Spin-offs from the perennially popular Strictly Come Dancing now form a significant part of Oxford’s theatre dance programming. Over the years public awareness and interest has grown in the professional dancers who partner the celebrities, becoming ever more skilful in their ability to coax out hidden talents and present them to best advantage in sympathetic, entertaining and often inventive choreography within the confines of allocated ballroom dance genres. So it is perhaps inevitable that as well as touring shows combining professionals and celebrities in live performances, some of the professionals now devise and generate their own evenings, taking them on the road to show off their particular talents in a completely professional context. It has been fascinating to compare different approaches to adapting a TV phenomenon to live performance.

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