Strictly, The Professionals: This present doesn’t dissappoint | Theatre | Entertainment | EUROtoday

Strictly Come Dancing devotees have already been handled to a celeb dwell tour and now the professionals are shimmying on the stage as soon as extra – and not using a single choose in sight! Full of memorable showstoppers tailored from final yr’s dwell reveals, this glittering two-hour efficiency oozes razzmatazz from begin to end. Creative director Jason Gilkison’s bold choreography encompasses a mishmash of latest numbers blended in with some recognisable favourites. It seamlessly blends the standard with the modern in true Strictly model.

Returning to the stage on the iconic London Palladium are 12 execs, with stalwarts Karen Hauer, Neil Jones, Dianne Buswell, Gorka Marquez, Luba Mushtuk and Graziano Di Prima becoming a member of newer faces Carlos Gu, Nancy Xu, Nikita Kuzmin, Jowita Przystał and Michelle Tsiakkas – who joined the present as a professional for its most up-to-date sequence. Newbie Michelle will get her personal introduction part on her first Strictly Pro tour as we’re informed of her Cypriot roots and fervour for Latin dancing.

There is a slick use of video footage on a background display screen which blends with the dwell motion on stage. Quips and skits with the professionals talking on to the group intersperse with the dwell dancing, which helps to maintain the tempo to permit time for a number of adjustments into an array of dazzling outfits. (Wardrobe chief Vicky Gill will get a private —and well-deserved— shout-out within the second half.)

An emotional tribute to former Strictly professional Robin Windsor, who sadly died this yr, was a touching reminder of the friendship and shared ardour these dancers all have for his or her craft. And this was one thing mirrored in a short monologue from Dianne by which she pinpointed the actual fact so many of those artists had chosen to go away their houses in pursuit of their desires. The 35-year-old Australian mentioned: “It may be hard, sometimes, but we all have each other.” Her phrases fed right into a climatic quantity to the soundtrack of the Grease traditional “We Will Always Be Together”.

There was additionally a shifting Tina Turner section, which paid tribute to the late nice star’s enduring legacy and legendary standing on the earth of music. An enthusiastic rendition of the traditional hit “Proud Mary” had the viewers on their toes with a raucous wave of cheers and whoops. A nod, right here, to the spectacular vocal performances of Patrick Smyth and Tara McDonald – who each acquired concerned within the dancing too! Karlos Edwards and Andrew Small additionally deserve reward for wonderful percussion and drumming respectively — cementing the band’s cohesion nicely.

There are highlight dances for everybody, with a selected spotlight being an understated and chic rumba danced by Luba and Graziano to an epic cowl of Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill – McDonald’s vocals are spot on. But it was finally the group numbers that stole the present, demonstrating the very best qualities of this group come out once they all carry out collectively. The present’s ecstatic finale drew a complete standing ovation and even the trace of a tear within the eyes of reigning champ Vito’s eyes.

This present, together with the TV sequence, purveys a splendidly British sense of coming collectively, with a joyful viewers of all ages having fun with the magic of dance.

The UK-wide tour continues till June 1. Tickets: strictlytheprofessionals.com