Add anything here!

Keep Up!

Oct
29
Week 5 – The Tango

Week 5 – The Tango

Well, my loves, as I’m sure you’re all aware, Lesley and I bade our Strictly farewells last weekend as our Week 5 dance became our Last Tango in Elstree. Lesley had the potential to go much further in the competition, of that I’m sure, so to say we were disappointed is of course an understatement. Nevertheless, what a wonderful five weeks we’ve had dancing together on the show – truly tremendous and thoroughly good fun. And so, for my final blog post this series, let’s have a recap of last weekend’s tumultuous events…

Lesley Joseph does Strictly 2016

Spirits were certainly high before the start of the show last Saturday, confidence too, each couple starting to build on their performances week-on-week. There’s always a ‘bedding-in’ period whilst the celebrities find their feet, so to speak, Lesley included – especially after the success of the previous weekend’s Charleston – we were both on a high, and ready to channel that into the high drama of the Tango.

The weekend delivered drama indeed, more than we’d anticipated… and more than either of us saw in the tea leaves, tarot cards or crystal ball which were all used to set the scene for the dance.

Anton Du Beke & Lesley Joseph dance the Tango

‘Whatever Lola Wants’ was our tune to Tango to – modern but with those traditional overtones of the bandoneon sharing the melody with, and winding around, the vocals. Lesley, as Madame Lola, was at her table gazing into the crystal ball as I arrived for my reading. Whatever premonition she saw in the crystal had her leaping out of her seat, over the table, and falling from on high into my arms. My goodness, what an opener!

Now, the Tango is a particularly tricky dance for the celebrities to master – the sharp moves and staccato rhythms are all at odds with the flow and motion of the other ‘swing’ dances, and as Lesley herself pointed out in interviews, to maintain a ‘passionate detachment’ is incredibly difficult to do! (Not least when in my arms, I’m sure!) Technically, it becomes a dance of contradictions and may explain why three of the four departures so far this series have been on the Tango.

That said, Lesley performed a very good tango indeed – I was thrilled to bits. Our dance was packed full of content – a great deal for her to learn and deliver, plus drama – she maintained great characterisation throughout, all the while conveying a strong sense of the key elements of the dance.

Anton Du Beke & Lesley Joseph dance the Tango
Anton Du Beke & Lesley Joseph dance the Tango
Anton Du Beke & Lesley Joseph dance the Tango

In a finalé almost as dramatic as the opening, I smash the crystal ball to the floor – clearly no longer needed as our dance had brought Madame Lola’s vision to life! The audience were on their feet. Brava!

The judges’ critiques certainly weren’t as glowing as they were last week. Bruno opened by referencing a few slips here and there and that the dance seemed ‘skippy’, but he loved the intensity and the acting throughout. He did say he felt Lesley was hanging on to me a little too strongly – so I quipped in about my eyeliner making me irresistible! Craig too flagged the slips, that the shaping wasn’t quite there, and concluded that it wasn’t her dance. Thankfully Darcey enjoyed the amount of dance content and praised Lesley for her energy and how much she had managed to pick up in just one week, but again referenced her frame and shaping. Len rounded up more positively, he said “it was all there: steps, moves, staccato, musicality; unfortunately there were a few little incidents along the way… Well done Lesley!”

I had reservations that our upward trajectory score-wise was about to take a dive, and my fears were borne out with the scores.

A five from Craig, sixes from Darcey and Bruno, but a good ‘ol seven from Len. Total: 24. As the evening’s dances progressed and the scores tallied up, the leaderboard wasn’t looking as rosy for us as last week’s: we were close to the bottom, joint with Greg & Natalie, just above Ed & Katya. Precarious indeed.

Week 5 Leaderboard

Our nerves didn’t abate and despite keeping everything crossed, the Sunday night results show was to bring the news neither of us wanted to hear. Our names were announced as the first couple to face the dreaded dance-off.

When we learned in the second half that we’d be dancing against the wonderful Daisy & Aljaz, I think there was a tacit understanding that this might be our last Tango on Strictly. Undaunted, we approached the challenge with true gusto and danced our dance as if it really were the last dance – no holding back, and giving it everything. I’m quite sure Lesley in fact relished the opportunity to have another go with the Judges’ feedback fresh in her mind – ever the perfectionist!

But alas, our best wasn’t quite enough against our worthy rivals with their fabulous and inventive Charleston, and the Judges were unanimous in their decision to save Daisy & Aljaz, ending our Strictly journey there at week 5.

Anton & Lesley leave Strictly 2016
Anton & Lesley leave Strictly 2016

As Lesley and I went over for our final words with Tess, the audience were on their feet and we knew we were going out on a high.

Lesley was so very kind when she said her Strictly highlight was working with me and us learning a new dance each week. We really did laugh during our time together – it’s been such an uplifting series! I said that Lesley had pushed my boundaries too – quite so – I was blessed with a partner who was already a performer, who was no stranger to fast-paced learning and who knew how to face the nerves and stage-fright of filming live television. With ticks in all those boxes, I was able to increase the content in each week’s dance knowing Lesley would be more than capable of delivering the performance itself. I must also mention her remarkable energy, flexibility and enthusiasm – my goodness me – she’s a real life dynamo! And whilst it wouldn’t really be proper of me to mention a lady’s age… I think we should all marvel at the all-round ability of this utterly inspirational 71-year-old.

Hats off… Round of applause… Standing ovation!

Lesley, you’re a superstar. Our Strictly time together has been a real and rare treat, I simply couldn’t have wished for a more fabulous partner. You have been a pleasure to work with and simply joyous to dance with.

And as the programme drew to a close, I scooped my partner up in a fireman’s lift and we took to the floor for our Last Dance.

Anton Du Beke and Lesley Joseph

And so, my loves, here ends my Strictly 2016 instalments. Lesley and I had a jolly good run at the glitter ball, and I think we surprised a few people too at how good our partnership turned out to be! But alas, all good things must come to an end and we bid a sad farewell to this year’s competition.

Huge good luck to all the other couples – there’ll be some tremendous entertainment in store over the coming weeks no doubt as the competition gets even hotter – and I look forward to watching the best dancer lift that ever elusive glitter ball in the Strictly 2016 Grand Final.

And lastly, but by no means least, thank you all so very much for your continued support this series – it’s kept us in the competition all the way to week 5 and it’s meant the world to Lesley and me. Truly, it has.

As always, Keeeeep Dancing! (And if you’re missing me already, don’t forget to get your tickets to my 2017 tour with Erin!)

Much love,

Anton X
Oct
19
Week 4 – The Charleston

Week 4 – The Charleston

From ‘Birds of a Feather’ rehearsals, to soaring as my Maltese Falcon, Lesley truly took flight this week!

As many of you will already know, Lesley is recording a Christmas Special of the hit show ‘Birds of a Feather’ at the moment, and last week, as if our combined schedule wasn’t hectic enough, the ‘Birds’ had to film on location… in Malta! A hardship indeed, but I of course had to join them… after all, we had a Charleston to learn!

Now, admittedly, we couldn’t be dancing all the time and though there were delightful amenities and facilities all on hand… rest assured, whilst Lesley was filming, I was thoroughly occupied with creating and refining the choreography!

Even despite Lesley’s gruelling schedule, the warmer climes and change of scene were in themselves energising, and our rehearsals went particularly well. Heading back to the UK with a spring in our step, excitement was also building as Friday was Lesley’s birthday and the wonderful It Takes Two team surprised her with a fabulous cake and balloon – both with my face on! Remarkable! Lesley roared with laughter, as did I! It was the perfect end to a perfect week… but would the celebratory mood continue through the weekend?

The Charleston is fabulous to perform – full of fun, it’s frenetic and fizzing with energy – and we had a blinder of a dance lined up! “Won’t you Charleston With Me” from Sandie Wilson’s musical, “The Boy Friend”, was a number set in the roaring ’20s in a villa on the French Riviera. I was Bobbie and Lesley was Maisie, both dressed to the nines with tassels and spats – the works!

The music started, I leapt down to the ballroom floor from the staircase, and with the delivery of the opening line, Lesley leapt to her feet, and we were off! And for a minute and a half, we didn’t stop! What a dance! Lesley was absolutely remarkable. The pace, the precision… the flicks, kicks, characterisation and control… the synchronised steps, the slapstick… not to mention the swivel! My goodness me, Lesley gave a sensational performance!

Anton Du Beke & Lesley Joseph dance the Charleston

Anton Du Beke & Lesley Joseph dance the Charleston

Anton Du Beke & Lesley Joseph dance the Charleston

As we caught our breath, we realised the audience were on their feet – tremendous!… The judges were brimming with enthusiasm too!
“Shocking… Shockingly good, I mean,” started Craig, the audience erupting again. “I could never keep that much stamina going for that length of time… It’s incredible, you shock me each time… I loved it!” Then Darcey: “You bring such a cheeky, fun, naughty little girl to this… and the confidence… those high kicks – absolutely gorgeous, really!” Len’s comments were music to our ears too: “Definitely your best dance to date… and if you keep that up, on Strictly you’re going to to have Many Happy Returns, well done!” The compliments kept coming: Bruno said “Ah Lesley always delivers… you looked like a 20-year old out there! Your timing was right on it, performance value was very, very high all the way through – I’m astounded, I think you did a fantastic job!”

Lesley is simply a dream partner – a joy to dance with and I – like the judges – continue to marvel at her energy, concentration and stamina!

The scores were in: a 7 from Craig and 8s each from Darcey, Len and Bruno. We were both over the moon to have totted up 31, including our first 8s in the competition… and most importantly an increase over last week with our highest score to date.

As for the leaderboard, by the end of the show, for the very first week, we were on the upper half! Hurrah!!

The Week 4 Leaderboard

As always, it wasn’t until the Sunday night Results Show that our Strictly fate was revealed, and knowing how the leaderboard can turn on its head when combined with the public votes, we weren’t counting any chickens. But lo and behold, our names were called out first! Just the most wonderful feeling! We were safe… we’d made it through!

There’s of course no escaping the rules to the show, so one couple was sadly destined to leave. This weekend’s dreaded dance-off pitched Naga & Pasha head-to-head against Anastacia & Brendan – a result none of us could have predicted. After two very strong performances, both couples dancing with more confidence than they had in the main show, it was clearly no easy decision for the judges. But after a particularly good Rumba, Anastacia was saved, and we all had to say goodbye to Naga. Such a lovely contestant, and a promising dancer too – she’s very much missed by all already.

Now, before I sign off this week, I should make special mention to the weekend’s Group Dance. Once again, a true spectacle and a feat of choreography, but I must say I found it particularly fulfilling to be able to demonstrate my wider repertoire!… ‘Busting my moves’ I believe you could say!

Have a watch of the rehearsal video, and then the actual performance below. Enjoy! What a fantastic weekend, all round!

And so to this weekend’s dance… it’s The Tango. Ah yes! And my word have we a dance in store for you!

Until then, my loves, thank you all so much for your continued support… Lesley and I both appreciate it immensely!

Much love,

Anton X
Oct
10
Week 3 – The Quickstep

Week 3 – The Quickstep

Lights, Camera… Action! This weekend saw the culmination of ‘Movie Week’ on Strictly, and my word was it a Saturday night showstopper! From the overture to the grand finalé, Strictly brought the magic of so many favourite silver-screen blockbusters to the Strictly ballroom in what must be just the most fabulous episode to date!

Strictly Movie Week 2016

I’m going to raise the curtain on this week’s blog post with the tremendous opening number from Saturday’s show. Just the most wonderful medley and a blockbuster number in its own right – quite the feat of creativity and organisation, so hats off to all those involved!

This week, Lesley and I were to feature in our own screen classic… and I don’t mind saying we were both near delerious to learn we’d be channeling Fred Astaire and Judy Garland for that iconic number ‘A Couple Of Swells’. Featuring in the 1948 hit musical film ‘Easter Parade’, this timeless Irving Berlin song would require actions, costumes, characters and make-up, we were in our element! The dance? Our old friend the Quickstep! The stage was, as they say, set!

Anton Du Beke & Lesley Joseph dance the Quickstep to A Couple Of Swells from Easter Parade

Our routine was based on the original number, a sketch by our characters Don Hughes and Hannah Brown from one of their theatre shows in the movie’s story. It revolves around them working out how they’d travel to meet the Vanderbilts at their Club, somewhere along ‘The Avenue’. Drive, skate, cycle, sail, ride a horse or take a trolley car… they’d end up walking… we, on the other hand, would Quickstep up The Avenue!

Lesley learned the steps like a dream, including the Fishtail you may recall Len pointing out on the show, and of course, the comedy skits timed with the phrasing of the music and lyrics all came second nature to her. More than that, the Quickstep needs a level of performance rare in our celebrity partners in these early weeks… it needs velocity to give it that lighter-than-air feel and to achieve the travel across the floor… and that in turn requires confidence. It also needs split-second timing, too, not to mention energy and stamina. Lesley was an all-round marvel, truly, a marvel.

Anton Du Beke & Lesley Joseph dance the Quickstep to A Couple Of Swells from Easter Parade

Anton Du Beke & Lesley Joseph dance the Quickstep to A Couple Of Swells from Easter Parade

Anton Du Beke & Lesley Joseph dance the Quickstep to A Couple Of Swells from Easter Parade

You can see from the photos that nothing was held back costume-and-make-up wise… what a transformation! I’m sure Lesley had initially thought all the Strictly dances would involve some degree of sequinning… but not this week. After all, our characters were tramps, and the BBC went so far as to give me a wig, and Lesley a missing front tooth! I was even under special orders not to shave all week for the full effect. (I’m sure none of this was what Lesley envisioned when I said she’d be playing Judy Garland!)

Well, as far as I’m concerned, it all worked! Everything came together beautifully and it was one of my favourite ever Strictly performances, and Lesley had an absolute ball too.

As for the judges… well, Darcey captured it marvellously: “Such a treat – spirited, fabulously cheeky, the character came alive, and so much dance content all the way through. So many beautiful moments… such a gorgeous surprise, I loved it.” Len said there were lots of references to the film, but also that we “blended it with proper quickstep content, which [he] thought was fantastic,” and complimented us on our Fishtail step. “You’re a golden oldie from the silver screen and I thought you were great.” Bruno said there was plenty of spring, and “loved the role-play and quirky character,” but also spotted a slight mishap in the far corner… but apart from that, “it was wonderful.” Craig said the footwork wasn’t quite compact enough at times, but went on to say that “the energy and characterisation were absolutely brilliant and I hope, darling, that when I’m your age, at 70, that I can whirl around the floor like that.” Marvellous indeed – I thought we were a hit! Plenty of positives, and again, some constructive points we can work on for next time!

The scores were in… a six from Craig and sevens from Len, Darcey and Bruno. Total: 27… more than last week, so we’re still on the up! As for the overall leaderboard, we were still perilously close to the bottom: joint tenth alongside Anastacia and Judge Rinder, just inching ahead of Naga and Ed.

The Week 3 Leaderboard

The Sunday night results show had us on tenterhooks throughout as we awaited the verdict on whether we were through, but it was also another big show as regards group numbers – did you see my directorial debut in the routine at the start? Not to mention my dance with Joanne Clifton to a very moving West Side Story duet by Michael Ball and Alfie Boe.

Anton Du Beke with Alfie Boe and Michael Ball

As for the results, we were left right until the end. I thought we were out – I’m sure Lesley did too. Even when Tess announced Tameka would be in the dance-off and not us, the penny hadn’t quite dropped…

So once again we were saved – hurrah! We couldn’t be more thrilled to have made it through, and bowing out this week would really have rained on our Parade! Sadly, of course, two couples had to dance again to stay in: this week it was Tameka & Gorka, and Laura & Giovanni – a result none of us had expected.

After valiant performances by our couples, the judges were divided in their opinion, but ultimately it was Tameka & Gorka to whom we bade farewell. Such a shame, Tameka as I’m sure you’ll agree was particularly entertaining! But as Len said, it’s the nature of the show.

On those parting words, I’ll sign off myself… We’ve a very busy week ahead with Lesley filming ‘Birds Of A Feather’ in Malta – our training will be hotting up, that’s for sure!

Follow me on Twitter and Facebook for news of when we’ll be on #ItTakesTwo this week, and of course, tune in next Saturday to see our next performance!

Much love,

Anton X
Oct
5
Week 2 – The Cha Cha Cha

Week 2 – The Cha Cha Cha

Well my loves, we’re off to a flying start, I’d say! Didn’t Lesley dance well? I was thrilled to bits on Saturday night – a complicated, fast-paced routine… with props too… and our scores are on the up – tremendous!

Whilst it’s always a challenge going from one week to the next for our celebrities in Strictly, having been immersed in the character, technique, genre and tempo of one dance performance to then put it all behind and start afresh, I’m particularly pleased with how Lesley’s taking to all this. To go from an inaugural Waltz to a week 2 Cha Cha Cha is no mean feat… but she’s taking it in her stride!

As for this week’s performance, we both took our character preparation very seriously, as some of that VT all too clearly showed!…

Our routine was set in a fine Parisien restaurant where our characters played out a matter of high class customer service: Lesley, intent on Champagne and asserting her territory across the dancefloor; I her humble waiter, at her beck and call! After a quick change of tables, and a dramatic rebuff or two, the floor was ours.

‘Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps’ was our song for the night, with Dave Arch’s Latin arrangement providing the perfect Cuban ambience and rhythm for our routine.

Anton & Lesley dance the Cha Cha Cha
Anton & Lesley dance the Cha Cha Cha
Anton & Lesley dance the Cha Cha Cha

Sass was essential and Lesley had it in spades. Remarkable hip action, demonstrative hands and armography (finding their way to my behind at one point, as Craig later lamented!)… and those legs… heavens above they worked hard! All to a fast-paced driving rhythm where precision and time-keeping were key… as well as continuing to keep in character all the while!

Anton & Lesley dance the Cha Cha Cha

As the music drew to a close, Lesley returned to her seat, threw her champagne sparkles aloft, gave me one final rebuff, and delivered a killer high-kick. Our dalliance was done, the performance was over, and so too my time as a waiter! (Mind you, I don’t mind mentioning, I did ask Wardrobe about keeping those spangly trousers!)

I’m sure you could see on both our faces that we’d thoroughly enjoyed the dance, and we so very much hoped the judges had, too. Darcey kicked off by saying all the right things… firstly complementing Lesley on how ‘absolutely amazing’ she looked, but going on to say “You’re sleek you’re cheeky, you’re flirty, you’re fun!… I loved it!” She mentioned balance issues arising from her free arm, and that’s something we can of course work on. Len said it was full of fizz and that it was a “proper Cha Cha Cha, lots of content… I thought it was terrific, well done!” Bruno said “the champagne had kicked in and Dorien Green is back – the original and best cougar… plenty of action in those legs; the legs were excellent!” Craig said he “wasn’t expecting that,” and that Lesley showed no sign of inhibition… but what really hit home was that he finished by saying “I could actually watch it again.” I don’t think any of us heard him correctly the first time, but my goodness me, there’s a compliment if ever there was one!

All that aside, the scores were relayed as follows: sevens from Len and Darcey, and sixes from Bruno and Craig. Total: 26. A much-deserved increase over last week, so progress indeed.

The week 2 Leaderboard

With all couples having danced, the scores were added to those from last week to give a final leaderboard, and Lesley and I were thrilled not to be in the danger zone at the bottom! We knew that could all change when combined with the public vote so we were by no means out of the woods, but I think you can tell how pleased we were when the results were finally revealed on the Sunday night show…

For this series’ first elimination, it was Melvin & Janette and Anastacia & Brendan in line for the dance-off. Very unfortunately, things took an unprecedented turn as Anastacia was unable to dance again due to an injury sustained during rehearsals, exacerbated during the main performance. It’s no secret that Anastacia has beaten cancer a number of times and I’m sure we can all agree that her participation on the show is an inspiration to us all. And so, in accordance with the official Strictly Rules, the decision reverted to the overall tally of votes.

The result: first to exit this year was our newly resident DJ, Melvin Odoom and his partner, the lovely Janette Manrara. I’m sure the only time I didn’t see him with a grin on his face was during his Tango, and with two fabulously entertaining performances under his belt, I do hope he keeeeeeps dancing!

This coming weekend is Movie Week. Lesley’s thrilled to be dancing to a ‘theme’. We’ll be a Couple of Swells… I can’t wait to see her face when she sees herself all made up and in costume!

Tune in tonight at 6:30pm to see us on It Takes Two… and of course on Saturday for the main show at 6:45pm. I can’t wait!!

Much love,

Anton X
Sep
27
Week 1 – The Waltz

Week 1 – The Waltz

And we’re off! After our initial 3 week training period, Lesley and I took to the dancefloor last weekend for our very first performance in the competition: no turning back now… Lesley’s Strictly journey has well and truly begun!

For our dancefloor debut as a competing couple, Lesley and I were given the Waltz. Nice and leisurely, you might think… an easy introduction perhaps… You’d be forgiven for thinking that gentle flowing triple-time rhythm would carry one along effortlessly… Well, let me tell you, that elegant top line and posture is underpinned by lots going on at ground level: precision footwork, turns, as well as the crucial rise and fall. With a slow dance, everything is on show… and with Len’s Lens and the eagle-eyed judges, there’s nowhere to hide!

Our music gave some comfort from the outset – ‘What’ll I do’ – which of course was the theme tune to ‘Birds Of A Feather’. This was a great help really, as Lesley was already familiar with the phrasing and dynamics of the piece. And knowing ‘what comes next’ in the music is a great help when memorising steps.



As training began I was quickly flabbergasted not only by her enthusiasm, dedication, professionalism, perfectionism and speed of learning (all marvellous traits)… but also her energy too! Now, there’s been much chatter about Lesley’s age with respect to that of the other competitors, and I being a gentleman of course shan’t refer to it beyond stating: my goodness – she’d give someone half her age a run for their money! I’m quietly confident as to her Strictly potential. Can you tell?

Anton Du Beke & Lesley Joseph in training

That initial period of training has a tendency to fly by, particularly towards the end when the buzz starts to build. Here we are when we appeared on Loose Women (and had a rather marvellous time there, too)…




Then, all of a sudden, the weekend was upon us. We’d been scheduled to dance in the first of the two shows, airing late on the Friday night, so very quickly everything stepped up several gears. It’s at this point the celebrities are taken from the training rooms to the actual ballroom… with costumes, cameras, dress rehearsals… everything timed to the nines with an orchestrated schedule that leaves no margin for error. The pressure’s certainly on. Lesley handled it with aplomb.

Before we knew it we were live to the nation. Strike up the band! The show got off to a flying start – we were fourth in the running order, and had already been keenly making mental notes about the other competitors as they performed before us one-by-one. Then our names were called!

We took our positions, the studio dimmed into monochrome as Lesley got into character for our performance and that familiar lilting refrain drifted across from Dave Arch’s band. Lesley held aloft a framed photo of a lost love, deep in reverie, and I emerged from the shadows to take her in my arms and restore her world to technicolor for the fleeting two minutes of our waltz.

Anton Lesley Waltz 2

I thought it was glorious. This was no straightforward routine: I’d included a lot of content, and I’m sure Lesley scarcely put a foot wrong. Such a delicate, tender tune, perfect for the lightest of steps across the dance floor – and my word, was Lesley light on her feet. As far as first week dances go, this was top class and I couldn’t be happier with her performance.

Now, admittedly, there’s a slight height difference between us, something which requires some negotiation and I’d proffer that this, combined with first night nerves, likely accounted for the posture issues the judges rightly raised. That aside, they gave very favourable reviews indeed, much to our great relief!

Darcey said Lesley was “sophisticated, romantic, elegant.” Marvellous, and quite right, too. She said there was “great control throughout”, and then gave her a warning about getting lost in my chest. Ah, easily done! (Though I’m not sure quite how best to work on that one!) Posture was indeed raised, but Darcey’s quite right, once the nerves subside, so too will the raised shoulders. Len complimented us both on our proper presentation, but also on Lesley’s “very clean, very precise footwork.” Praise indeed, especially as he went on to say “I thought you danced it beautifully.” Result! Bruno said it was lovely, touching and moving, and very well acted. Both he and Craig referenced posture, but Craig very eloquently concluded by saying Lesley “danced it with ease and some sort of delicious flow.”

All in all, I’d say that was a resounding start! The scores were in… with sixes each from Len, Darcey and Bruno, and a five from Craig, giving us a total of 23.

Although this did place us joint bottom on the Friday night leaderboard, it’s still a very respectable first week, first dance score, and with very positive comments to build on, too.

With just six couples dancing on the Friday night show, the remaining 9 performed on Saturday night. Another spectacular show, start to finish, top notch entertainment and fine performances from the rest of our celebrities. As expected, a range of abilities was demonstrated across the board with some standout performances.

As the overall leaderboard was revealed, it turned out that we’d gone up in the pecking order, finishing joint 12th with Naga & Pasha, ahead of Melvin & Janette, and Ed & Katya, and with Daisy & Aljaz ruling the roost up at the top with 32 points.

Week 1 Leaderboard

Everyone was very relieved not to be facing a dance-off situation this week – the scores are to be combined with next weekend’s to determine who’s at risk of being first to leave the show. Phew! And with the debut dance under their belts, the celebrities now have a clearer idea of how the show works and what to expect each week – this can make a real difference in combatting nerves and in helping them deliver that perfect performance.

And so, it’s back to training for me and Lesley. A busy week ahead with lots of ground to cover. With Lesley’s marvellous attitude, and her remarkable abilities, I’m very excited at the opportunities each new dance will bring. Onwards and upwards… and here’s to this weekend!

Tune in on Wednesday evening, 6:30pm to see us on It Takes Two, and of course this Saturday at 6:20pm to see us, and all the other couples, dancing to stay in the competition!

Much love,

Anton X
Sep
26
Strictly Series 14… ‘Activate Anton’!

Strictly Series 14… ‘Activate Anton’!

Strictly 2016 has well and truly rocketed back onto our screens! The fourteenth series to date… count ‘em! Each year the show gets bigger and better without fail, and this year already promises to be no exception. I’ve been lucky enough to dance in every single series so far, so I must say a huge thank you to the BBC for including me once again in this year’s competition. Excited?… My goodness, there’s an understatement!

Just over three weeks ago we all saw the truly remarkable launch episode – an interstellar affair, that’s for sure, with rocket ships and starship commanders and intergalactic costumes and Claud and Tess bringing us all down to earth safely at Elstree to a red carpet reception and a throng of cheering fans! Tremendous! Not to mention the fabulous group dance number… What an opening spectacle, and a reminder to us all what we’ve been missing on our TVs all year… Strictly Come Dancing is back!

Here’s the opening sequence again… I still laugh every time I see the ‘Activate Anton’ part!

The launch show also revealed the full line-up of this series’ 15 celebrities. The BBC have once again done us proud with what could prove to be the strongest line-up yet! Pop stars, olympians, presenters, actors as well as a judge and a former MP – such a gamut of talent… but who will prove themselves as dancers? That of course remains to be seen, but like you, I’m very excited to see how everybody fares as they take to the floor each week.

Strictly Class of 2016
Strictly Class of 2016

I should also give a note of welcome to our new pro dancers too – all stars in their own right from their respective backgrounds, every one worthy of a place in our Strictly family. I’m sure we’ll all enjoy getting to know them as the series progresses. So, AJ, Chloe, Gorka, Katya, Neil and Oksana – welcome one and all!

Strictly's new dancers for 2016

Now, down to business: the pairings. What did you all think? If you ask me, I think they’re all spot on, and you could tell that everyone was genuinely pleased when the names were called out. No one more so than I, when the simply wonderful Lesley Joseph leapt into my arms!

Anton Du Beke and Lesley Joseph

What a gal! Taken to the nation’s heart for her role as voracious man-eater Dorien Green in the BBC hit show ‘Birds Of A Feather’, Lesley has been a performer all her life – first treading the boards at age 7. That’s very important to me as her dance coach – performance qualities are a very big tick in the box. “Merry Christmas, me,” I said on the show… and with jolly good reason!

Lesley is very much at home with the glitter, sequins, hair and makeup – she’s a natural! As to whether she’s a natural dancer?… The coming weeks will tell!

Do follow our dances each week over on my dance card at AntonAndErin.com (you can look back through all my dances in previous series too – as well as Erin’s – it’s quite the compendium!).

Anton & Lesley's Dancecard

…And you can follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, as well as Lesley’s progress on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram too – it seems there’s no escaping us with all this technology these days! …That said, we’ll be very appreciative of your support each week so tweet and share as much as you can!

Next instalment coming very soon!…

Much love,

Anton X
Sep
22
Swing Time – our 2017 Tour!

Swing Time – our 2017 Tour!

Hello again, my loves! It’s been a while since my last blog post but since Strictly season is about to take hold, it’s going to get busy again on here… you’d best keep a close watch!

But before I step out onto the dancefloor tomorrow evening (tune in at 9pm, BBC1) I’d like to post a short piece on the upcoming 2017 Tour with my professional dance partner, the most wonderful Erin Boag.

We’re very excited to be back on the stage again touring the nation in a brand new production entitled “Swing Time”, and it’s going to be our best yet!

Such classic tunes too: “I Could Have Danced All Night”, “I Got Rhythm”, “Guys And Dolls”, “Strike Up The Band”, “Moondance”… Erin and I can hardly wait to start rehearsals.

With Richard Balcombe leading the London Concert Orchestra, Lance Ellington adding his dulcet vocals, plus our marvellous ensemble dancers… the stage will be well and truly set!

Anton & Erin Swing Time 2017 Tour

It runs from the 26th January to the 2nd April 2017 – 39 performances in all. There’s a Tour Flyer you can download from here… and full details of dates, venues and how to book can be found over at Raymond Gubbay’s website.

Looking forward to seeing you in the audience!

Much love,

 

Anton X
Sep
21
Anton & Erin’s 2016 Christmas Cracker

Anton & Erin’s 2016 Christmas Cracker

Once again, the nation’s favourite ballroom couple, Anton Du Beke and Erin Boag, return to the Royal Albert Hall this festive season for their annual Christmas Cracker!

Fast becoming as traditional as cranberry sauce, the duo’s pre-Christmas winter warmer is back this year on Wednesday 21st December 2016 with a matinee at 2:30pm and an evening performance at 7:30pm.

Accompanied by Richard Balcombe and the London Concert Orchestra, vocalist Lance Ellington along with three choirs, this show of seasonal fun is the perfect way to start your Christmas celebrations!

Tickets are on sale now – click through for full details!

Anton X
Jan
15
Just Gotta Dance!

Just Gotta Dance!

Have you got your tickets yet? Hot on the heels of Strictly 2015, I’m back on Tour with my wonderful professional partner, the delectable Erin Boag, for “Just Gotta Dance”!

We’re flat out (though thankfully not literally!) in rehearsals at the moment and between you and me, it’s going to be a tremendous show! Erin and I can’t wait!

We’ve got sensational new choreography, sparkling costumes and a show band performing timeless music including: “Night and Day”, “Lullaby of Broadway”, “Fever”, “Too Darn Hot”, “Downtown”, “Jealousy”, “Bye Bye Blackbird” and “New York New York”.

We’re thrilled to be featuring star vocalist Lance Ellington, six world class ensemble dancers, plus Richard Balcombe leading the London Concert Orchestra.

Anton & Erin - Just Gotta Dance

The tour starts next week, running nationwide from 21st January to 20th March 2016 and you can find all dates and venues, plus links to book your tickets online, at Raymond Gubbay’s website.

So excited to see you in the audience!

Anton X
Dec
26
Week 13 – The Grand Final!

Week 13 – The Grand Final!

Merry Christmas, my loves! I hope you’re having a tremendous festive break wherever you are and whatever you’re doing. I wanted to do a final check-in before the end of the year to recap the Grand Final, to thank you all for your support over this series, and to wish you all well this holiday season!

What an adventure the past few months have been! Strictly 2015 is now over, I made it to the Grand Final with my wonderful partner Katie Derham, we had an absolutely incredible journey week-on-week, and I’m delighted to say a very worthy winner won!

What’s most important to Katie and me is the endless support the voting public has given us throughout our thirteen week journey. We are both fully aware that without votes from our fans, we wouldn’t have made it half as far, so a huge Thank You one and all!

That we made it to the final is such a achievement for me personally after all these years in the Strictly competition, and as mentioned in my last post, it’s really been a grand team effort between Katie and her full-on determination and enthusiasm for each dance, and your support in appreciating our efforts. Everything clicked this series, in first rate style!

But what a Final… what Finalists!

The Strictly 2015 Grand Finalists

Each couple had to prepare three dances for the night: one selected by the Judges as one they’d like to see again from earlier in the series to show how building confidence and experience has helped to iron out mistakes and improve the performance; then our freestyle Showdance – an anything goes affair… and then after the first elimination, a dance of our own choice.

Our Judges’ pick was the Quickstep to ’42nd Street’ from week seven where we scored 26 points. Katie had come a long way since then and we were keen to show this progression. Hats off to her (literally, see below!) for accompanying me on a whistle-stop tour of the ballroom. Speed, accuracy, footwork, performance level (particularly where props are thrown into the mix) were all greatly improved and I felt she delivered a seriously good dance. Flair and panache in spades, I say.

Anton & Katie's Quickstep in the Final of Strictly Come Dancing 2015

Anton & Katie's Quickstep in the Final of Strictly Come Dancing 2015

Anton & Katie's Quickstep in the Final of Strictly Come Dancing 2015

We had huge grins on our faces as the music ended, and the audience appeared to enjoy it too. As for the judges?… Let’s not forget, marks at this level are docked for mistakes where the expectation is perfection, so they were right to point out a slip here and there. But Darcey said we did a ‘great job,’ Len said he loved her posture and upper body when she danced, Bruno reprised his car analogies complementing her upholstery and suspension of all things (!), and referenced a few bumps in the road but that they were covered up well. Lastly, Craig flagged a few things but did at least say it was a ‘major improvement on the last time’ – and that was simply wonderful to hear.

Going last in the running order whilst inflicting an agonising wait does at least let you know where you stand when the scores are in. Darcey, Len and Bruno each gave us an 8 for which we were very pleased indeed, and Craig gave us a 7, so our total for the first dance was 31. This placed us squarely bottom of the leaderboard. Not the best place to be, granted, but all was not lost with another dance to come.

And then it was time for the Show Dances. This had been a very long wait… a thirteen series wait! The rules… there are no rules! Anything goes!

We had just the best piece of music for the job at hand – Carl Orff’s ‘O Fortuna’… such drama, such intensity… the perfect complement to a what had to be a showstopping routine. Transporting us to ancient Rome, the BBC had recreated a scene from the Coliseum, and were ready to make history… a minute and a half of it!

Our routine packed it all in – tango-inspired, it was choreographed to thrill, particularly with the most death-defying lifts and drops – such utter bravery from Katie as she fell backwards into my arms from standing at the end of the routine… what a gal! Epic, indeed!

I thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed it and we both knew that we’d given it our all, without doubt. The crowd roared and rose to their feet!

The Judges overall were positive, but sharp-eyed as ever. They referenced the responsibilities of working with such a huge classic piece of music, but that we carried the story beautifully and gave it a good go. It didn’t particularly work for Craig, worse luck, but to his credit, he rounded up his comments saying that Katie could rest in the fact that she’d done herself proud and given 100% to drive the dance home. Fair play, and I was so pleased to hear Katie’s hard work being acknowledged.

With some trepidation we made our way to the Clauditorium to receive our scores. Consistency appeared to be our new theme… a seven from Craig and three eights from Darcey, Len and Bruno giving us another 31. Consistent too, in the fact we remained at the bottom of the leaderboard.

The Scoreboard after two dances

All couples were then on tenterhooks for the next hour whilst we waited for all your votes to come in and be counted and verified. It felt like the longest time! Then all of a sudden we were back on the dance floor, under the spotlights once again, and about to learn who would be the first couple out.

The finalists in the Strictly 2015 Grand Final

After a reprise of all the dances on the VT, and seeing how incredibly and impeccably the other couples had performed… particularly with all the 10s that were scored, it came as no real surprise when Tess announced our names. We were out… but let’s not be downhearted about this… we reached the Final… and finished in 4th place overall… A tremendous result, truly!!

Katie gave the most lovely summary of her time on the show and it really brought home what a wonderful journey we’d had, and in the broader view, simply how much enjoyment dancing can bring!

Anton & Katie reach 4th place in the Strictly 2015 Grand Final

What followed were the most wonderful three performances by three superb couples. Jay & Aliona’s Paso, Giorgia & Giovanni’s Charleston, and Kellie & Kevin’s Charleston. Pure joy to watch – technically perfect, performance level through the roof, and these were quite clearly the right couples to have made it through to the very end. Any one of them could have won and I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a hair’s breadth between the final tally of viewer votes – I’m sure the Judges were relieved it wasn’t their decision to make!

And so, our three couples took their places in the final line-up, the studio lights dimmed, spotlights focused in, and the results music started to play. You could have heard a pin drop!

“And the winners of Strictly Come Dancing 2015 are…” announced Tess, with the required dramatic pause… “Jay and Aliona!”

Roars and applause erupted from the entire studio audience, and no doubt millions of viewers at home too!

Worthy winners indeed, and I’m so very thrilled for them both! Not least Aliona – this being the second time she’s won! Huge congratulations for a very well deserved victory!

The Winners - Aliona and Jay

And so my loves, that brings us to the end of my running commentary on Strictly 2015 for me and my wonderful partner, Katie Derham. We both want to thank you all so very, very much for your support and votes along the way – to have made it through, week after week (and in some cases against the odds!) is purely down to our fans and for that we are extremely grateful and we hope that we continued to entertain right until the very end!

A huge round of applause to you all!

I’ll sign off now, but wanted to wish you all the most loveliest of festive breaks, and to send you all my very best wishes for the New Year to come.

With love, as always,

Anton X
Be on the Guest List!

Sign up to Anton's official mailing list below:

SIGN UP!