Director: Karen Bruce

Musical Director: Jeff Leach

Reviewer: Rebecca Taylor

The Public Reviews Rating:

Glitz, glamour and glittery gowns galore! ‘Strictly come Dancing The Professionals’ is a true spectacle that will entertain all ages. The first stage show to come out of the latest season of the well known TV series ‘Strictly Come Dancing’, this is just what you would expect from the dancers we’ve come to know from the screen. Although it would be preferable to have an appreciation of dance to truly love this show, you by no means have to have an in depth knowledge or have seen the TV show to enjoy the expertly choreographed dances.

The show gives you a taste of all the well known and well loved dances; showcasing 10 of the professional dancers from the TV show. Starting with a fast paced foxtrot that had the audience enticed from the beginning, through to a lively lindy hop and onto a sexy salsa; they covered all genres of ballroom dancing and really did provide something for everyone. The stage was as glamorous as you would expect, with sparkling lights and a sweeping staircase that gave us a taste of the Blackpool Tower, and the music was refreshingly varied, from traditional Latin American music followed by recent chart toppers.

The performance was opened with a large screen playing clips of the dancers accompanied by commentary from three of the TV shows judges. This gave an appropriate insight into what we were to expect from the show. The screen then appeared after every few dances showing short clips to give humorous introductions to the following performances. Perhaps a knowledge of the TV show would have been helpful for these clips, as there was reference to particular incidents; however, this would by no means affect the enjoyment of the show. The music was fantastic and I was pleased to see the band and singers placed at the back of the stage, rather than out of sight as so often happens. The live music really added to the engaging performance.

All 10 dancers were equally charismatic and are all clearly well practiced in working the audience. Each dancer took a turn at bantering with the audience between dances and they successfully managed to get the audience warmed up – after a quiet start, the audience was on their feet by the end! The dancing was, as expected, of a very high standard, with plenty of tricks and turns that had me on the edge of my seat. The highlight for me was the Argentine Tango performed by Flavia Cacace and Vincent Simone.

For a truly entertaining night full of fantastic dancing, glamorous outfits and just the right amount of cheesy dialogue, this is the show to see. After a brief introduction, they get straight into the dancing, and the next two hours fly by as you get drawn into the spectacle. A very enjoyable evening that will have even those with two left feet wanting to get up on stage and join in!

Runs until 29th of May.

Strictly Come Dancing The Professionals - DeMontfort Hall, Leicester, 3.2 out of 5 based on 17 ratings

Tags: Ballroom, Dance, DeMontfort Hall, Flavia Cacace, Karen Bruce, Latin, Leicester, Professionals, Strictly Come Dancing, Vincent Simone