o i d u r F o ag e t
CELEBRITY
Fresh from the latest series final, Strictly’s Anton Du Beke is heading back out onto the dancefloor with fellow professional Erin Boag. With tour dates on the doorstep, in Liverpool and Manchester, Shire asked about their plans
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t’s been a long time coming, but the nation’s favourite ballroom couple are back on the dancefloor with a brand-new tour. Anton Du Beke and Erin Boag have been beloved household names since they appeared on the very first episode of Strictly Come Dancing back in 2004 and are still as popular as ever, both on screen and in a live setting. Regular fixtures up and down the country, their incredible touring productions have to be seen to be believed. Along with the rest of the world of live entertainment, the pair had to postpone their 2021 tour due to coronavirus restrictions, but they are delighted to be back, starting 2022 with a performance that is sure to be worth the wait – Showtime.
Puttin’ on the glitz
With stunning costumes, fabulous live vocals, a high-energy West End dance ensemble and a sensational 23-piece orchestra, Showtime is a glittering celebration that pays tribute to some of the world’s greatest icons of entertainment. It’s inspired by an array of classic performers including Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Judy Garland, Shirley Bassey, Tom Jones, Liza Minnelli and many more. Anton says: “The bottom line is you’re putting on a show that’s entertaining, where people will go home saying: ‘What a great night!’, so you don’t want to reinvent the wheel with obscure music or make it a contemporary dance thing, because that’s not what it says on the tin: it says Showtime. So the music has to be familiar. There may be pieces people won’t immediately recognise, or won’t have heard for a time, but they’ll still love them as they are iconic pieces. The choreography has to be spectacular, too. Even the dresses are iconic. So what’s being played, and what you’re seeing, everything has to come together. We want people just to be able to sit down comfortably and be whisked away.”
The very beginning
Anton and Erin were part of the Strictly phenomenon from the start, but both were wary in the early days as they had
“It’s a glittering celebration that pays tribute to some of the world’s greatest icons of entertainment”
no idea what the series would become. Erin says: “We had heard it was in the pipeline, but it had always just been Come Dancing before that, which sort of concerned us. That had been off the air for 15 years and was very dated. Ballroom dancing had moved on massively and we were worried they were going to take the mickey out of it! “We were at the peak of our professional career and were told the BBC were doing something with it and to put in our names. So, we had to decide if we wanted to be a part of it, but Anton said, ‘I’d rather be a part of it and know what’s going on than not at all.’” Anton nods. “We’re all prone to not getting involved in something and then complaining about it. I felt it was better for us to be involved, even if we thought it was going to be a car crash, as potentially we could, with our experience, help steer it away from that happening.” It didn’t take long for both dancers to realise they were onto something huge. Anton says: “It felt it right from series one – certainly judging from the fans. There were such huge viewing figures by the end of that first run, and immediately there was a huge upturn in interest in the show. As a by-product, you get well known – that’s all part of it. It was lovely though, and I enjoyed it from the off. I’ve loved it, in fact.” Tickets to see Anton and Erin perform together live in Liverpool on 19th February, and in Manchester on 20th February, are available from www.antonanderinlive.co.uk January/February 2022 | SHIRE MAGAZINE 41
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