Georgina Butler

Writing. Dancing.

NEWS: ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ Countdown, August 2011

 

TIME TO DUST OFF OUR DANCING SHOES AS THE STRICTLY COUNTDOWN BEGINS

 

Strictly Come Dancing returns to our screens next month and the internet is full of rumours about which celebrities are set to surrender to the sequins and grace the dance floor with their presence.

Last year I was lucky enough to be part of the audience for one of the shows after applying online and fox-trotting down to BBC Studios ridiculously early to claim my place. After a thoroughly entertaining evening, I then wrote a feature for the Milton Keynes Citizen to share my experience with readers …

 

The cast of BBC show Strictly Come Dancing 2010. Picture shows: Standing l-r: Felicity Kendal, Gavin Henson, Goldie, Kara Tointon, Matt Baker, Michelle Williams, Jimi Mistry, Peter Shilton, Scott Maslen. Seated l-r: Paul Daniels, Patsy Kensit, Tina O'Brien, Pamela Stephenson, The Rt Hon Ann Widdecombe. Picture courtesy of the BBC.

 

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REVIEW: ‘Legally Blonde The Musical’ – The Savoy Theatre, June 2011

 

Broadway smash hit Legally Blonde The Musical is a ridiculously enjoyable show. It opened at The Savoy Theatre in December 2009 and has been playing to packed audiences ever since. What’s more, it won the award for Best New Musical at the 2011 Laurence Olivier Awards in March.

After months of promising myself I would go and see this bubbly show, I made a visit to The Savoy Theatre part of a girly trip to London.

Clutching my ticket with perfectly manicured fingernails (painted pink in honour of the occasion, of course), I entered the gorgeous West End auditorium. Every theatre has its own vibe and the overwhelming feeling I was getting from both the building and the assembled audience was one of excitement and enthusiasm.

 

Legally Blonde the Musical. Savoy Theatre, West End, London.

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REVIEW: Vincent Simone and Flavia Cacace in ‘Midnight Tango’ – Milton Keynes Theatre, June 2011

 

Strictly Come Dancing favourites and former world champions Vincent Simone and Flavia Cacace are sensational in their dazzling new show, Midnight Tango.

Vincent and Flavia have been dancing on the BBC’s flagship show for six years but Midnight Tango is their first proper foray into theatrical performance. When they left the ballroom behind during the most recent break between seasons on Strictly, Milton Keynes Theatre was one of the venues they chose to visit.

The breathtaking show – complete with first class tango routines, drama, comedy and pure unadulterated passion – is produced by acclaimed choreographer and So You Think You Can Dance judge Arlene Phillips and features ten of the finest tango dancers in the world. An internationally renowned tango band accompanies them, providing intoxicating tango rhythms.

 

Dancers Vincent Simone and Flavia Cacace in Midnight Tango.

 

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REVIEW: Northern Ballet’s ‘Cleopatra’ – Milton Keynes Theatre, May 2011

 

Northern Ballet’s Cleopatra is a mesmerising production that beautifully illustrates the company’s strengths.

The show takes the audience on a journey akin to wandering through an extravagant museum exhibition, effectively bringing Ancient Egypt to life. Production and choreography – from the hieroglyphics projected onto the backdrop to the stances adopted by the dancers – combine to evoke the era in an absorbing spectacle.

Choreographer David Nixon packs a lot into the narrative. This is necessary, of course, to portray the full story of courageous Cleopatra and her triumphant rise as the Pharaoh Queen.

 

Northern Ballet dancers in Cleopatra, a ballet by David Nixon. Kenneth Tindall as Wadjet and Martha Leebolt as Cleopatra.

 

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