Tag: Professionals

21st June 201721st June 2017

New 2017 Pros Revealed

The BBC have today revealed three new female pros to join the Strictly 2017 professional dancer lineup. Without further ado, the new pros are:

Dianne Buswell, Nadiya Bychkova and Amy Dowden

Dianne is a Australian Open champion and four time finalist in the Amateur Australian Open. She has also appeared on the Australian version of Strictly Come Dancing, Dancing With The Stars and has been part of Burn The Floor In Broadway since 2011. Speaking to the BBC she said: “What an honour it is to be a part of Strictly Come Dancing! Words can’t describe how excited I am to take on this amazing challenge and give it my everything! See you on the dance floor!”

Nadiya is a Ukranian dancer and a two time World Champion and European Champion in Ballroom and Latin “10” Dance. She has also appeared in the Bosnian version of Strictly. Speaking to the BBC she said: “I’m extremely happy to be joining the Strictly Come Dancing family this year. One of my biggest dreams is to be part of this great show and I can’t wait to get started!”

Amy is from Wales and has been dancing since the age of 8. She is the current British National Champion and one of the highest ranking Ballroom and Latin dancers in the UK. Speaking to the BBC she said: “Becoming a professional dancer on Strictly Come Dancing has made my wildest dreams come true, it does not feel real! I have always been proud of my Welsh roots and feel so honoured to be the first Welsh professional dancer on the most loved show on TV!”

Dianne, Nadiya and Amy replace Joanne Clifton (?), Oksana Platero (?) and already announced departing pro Natalie Lowe. They will be joining returning pros Anton du Beke, Brendan Cole, Kevin Clifton, Neil Jones, Pasha Kovalev, Gorka Marquez, Aljaž Škorjanec, Giovanni Pernice and AJ Pritchard; alongside Karen Clifton, Chloe Hewitt, Katya Jones, Janette Manrara and Oti Mabuse.

Newly departing pro Joanne said to the BBC: “Being part of the Strictly experience has been one of the best things that has ever happened to me and I will miss the show so much. It’s been a tough decision but I am looking forward to facing new challenges and focusing on my musical theatre career.”

Oksana had this to say: “I just want to say thank you to everyone involved with Strictly. Last year was my first season and I had an unforgettable time working alongside such amazing dancers and an even better time with Judge Rinder. It was an opportunity of a lifetime and I will never forget it. Thank you so much for the memories.”

You can read the full BBC Press Release here. What do you think of the new pros, the departing pros and the full new lineup. As always let me know right here in the comments or over on Facebook or Twitter

11th May 2017

Who Would You Like To See In Strictly Come Dancing 2017?

With the big news that Shirley Ballas will be taking over from Len Goodman out of the way, as well as the news Natalie Lowe will not be participating as a professional dancer in the 2017 series it’s time to look forward to the upcoming series.

We’re still approximately three months away from the official announcements, and the probable spoilers that will come with them, but it’s not too early to be thinking about who you would like to see take part in the new series of Strictly Come Dancing. The BBC are likely in the late stages of negotiations with potential celebrities and possibly even new pros to replace Natalie.

But which celebrities or pros would you like to see? You can let me (and possibly the BBC since they monitor this site and my social feeds) know right here in the comments, or over on Facebook/Twitter. Lets see who the community would like to see in the new series and see if we can get some spoilers by getting some of the upcoming participants right.

26th July 2016

Three More Professional Dancers Announced

The BBC have today revealed 3 more professional dancers to join the line up of 14 dancers previously announced

British Dancers AJ Pritchard, Chloe Hewitt and Neil Jones join Aljaz Skorjanec, Anton Du Beke, Brendan Cole, Pasha Kovalev, Kevin Clifton, Gorka Marquez, Giovanni Pernice, Karen Clifton, Joanne Clifton, Katya Jones, Janette Manrara, Natalie Lowe, Oti Mabuse and Oksana Platero who were announced last month.

AJ and Chole together won the 2015 British Open Youth Latin Dance Championships and have been competing professionally for 9 years. At 20 years old Chloe is the youngest professional ever to take part in Strictly Come Dancing.

Neil is a 4 time British champion and three times winner of the World Amateur Latin Championships along with his wife and dance partner Katya Jones who joined Strictly last month. In 2015 they won the World Professional Latin Showdance Championships.

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AJ Pritchard, Chloe Hewitt and Neil Jones

The BBC have not revealed if this new lineup means there will be a huge 17 celebrities competing this year or if some of the new pros will be purely taking part in professional routines.

What to you think of the new additions? You can let me know in the comments section or over on Facebook or Twitter. Don’t forget to like or follow me on those networks to keep up with all things strictly spoiler including the contestants when they are announced in the next month as well as details of the 2016 Strictly Spoiler Competition which will be bigger and better than the 2015 Competition – full details coming soon!