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Week 2 – The Foxtrot

Hot on the heels of our week 1 Jive, it was back to ballroom basics with our week 2 dance – the Foxtrot – my all-time favourite, as many of you will know! But were we a week 1 wonder? Would we be able to transition from Latin to Ballroom in mere days?… This was to be a pivotal week in our training and our progress could so easily suffer under the quickly mounting pressures!…

After our first competition dance, to sit safely in the middle of the leaderboard was in fact an enormous confidence boost. No overbearing expectation to repeat a leaderboard-topping performance, and barring a dancefloor-disaster, very slim chance of leaving the show in the first elimination; the mathematics were on our side.

That’s no reason, however, to rest on laurels… indeed, there was very little time for any kind of rest! In many ways, this second week generally proves to be one of the most challenging weeks of the competition. The celebrities have a good lead-up to week 1, perhaps two weeks to get the first dance under their belts. Then it’s all change, things ramp up a gear and the pressure’s really on with less than a week, perhaps 5 days, to learn dance number two. No mean feat, particularly when it involves a novice switching from a Jive to a Foxtrot!

Of course, everyone’s in the same boat, but I must doff my hat to Emma for juggling her Eastenders commitments with her Strictly training – and not skimping on either. What a professional!

Now, the Foxtrot is a tricky dance, and there was a lot of ground to cover in getting those ballroom basics ready for the judges’ scrutiny.

Day 3…. (with sound this time) @TheAntonDuBeke @bbcstrictly #bartonsballroombulletin#bartonsballchange#teamemmton pic.twitter.com/GYj1UsMd6Y

— Emma Barton (@EmmaBarton) September 25, 2019

I was keen for us to perform a beautiful, classic, flowing Foxtrot … but of course, for our dance to look simple and elegant on the surface – and to score good points – would require a full complement of judge-pleasing steps.

Emma, I’m delighted to say, took those steps in her stride (even if she didn’t realise at the time!), and by the end of the week’s dress run, we had the routine off pat and ready to perform!

What you can’t prepare for are those last minute jitters, and on the night, any slight slips were I’m sure, simply a result of those. But from start to finish, I thought Emma gave a wonderful, confident performance. The music, the theming, the costumes – all were perfect for staging a timeless dance: and every second of it flowed beautifully as we traversed the floor in hold. What I particularly loved were all our turns and spins, especially Emma’s heel turns which to her credit, didn’t go unnoticed by the judges. Emma was elegance personified, and gave a Foxtrot to be proud of!

Putting the FOX 🦊into Foxtrot @EmmaBarton and @TheAntonDuBeke creating fireworks on the #Strictly dance floor pic.twitter.com/9XZfmzBIKL

— BBC Strictly ✨ (@bbcstrictly) September 28, 2019

The judges, I’m delighted to say, were particularly encouraging! It’s to be expected that they picked up on slight lapses with gapping, flow, top line, rhythm and so on, but what about this…
Bruno: “You have the right feel and potential for ballroom.”
Craig: “You have real dance talent and it’s wonderful to see.”
Motsi: “I see a dancing queen when I see you.”
Shirley: “You actually had flashes of brilliance.”
All my Christmases had come at once! Can we have those comments every week please?!

The scores came in as sixes across the board for a total of 24 – one more than last week – we’ve improved! And to hear that, my loves, is like music to my ears!

After all the scores were tallied-up from 14 other sterling performances, we finished in seventh place once again, firmly in that leaderboard middle-ground.

The tension among the couples was truly palpable as the results show got underway, as you can imagine. The reality of the first elimination struck our celebrities and the backstage exuberance of the main show was gone.

After last year’s early exit, I wasn’t counting any chickens and, I’m sure, was more relieved that Emma to make it through to week 3! Thank you all for your votes and support!

Yes, it's true @EmmaBarton you've made it through to #Strictly Movie Week with @TheAntonDuBeke! 🎩 pic.twitter.com/rdSYbh8iv7

— BBC Strictly ✨ (@bbcstrictly) September 29, 2019

David James and James Cracknell however didn’t fare as well and had to face the first dreaded dance-off of the series. After valiant reprises of their routines with respective partners Nadiya and Luba, the judges unanimously saved David, and our sporting hero James became the first to leave the show; a bittersweet moment for us all.

The show must go on, of course, and week 3 is… drumroll please… Movie Week! Now, this is particularly exciting for me as my 2020 Tour with Erin Boag is based around our most favourite movie themes – “Anton & Erin – Dance Those Magical Movies“, and I’m very partial to getting into character! I’ll let you into a ‘top secret’… this week, I am to become that fabled International Man of Mystery, Austin Powers… and Emma and I will be dancing a Salsa to the movie’s Soul Bossa Nova theme tune.

I think the word you’re looking for is ‘unmissable’!

See you on the dance floor, BBC1, Saturday 7.10pm my loves… it’s going to be ‘Groovy, baby!’

Strictly 2019 – The Week 1 Jive!

Strictly Come Dancing is back on our screens for its seventeenth series and may I say I’m overjoyed to be taking part once again and having another shot at the ever-elusive glitter ball! Moreover, something in my waters is telling me this could be a very special series, with everything to play for. As you’ll know, we’re already off to a rocketing start, so, positions everyone… let’s dance!

It all kicked off just over two weeks ago with the BBC pulling out all the stops – and more – in devising the most marvellous launch show to get the nation’s feet tapping. With spectacular group dances featuring us Pro dancers holding court along with the quintessential Queen of Pop herself – Kylie Minogue…

…a fabulous Pro number introducing our new girl, Nancy Xu…

…a very inventive Latin mega-mix to introduce the Judges – including our newly appointed and very warmly welcomed Motsi Mabuse…

…and later in the show, a true feat of choreography as our 15 celebs – the Class of 2019 – joined us all in the most tremendous group finalé.

Each of these a blockbuster performance in itself, the night’s main event was of course… the pairings! I’d been posting the celebrity announcements on my social media channels as they were released over the days prior, so everyone was up to speed on this year’s line-up of hopefuls. In order of announcement…

Our male celebs are David James; Chris Ramsey; Mike Bushell; Karim Zeroual; Will Bayley; Dev Griffin; James Cracknell and Kelvin Fletcher, who replaces Jamie Laing after an unfortunate injury early in training.

Our females this year are Emma Barton; Saffron Barker; Catherine Tyldesley; Emma Thynn, Viscountess Weymouth; Michelle Visage Alex Scott and Anneka Rice.

A fabulous assortment of leading lights from such a diverse array of fields! Quite how their respective expertise will translate to the dance floor… well, the coming weeks will tell!

Naturally, speculation abounded as to who would be partnered with whom, not least on my part! As you’ll recall, my time on the show was so very short-lived last year and I’ll admit, my heart was in my mouth as this year’s pairings began. I had my inklings – we all did… but you don’t need to imagine my surprise when Tess announced that this year I’d be dancing with Honey Mitchell from Eastenders, a.k.a. the magnificent Emma Barton!

That moment when you're paired up with a #Strictly legend…

Huge congrats @EmmaBarton and @TheAntonDuBeke! pic.twitter.com/pm0WXgpNSc

— BBC Strictly ✨ (@bbcstrictly) 7 September 2019

Not to diminish my achievements with previous partners – having reached the final with the sparking Katie Derham in series 13, the semi-final with lovely Lesley Garrett in series 1, and regularly reaching week 8 or beyond with a number of my celebrity belles – it came as something of a shock to be paired with someone I’d considered from the outset to be capable of reaching the final! What a result!… And the competition hadn’t even begun!

Welcoming Walford's wonderful @EmmaBarton to #StrictlyComeDancing as my 2019 partner! I couldn't be more excited — first impressions… she's brilliant!! #InItToWinIt 💃🕺🤞🏆 pic.twitter.com/uiocSIycHJ

— Anton Du Beke (@TheAntonDuBeke) 7 September 2019

Now, bear in mind that Emma has her day job of running the Minute Mart on Eastenders – with cliffhanger storylines to boot – fitting in a strenuous dance training regime was going to take some planning… along with regularly scheduled hot-beverage-and-bun breaks for sustenance! Not least as our very first dance was to be … the Jive.

"I can't imagine things going any better." @TheAntonDuBeke is seriously impressed with @EmmaBarton's #Strictly progress. Or it could just be the Jive talkin'
" pic.twitter.com/lrjLCYQZns

— BBC Strictly ✨ (@bbcstrictly) 16 September 2019

The Jive, as we all know, is something of an energetic dance! Fast paced, technically challenging, demanding of rhythm, precision and stamina – it’s not for the faint of heart! Ideally braved later in the competition, we were straight in at the deep end, it really was sink or swim.

Such were the exertions, that at one point I resorted to wearing shorts – which when broadcast in the VT on the live show, became something of an internet sensation in itself.

Nevertheless, it quickly became clear that Emma was a natural and I was able to craft a routine packed with content to enable her personality, ability – and gleaming smile – to shine through.

I knew she’d be brilliant… and indeed, she was.

On the night, last Saturday, the running order placed us last in the line-up. Fifteenth to go on. This, you’ll appreciate, can have the unsettling effect of magnifying one’s nerves – and my reassurances of saving the best till last became less and less effective watching 14 other stupendous routines play out before us. I felt for Emma – this really had been a marathon week and the adrenaline can only last so long.

And then, finally, we were on. I, cover-star pin-up of the Minute Mart’s latest celeb gossip magazine, saunter in to pick up a few essentials and Emma, the eagle eyed assistant clocks me, sashays over, and wastes no time in erupting into a jive! Powerless to resist, it’s off with her tabard and we rocket round the aisles faster than a supermarket sweep.

The tabard is off and the Jive is ON! Fantastic kicks and flicks from @EmmaBarton and @TheAntonDuBeke. #Strictly pic.twitter.com/EndKZEzRaz

— BBC Strictly ✨ (@bbcstrictly) 21 September 2019

That was one fast jive! …And Emma didn’t just keep up, she really sold it! Sass, synchronicity, showmanship – Emma had them all! I couldn’t have been more proud of her, she was truly brilliant, and delivered a sterling debut performance on that dancefloor.

As for the judges, well, Craig felt it was “laboured” but did concede that Emma has “amazing potential”. Our new judge Motsi, was far more appreciative – “great posture, great legs, controlled arms” and said that with “more of the good stuff you’re going to be splendid.” Marvellous, constructive, and encouraging indeed – Motsi gets my vote! Shirley wasn’t quite so agreeable, unhappy with Emma’s posture, connections, and technical elements, summing up with “otherwise quite nice,” – though she did acknowledge Emma as “a natural born performer.” Bruno, ah Bruno… “Yes, a few issues, but a wonderful crowd-pleasing performance.” We’ll take that! A generally positive end to a mostly positive critique. (I’ve known far worse!)

When the scores came in: sixes each from Craig, Motsi and Bruno, and a five from Shirley, giving a total of 23 points, you didn’t need to be a maths whizz to tally-up three weeks’ worth in one, based on some past years! We placed 7th out of 15 – a very solid start, not bad at all… with plenty of room for improvement. We are, after all, planning on playing the long game this year!

All told, what a fantastic night. This really is going to be a closely fought competition, but I’m very much of the opinion that #TeamEmton is firmly in the running!

Now, for week 2 – the first of the elimination weeks – we’re dancing my all time favourite: the Foxtrot. This has to be ballroom at its best. It’s a big shift from the jive – there’s a lot of new ground to cover technically but Emma’s doing tremendously well in training and our performance is going to be pure class. I can feel that in my waters, too!

Make sure you’re tuned in from 6:40pm on Saturday night, my loves, and we’ll see you on the dancefloor – and don’t forget to vote!

Keeeeeep dancing!

Moonlight Over Mayfair – the sequel!

For more information now that the book has been released, please click through to this page.

‘Dance Those Magical Movies’ – our 2020 Tour!

I’m tremendously excited to announce that Erin and I will be back on tour in 2020 with an absolute blockbuster of a show… ‘Dance Those Magical Movies’!

After the tremendous success of our 2019 Musicals-inspired tour, it made perfect sense to create a follow-up based on classic numbers from films… and we’re so excited about bringing some movie magic onto the stage through dance – what a treat! When you hear the selection of tunes we’ve shortlisted you’ll understand our excitement – it’s going to be a very special tour indeed!

We’ll definitely be including ‘Breakfast At Tiffany’s’, ‘Singin’ In The Rain’, ‘Casablanca’, ‘The Wizard Of Oz’, ‘The Greatest Showman’, ‘Titanic’, ‘Moulin Rouge’ and even more… simply thrilling!

As always, we’ll be joined by our fabulous featured vocalist Lance Ellington, our world class ensemble dancers… and we’ll all be kept in time and on cue by the baton of Richard Balcombe leading his 23-piece orchestra there with us on stage. We’ll be bringing cinema classics to the dancefloor, and Erin and I simply can’t wait!

‘Anton & Erin… Dance Those Magical Movies’ runs from the 24th January to the 22nd March 2020. Tickets go on sale on Friday 21st June 2019 from venues and online at www.raymondgubbay.co.uk.

For more information visit www.AntonAndErinLive.co.uk – plus, there are social media accounts for the Tour too, so make sure you follow them for all the news and backstage photos as rehearsals get underway and the tour begins! If you’re on Twitter, follow @AntonandErin10; here’s the Facebook page, and there’s even Instagram too.

Erin and I are so excited to share our new show with you – we do so hope to see you in the audience. Come along and join us as we ‘Dance Those Magical Movies’ – this tour will really be a blockbuster!

With much love,

My Headline Story with HRBR

My loves,

I wanted to share this with you as it’s been something of a transformational experience for me – and it would be wonderful if sharing it could help others in the same boat.

Back in 2016 as I rewatched my Strictly performances each week, I noticed that I was starting to go a bit thin at the front. And the more I saw myself on screen and in photos, under those unforgiving spotlights, the more I became aware of it. I’d cover it with make-up and do my best to avoid certain lights, but I didn’t like the situation at all.

Image is very important to me. If, as a performer, you’re known for having a good head of hair, should you start to lose it, you lose it very publicly and it can very much affect one’s confidence. I realised that this was something I couldn’t ignore, and of course, that it wasn’t going to improve on its own. I started reading up about the various options for treatment, and it looked like a hair transplant could be the solution I needed.

A chance conversation with James Nesbitt had us both talking about our hairloss, and James told me about the tremendous results he’d had from a hair transplant at HRBR – Hair Restoration Blackrock – a very well regarded specialist clinic in Dublin. I immediately arranged for a consultation.

You either worry about hair loss, or you don’t worry about it. If you worry about it, then it is a massive thing – and for me it was.

I met with the Consultant Surgeon and liked him instantly. I liked the setup of the clinic. The whole thing was just so professional. I knew straight away that I wanted to have my hair transplant performed by HRBR.

It was a simple, straightforward procedure, and I knew immediately after having it done that I was delighted. I was very quickly back to work and had thought I’d keep it to myself, all under the radar, but I have to say I was so thrilled with the results I was happy to tell everyone!

It’s now two years since the procedure, and I can honestly say it’s changed my life. I feel fantastic, like a new man – it’s given me so much more confidence when appearing on television or having my picture taken and I’m so glad I took action when I did. I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending it to anyone who’s facing hairloss, it’s quite simply the best thing you will ever do for yourself. Tremendous thanks to the marvellous team at HRBR – I feel 25 again!

Find out more at HRBR.co.uk.