sweeney recently, to talk about her role in Shout, a new musical set in the 1960s.

Claire mentions Strictly Come Dancing in passing: "I know folk were probably thinking that I wasn't a complete novice, because I'd danced on the West End stage, but honestly ballroom dancing is a very different kettle of fish and was harder than I thought it was going to be."

New Lesson 20

We started with samba again last Tuesday. Although I got a technique tip this week! Probably because I emailed the teacher again asking abut medal classes. She said "It's so unusual to have to tell Louise anything!". Hmm. I'm sure my technique is terrible.

We then did the waltz again. I have that down. I need a change of dance. Maybe we should add some new steps to one of the latin dances...

I'd still like to go to one of their socials, but it's a pain when you don't have a car. Still, I think I'm going to have to consider one if I want to go to dance events in even more obscure places.