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| SCD comes to Manchester |
| Written by Administrator | |
| Monday, 04 February 2008 | |
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WHO would have believed that ballroom dancing would get more bums on seats at the M.E.N. Arena this year than The Spice Girls? The renaissance of the formerly fuddy-duddy danceform through the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing show really has hit a new peak with this first-ever live tour. Finally this year bosses of the BBC show cottoned on to the fact that many of those millions who sit and watch the show from the comfort of their sofas will pay good money to go out and watch the phenomenon live. And so we have thousands of, mainly well-heeled women, flooding into the M.E.N. Arena for a gobsmacking seven live performances showcasing all the glitz and glamour of the TV show. The live tour stars eight celebrities from the past five series of shows – competing on the dancefloor. There are huge cheers for series three winner Darren Gough, and the fifth series runner-up Matt Di Angelo, and also for showbiz trooper Letitia Dean who battled her way into fourth place on the recent series. The ex-Eastender continued that spirit into the live show, and also showed off a marked improvement in her performances – particularly in her boisterous jive. She endeared herself to all of us females in the audience too – cackling after her jive: “It’s not easy Manchester, being 40 and dancing around with these babies,” pointing to her ample bosom. At each show the celebs and their professional dance partners tackle one ballroom dance and one latin dance and go before the judges – head judge Len Goodman, returning local girl Arlene Phillips and acid-tongued Criag Revel Horwood (Bruno Tonioli is away in LA, the others helpfully explain) – and each dance couple are scored accordingly. It gives the audience ample opportunity to boo and cheer in all the right places. Come the interval the audience can also phone for their favourite to win like on the TV show. It works surprisingly well in such a vast setting, and the judges and show host, Kate Thornton, seem to thrive on it. Thornton, axed as presenter of The X Factor, shows ITV exactly what they are missing on this tour – looking sensational in a plunging neckline cerise gown and engaging in witty repartee with the judges – and in particular Len Goodman. Good old Len, godfather of dance, had the audience in stitches at the Saturday matinee performance that I attended, with choice comments like, to ex-Eastender Chris Parker: “You dance faster than wind up a duck’s backside, you”. The show also has some fantastic group dances, including a sizzling Dirty Dancing section with all the stars. As the celebs lead a mass dancealong at the conclusion, Miss Thornton bellows out that “they’ll be back again next year”, and something tells me the satisfied crowds will be back in their thousands again too. Strictly Come Dancing Live continues at the M.E.N. Arena on Feb 5, 6 and 7. Source |
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