(Dancing with the Stars for those outside the UK)
I’m usually uninspired by the television schedules but I only have to hear one bar of that music and I’m racing for my armchair with a virtual ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign above my head. I’ve even been known to switch off my phone while I watch!
Maybe it’s to do with timing. Just as the nights draw in and the weather becomes dour, Strictly Come Dancing provides glitter, glamour and bling by the bucket-load. I know that I’ll never get the chance to dance like those couples but I can dream, and I do. Every time they glide, chasse or do neat little heel turns, it’s me out there wearing a beautiful gown or skimpy cat suit, with the audience admiring my every move.
Strictly is different from most reality TV shows. The contestants are celebrities. They know how to entertain. They have camera presence and charisma... well most of them do, anyway. Of course they want to win but it doesn’t ‘mean the whole world’ to them, unlike those reality contestants who sob with utter desperation because this is their ‘last chance to make it’.
It’s not only the contestants and their sexy, slick professional partners who provide quality entertainment. The Dave Arch Band are am-az-ing (said in Craig Revel Horwood’s fabulous accent, dahling). The Band can play and sing any style of music the dancers choose. Such talent! What a shame we don’t get to see more of them. They may be tucked away at one end of the dance floor, but Strictly certainly wouldn’t be the same without them.
This is not just a weekend obsession. I’m also hooked on Strictly It Takes Two and so every evening there’s a scramble to prepare supper and be sitting in front of the telly by 6.30. I can’t miss Claudia.
Strictly Come Dancing keeps me going throughout the autumn and right into December, but what will I do with myself in January? I can feel a dose of the mulligrubs coming on already. I suppose I’ll have to make do with You Tube extracts until next autumn comes round again.
[For those with especially large birthdays looming, please note that Pamela Stevenson, who is dancing in this clip, is 61 years old. If I can dance like that at her age I’ll be a happy blogger indeed!!]
What a glistening, sparkling blog Ros. Warmed my heart on a cold and frosty morning. (Cue for a song)!! As you know I love 'Strictly Come Dancing' with pure passion and agree the band and singers are fan-tas-tic. It all reminds me (including the glitter ball) of the Leicester Palais on a Saturday night way back in the 50's. And what about our Brucie - I some times forget just how old he is. 'Wow' that duet last week was brilliant. My wish - to dance the foxtrot with Anton Dubeck. So Ros in true 'Strictly' style - "Keep Dancing"....................... :-)) x x x
ReplyDeleteI simply love your glitter ball. As for Strictly Come Dancing we do not get the BBC here, though we can watch via our computer if we subscribe to one of the internet companies. The quality various considerable. So sorry, I'm not tripping the light fantastic yet.....but maybe things will change for next year. Keep the glitter ball, it's fab! Hugs x. Oh by the way Barney & Poppy had a bath this morning so feel a little more confident in being clean...sending Rob and you paw prints!
ReplyDeleteI have tried a few times to get into Strictly, and I just cant for some reason! That's probably a good thing, though. I already watch way too much telly!
ReplyDeleteSixty-one years old? She's amazing! I'm half her age and I can't dance like that! *sigh*
ReplyDeleteAmy
Hi Rifka, you'll have to wait in line for Anton because I'll be there at the front of the queue stepping out into his arms;-)
ReplyDeleteHi Pauline, I'm rather fond of that glitter ball too. It's the first time I 'done' animation. Glad to hear that Barney and Poppy have been bathed before offering their paws but sorry you're not able to pick up Strictly where you are. I rather suspect you'd love it.
ReplyDeleteHi Talli, it's funny how some programmes get you hooked and others don't. I found that X Factor left me cold this year. Too much internal politics possibly. Not really sure why.
ReplyDeleteHi Amy, yes, to dance like that at 61 she deserves to win... although I suspect that Kara will be the winner.
ReplyDeleteForget 61, if I could dance like that now I'd be happy! I like shows like this too--I agree that for me a big part of the appeal is that the contestants don't think it's life or death. They care, but they're also having a blast, learning something new and admitting they're not perfect. The feedback and critique from the judges (at least on our Aussie equivalent) tends to be pretty constructive. It feels like a return to something a bit more positive after the politics and snark of some other reality shows!
ReplyDeleteHi Amie, good to hear that you have a similarly enjoyable version in Australia.
ReplyDeleteso good to read this, Ros - I endorse every comment. I was an addict too - of Claudia as well as the nail-biting dramas of Saturday night. Don't know how I've managed the withdrawal symptoms - the Xmas special wasn't a patch on the real thing ... But I have booked to go to De Montfort Hall in Janaury - to see Anton & Erin. It's the week of our Ofsted visit so I'll be ready for the therapy!
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