Capezio Long Swirl Skirt - Ideal for a Waltz
With the new series of Strictly Come Dancing rapidly approaching the media is awash with reports of who is going to be dancing their way into the upcoming series starting in Autumn. The show grows in popularity more and more each year, partly due to the fantastic dance wear and routines, but also due to the media scandals that surround the program and cause much discussion. Last year the show was overshadowed by the BBC’s decision to, keen to not be outdone by the X Factor’s youthful judging panel, replace Arlene Phillips as one of the judges with the younger Aleesha Dixon due to her age. However hopefully this year the program will be watched for what is it really about – dancing and fabulous costumes!
After last year’s introduction of three new female dancers, this year sees three new male professionals taking to the dance floor on Strictly. Artem Chigvintsev, Jared Murillo and Robin Windsor have all signed up to the strictly team, and each brings with them a new area of dance expertise to dazzle Strictly’s audience’s with. The set up of the show this year has also been changed, the number of stars appearing on the show has dropped from sixteen to fourteen, easing the pain of those last gruelling weeks. As for the stars rumoured to be appearing on the show there are some we are looking forward to seeing in Strictly’s notoriously flamboyant costumes, more than others. It has recently emerged that Hollyoaks actress Jennifer Metcalfe could be a potential contestant, following in the footsteps of her former co-star, Ricky Whittle, who was runner up in the 2009 final. Metcalfe is rumoured to be joined by actress Patsy Kensit, Welsh rugby star Gavin Henson, boxing legend Frank Bruno, presenter Matthew Wright and...Ann Widdecombe, the well known politician. Now full credit to Ann for having the confidence to go on the program, which is renowned for being physically exhausting, but the last thing we want to envision is her shaking her sequin clad behind all over the stage. However, the costumes on Strictly vary every year, and as skimpy as they can be, the designers really know their stuff.
Work on the stunning Strictly Come Dancing costumes begins as early as July each year, which is hardly surprising given the intricacy and detail of the outfits. The mountain of work is spread across two design houses in London whose inspired technicians create the entire collection of dance wear for the show. A dress is never worn more than once, with each one taking around 30-50 hours to make. To start with, the designers create 3 or 4 dresses for each celebrity and then as the series goes along they get to know their figures better and which designs work best. The professionals have even more dresses than the celebrities, atleast thirty per series – that’s a whole lot of rhinestones and lycra for one wardrobe, enough to give Lady GaGa a run for her money. The costumes themselves also vary for each dance, for example a Waltz requires a light, floaty dress, whereas a tango would need a heavier skirt that could kick and add drama. This attention to detail and variety dazzles audiences week after week, and where else on television could such exquisite costumes be worn, except on Strictly.
Strictly Come Dancing faces fierce competition for Saturday night viewers this year more than ever as X Factor has really got its game face on; with stand in judges for Dannii Minogue ranging from Katy Perry to Nicole Scherzinger viewers will be hard to poach. However, hopefully this year’s long overdue mix up of the show and range of stars will attract those who have previously wavered across to ITV. Dancing with the Stars saw the contestants having a major input into their own costumes, so perhaps seeing more of this on Strictly would really boost ratings, providing a different challenge each week. It has also been reported that in a bid to make it more exciting the BBC could pay competitors as little as £10,000 if they exit early but up to £100,000 if they reach the final. This could add much needed, real competitive edge to the show and put the BBC back on top.
Have a look at some top class dance wear at http://www.movedancewear.com/
Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/
