Review: Strictly Come Dancing at the AO Arena is ‘wholesome, fabulous and mesmerising’

Strictly Come Dancing is one of those TV shows that makes you feel bloody great, from the minute that you hear the theme tune and the credits roll.

It has managed to survive and stay on top, even with the advent of the likes of Love Island and similar shows, aimed at courting the Insta crowd.

Strictly is wholesome but without being sickly sweet.

The simple joy comes from seeing someone grow every week, through hard work and determination, as they attempt to learn a new skill and hopefully not create murder on the dance-floor, and kill the groove.

Strictly Come Dancing

Last year the celebrities seemed free of the usual incredibly bad mover, the one that viewers keep voting for because they are incredibly entertaining, as they are dragged across the floor like an old sack of King Edward tatties.

Les Dennis made me smile but I never felt he was there to poke fun of, thankfully.

The Arena tour provides fans of the show and the stars to see their favourites ‘compete’ for the glitterball trophy and you are in charge, as the scores which come in from the judges’ paddles are for guidance only.

The grand scale of the AO Arena

The one thing you notice as they enter the AO Arena, is the grand scale of this show.

The entire floor is used, as the professionals position themselves on podiums, so wherever you are sat, you will feel involved.

The band are slick and the singers often step out from the pit to deliver well known hits to the audience, and then as if by magic, a celebrity slides across the stage, full of energy to bring you one of their best dances from the TV show.

Krishnan Guru- Murthy

Newsreader Krishnan Guru- Murthy is first up and he is partnered by Jowita Przystal and he has become a real crowd pleaser, as joy is written all of his face, as he steps out from behind the comfort of the Channel 4 news desk to burn the floor.

Sports commentator and former Tennis player Annabel Croft has had the most moving journey and her partnership with Johannes Radebe has been the stuff that dreams are made of.

She even offered to do his laundry, as he soon became part of the family. And dancing eased her grief and enabled her to focus on something joyous and life affirming.

Here she is partnered by Graziano Di Prima but she still manages to show the same amount of commitment to each dance, as she did on TV every week.

Manc champ and former Corrie star Ellie Leach left Weatherfield and emerged as one hell of a mighty mover and she soon became an audience favourite.

Her relationship with Vito Coppola was built on trust and he made her believe she could do anything.

Their Paso Doble to the music of Faithless was a highlight and recreated for 10,000 people in an Arena, the result is electrifying, as they cover the floor with the speed of Greased Lightning.

Bobby Brazier’s lust for life

Eastenders star Bobby Brazier’s lust for life and the fact that he glides across the stage, like Bambi saw him get to the final with Dianne Buswell and they bring that same amount of exuberance and connection to this massive dance floor.

Angela Rippon’s flexible leg broke the internet and she showed us all that age is just a number.

And she does it again, covering an arena floor with grace, inspiring older people to join a dance class and go for it.

Kai Widdrington is a Strictly Come Dancing legend

Kai Widdrington knows he is dancing with a Strictly legend, as she hosted the non-celebrity version and he treats her like gold.

TV presenter Angela Scanlon and Carlos Gu have a cheeky partnership where humour and hard work go hand in hand, and their stunning Argentine Tango is a thing of beauty and poise.

For me, theatre actor Bury born Layton Williams and his partner Nikita Kuzmin provided the show’s most stunning set of dances week on week.

I find myself mesmerised by them, as they delivered with the most remarkable chemistry and work ethic.

In an arena, they are on fire and as far from a “Bad Romance” as you could get in their Moulin Rouge inspired number.

I rise out of my seat and give them a standing O.

And then to my absolute delight, they are crowned the winners of the night.

Judges Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood and Anton Du Beke and host Janette Manara (who is perfection personified) step out from behind their desks and drop their mics to show us all how it’s done in a stunning show dance, at the end.

And as you leave your seat during the encore, you feel fab-u-lous knowing that this show will return in September, as other celebrities learn to move like Jagger, as they strike a pose and keep dancing.

Strictly Come Dancing – the Live Tour moves to Nottingham (6 – 8 February) followed by London (9th – 11th February) and there are more details here.