On their fourth stop on their 2011 tour, Ballet Central gave Cambridge a solid reason why arts funding should not be cut.
With a medley of classical ballet, contemporary and jazz, the final-year students of the ballet school offered something for all tastes at the ADC Theatre on Tuesday.
The results show for the Strictly Come Dancing quarter-finals will be aired tonight, when Pamela Stephenson, Ann Widdecombe, Kara Tointon, Matt Baker, Gavin Henson and Scott Maslen will wait under those nerve-wracking spotlights to hear if they will be participating in the 2010 semi-final – where the couples will be expected to perform three dances, including a four-way swing-a-thon.
But the tonight’s result will not just determine who is one step closer to lifting that glitterball. Tonight’s result will set the tone for the rest of the competition, and for the rest of the Strictly seasons in the coming years.
Friends of mine will be shocked when they read this post, because quite frankly, I – a massive Strictly fan – am getting a bit fed up of the BBC’s Saturday night dancing entertainment. It’s all getting a bit too gimmicky, too cheesy and, I would even push to say, tacky.
I don’t mean to blame this all on the Rt Hon Ann Widdecombe, but she is my first point of attack. I commend her in every respect for giving something a go which is miles out of her comfort zone and puts her as the focus of criticism – and often ridicule – every Saturday night. But I can’t bear to watch poor Anton push and pull her around the dance floor like a Tesco shopping trolley anymore. The poor girl has cringeworthy timing, no idea about grace or line, and clings onto Anton as if her life depended on it. The only thing that impresses me each week about the performance is Anton’s incredible patience with his assigned partner.
Ann Widdecombe and Anton du Beke dancing the American Smooth at the Strictly quarter-finals 2010
Hi, I'm Catrin and I'm a trainee newspaper journalist at Cardiff University. Welcome to my dance blog - follow me for production reviews, dance class reviews, interviews with professionals and opinion on the dance scene as it is today. Please comment and let me know what you think!
Dance first. Think later. 
Strictly Quarter-Finals 2010 – Why we need to wave goodbye to Widdecombe
The results show for the Strictly Come Dancing quarter-finals will be aired tonight, when Pamela Stephenson, Ann Widdecombe, Kara Tointon, Matt Baker, Gavin Henson and Scott Maslen will wait under those nerve-wracking spotlights to hear if they will be participating in the 2010 semi-final – where the couples will be expected to perform three dances, including a four-way swing-a-thon.
But the tonight’s result will not just determine who is one step closer to lifting that glitterball. Tonight’s result will set the tone for the rest of the competition, and for the rest of the Strictly seasons in the coming years.
Friends of mine will be shocked when they read this post, because quite frankly, I – a massive Strictly fan – am getting a bit fed up of the BBC’s Saturday night dancing entertainment. It’s all getting a bit too gimmicky, too cheesy and, I would even push to say, tacky.
I don’t mean to blame this all on the Rt Hon Ann Widdecombe, but she is my first point of attack. I commend her in every respect for giving something a go which is miles out of her comfort zone and puts her as the focus of criticism – and often ridicule – every Saturday night. But I can’t bear to watch poor Anton push and pull her around the dance floor like a Tesco shopping trolley anymore. The poor girl has cringeworthy timing, no idea about grace or line, and clings onto Anton as if her life depended on it. The only thing that impresses me each week about the performance is Anton’s incredible patience with his assigned partner.
Ann Widdecombe and Anton du Beke dancing the American Smooth at the Strictly quarter-finals 2010
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Leave a comment | tags: Ann Widdecombe, Anton du Beke, Pamela Stephenson, Strictly Come Dancing quarter-finals, Strictly Come Dancing semi-finals | posted in Comment, Performances, Professionals, Strictly Come Dancing