What goes on tour…
Tuesday, 17 November 2009
2010 is going to be a busy year for the Strictly professionals, with official and unofficial tours blanketing the schedules. But are they spreading themselves too thin?
You’re spoilt for choice if you want to see the Strictly Come Dancing professional dancers performing live at the end of a pier near you in 2010. The arena tour in January/February is being followed up by a professionals-only tour running from April to July. Brendan Cole is getting in on the act with his Unjudged tour kicking off just before Christmas. Anton and Erin are off on their own again, while Darren and Lilia’s Latin Fever looks likely to reprise, and Vincent and Flavia are debuting their Fantasia tour.
It’s all a lot for a Strictly fan to take in! So here’s our quick guide to when and where you can see the Strictly pros on tour in 2010.
Strictly Come Dancing – The Live Tour
When: January and February 2010
Where: Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, Nottingham, Sheffield, London, Glasgow, Belfast and Newcastle
The original and biggest Strictly tour will feature eight celebrities from the TV show, teaming up with eight professionals – though not necessarily their original partners! Confirmed celebrities so far are Mark Ramprakash, Austin Healy, Kelly Brook, Ali Bastian, Natalie Cassidy and Zoe Lucker.
The professionals haven’t been announced yet, though we know that some of them won’t be there – don’t expect to see Anton du Beke or Erin Boag (doing their own tour), Brendan Cole (ditto), Vincent Simone or Flavia Cacace. And former Strictly pros Karen Hardy, Camilla Dallerup and Nicole Cutler are similarly unlikely to return, so there’ll have to be some mix-and-match partnerships.
The original judging panel will be back for some shows, with Craig Revel-Horwood, Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli and Arlene Phillips reprising their roles, but Arlene and Len will both be missing some shows.
These big arena shows have all the glitz of the TV show, but lose something in the sheer scale – especially if you’re up in the suicide seats. On the plus side, being performed essentially in the round gives a good view no matter where you are in the arena. Dance floor seats are great fun if you can get your hands on them, but lower tier probably offer a better overall view of the action.
Check the event calendar for more details >>
Strictly Come Dancing – The Professionals
When: April, May, June and July 2010
Where: Brighton, Birmingham, Dublin, Cardiff, Leicester, Southampton, Plymouth, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Bristol, Bournemouth
Ten of the professional dancers from the 2009 Strictly roster make up the cast for this new tour. Vincent Simone and Flavia Cacace, James and Ola Jordan, Brian fortuna and Kristina Rihanoff, Ian Waite and Natalie Lowe and Matt Cutler and Aliona Vilani have been confirmed for this theatre-style tour, accompanied by a live band. It’s hard to know exactly what to expect, though it would seem likely that it’ll be a selection of new and old pro dances – and since Vince and Flav are there, there’s bound to be an Argentine tango.
I’ve never seen the Strictly dancers doing a stage show, and some of the detail may be lost with only a single front for them to work to, but this show looks like a good bet if you’re more a fan of the pro dancers than of the celebrity pairings!
Check the event calendar for more details >>
Brendan Cole Live and Unjudged
When: December 2009 – January 2010
Where: Brighton, Poole, Cheltenham, Nottingham, Blackpool, Buxton, Newcastle, Liverpool, Manchester, Croydon, Southend, Cardiff, Sheffield, Scarborough, Ipswich, Truro, Southsea
Brendan Cole is stealing a march on everyone else by starting his tour before Christmas!
I haven’t heard much about the content, but there’s a rumour that former Strictly pros Nicole Cutler and Andrew Cuerden are involved, and also that Brendan’s celeb partner Jo Wood may be turning up for one night only to reprise their partnership.
Check the event calendar for more details >>
Anton and Erin – Steppin’ Out
When: January and February 2010
Where: Northampton, Birmingham, Nottingham, Gateshead, Blackpool, Bridgewater, Bradford, Bournemouth, London, Portsmouth, Liverpool, Belfast, Dublin, Glasgow, Edinburgh,
Cardiff, Plymouth, Bristol, Eastbourne, Croydon, Brighton, Basingstoke
Anton du Beke and Erin Boag are veterans of the solo tour, having eschewed the main tour for three years running.
If ballroom is your thing then this is the tour for you. I haven’t seen how well it works on stage versus in the round, but there’ll certainly be a level of polish to this one!
Check the event calendar for more details >>
Vincent and Flavia – Fantasia tour
When: March 2010
Where: Folkestone, Bideford, Prestwich, Portishead
Vincent and Flavia’s Fantasia tour takes in most weekends in March, and takes the form of a series of dance breaks at hotels around the country. These breaks are organised by Holidays for Dancers, an experienced dance-break company.
Some of these offer the opportunity of dance workshops with the professionals, but all involve a cabaret and autograph/photo opportunity as well as hotel accommodation, meals and social dancing.
Check the event calendar for more details >>
Darren and Lilia – Latin Fever
When: TBA
Where: TBA
Darren Bennett and Lilia Kopylova’s Latin Fever show took in a run of performances in London and Birmingham last year and indications are that they’ll be reprising it this year.
We’ll add details as soon as we have them!