0:00:02 > 0:00:09Come in, this is going to be so exciting. Tonight, for the first
0:00:10 > 0:00:32time, Strictly Come Dancing is coming to the Proms.
0:00:33 > 0:00:40I have so many amazing memories of Strictly but until I started
0:00:41 > 0:00:44rehearsing a few weeks ago, I had not done stay step since the show
0:00:45 > 0:00:48finished last December. We will have glitter and glamour in abundance
0:00:49 > 0:00:56tonight, and lots of amazing music, as we showcase the jewels of the
0:00:57 > 0:01:00dance music repertoire. OK, it's time for me to get dressed. I'll see
0:01:01 > 0:01:27you on the other side! Ladies and gentlemen,
0:01:28 > 0:06:30our fantastic dancers and the spectacular BBC
0:06:31 > 0:06:33Concert Orchestra with their With a fabulous foxtrot and all
0:06:34 > 0:06:51the razzmatazz of Jules Styne's And welcome, everyone,
0:06:52 > 0:06:57to the Royal Albert Hall for our very special Strictly Prom,
0:06:58 > 0:07:00where everything's definitely From passionate paso dobles
0:07:01 > 0:07:05to wonderful waltzes, tonight we're going to explore
0:07:06 > 0:07:09how dance has inspired composers to create some
0:07:10 > 0:07:27extraordinary orchestral music. Frankly, the Proms has never seen
0:07:28 > 0:07:28anything like this. The glitter ball is here.
0:07:29 > 0:07:30APPLAUSE And perhaps a few moves
0:07:31 > 0:07:36from our audience here And I hope those of you listening
0:07:37 > 0:07:40and watching at home won't be Because, as some of you might know,
0:07:41 > 0:07:48last year I made it to the finals I know, I still can't really
0:07:49 > 0:07:58believe it happened either. There was joy, there was pain,
0:07:59 > 0:08:11there was? Anton. There was joy, there was pain,
0:08:12 > 0:08:13there was... But since then all those sequin-y
0:08:14 > 0:08:22dresses have been gathering dust in the wardrobe - I have to tell
0:08:23 > 0:08:25you, they didn't really So I'm pretty sure I'm
0:08:26 > 0:08:29the luckiest person in the room. Because tonight I'm
0:08:30 > 0:08:31going to get another go. is devastated he can't
0:08:32 > 0:08:38make it tonight. It's nothing I said -
0:08:39 > 0:08:41but it is his birthday! And happily the amazing
0:08:42 > 0:08:45Aljaz Skorjanec has bravely volunteered to be my Proms
0:08:46 > 0:08:53dancing partner instead. Right now, let's hear
0:08:54 > 0:09:00from our brilliant orchestra again, as they take us on a musical merry
0:09:01 > 0:09:03go round, with Richard Rogers' That was Erik Satie's
0:09:04 > 0:18:41oh-so-graceful Gymnopedie no.1, I bet you're still floating
0:18:42 > 0:18:49somewhere up in the roof. But down here on the ground with me
0:18:50 > 0:18:52are two of the dancers who we just saw performing that exquisite slow
0:18:53 > 0:18:55waltz - my lovely friends Giovanni Pernice and his
0:18:56 > 0:19:06partner Joanne Clifton. Hi, beautiful. And this is why we
0:19:07 > 0:19:16loved Giovanni. He was a dancing here? An amazing feeling. Especially
0:19:17 > 0:19:23for us, love dancing. When you dance in an amazing theatre like this, it
0:19:24 > 0:19:26is fantastic, really fantastic. And Jo, I know this is not the first
0:19:27 > 0:19:30time you have danced at the Royal Albert Hall but slightly different
0:19:31 > 0:19:34circumstances. Every year they hold a ballroom competition in here,
0:19:35 > 0:19:38which I competed in for many years and it has always been a favourite
0:19:39 > 0:19:42place of mind to dance, because it is just so magical, but being on
0:19:43 > 0:19:46this stage tonight in front of all you guys, and this wonderful
0:19:47 > 0:19:50orchestra, it is just taking it to a whole new level. And we are
0:19:51 > 0:19:57delighted that you are here. Thank you both.
0:19:58 > 0:20:00A chance for the orchestra to take centre stage again now
0:20:01 > 0:20:02to play our next piece, Georges Bizet's 'Farandole'
0:20:03 > 0:20:11In it, Bizet brilliantly captures all the exuberant energy
0:20:12 > 0:20:13and whirling excitement of a community knees-up.
0:20:14 > 0:20:16This is dance music that takes you by the hand and says,
0:20:17 > 0:23:55Time to stick on our spats now, let our hair down and head off
0:23:56 > 0:24:03A dance craze named after a town in South Carolina, is sweeping
0:24:04 > 0:24:13It's been banned from some cities for being just Too Darn Hot.
0:24:14 > 0:24:18But the flappers and their young beaus don't give a fig!
0:24:19 > 0:24:24It's high tempo, high energy, high jinx - toes in,
0:24:25 > 0:28:59After excitement in New York, what about a waltz in Vienna?
0:29:00 > 0:29:03The Viennese took the classic English slow waltz, turned up
0:29:04 > 0:29:05the speed and added some extra helpings of glamour.
0:29:06 > 0:29:08Chandeliers, elegant ball gowns - my younger daughter
0:29:09 > 0:29:14calls the Viennese Waltz the 'Enchanted' dance.
0:29:15 > 0:29:21I just loved performing it on Strictly, and it was the dance
0:29:22 > 0:29:24that took Anton and me to the top of the leader board for one
0:29:25 > 0:29:35Bruno Tonioli, I was, "spinning around like a Catherine Wheel
0:29:36 > 0:29:39of fire!" And I have to tell you, I hung on to Anton for dear life.
0:29:40 > 0:29:42That's because our dance ended with some of those swirling,
0:29:43 > 0:29:58We finished our routine with a dizzying 13 of them,
0:29:59 > 0:30:00which was incredible, and a bit of a surprise,
0:30:01 > 0:30:14I had that voice in my ear saying, don't stop until I tell you to stop.
0:30:15 > 0:30:16Keep going. But before Aljaz helps me
0:30:17 > 0:30:18to relive the moment, let's hear a piece by Johann Strauss
0:30:19 > 0:30:21the second, a man known in his own lifetime
0:30:22 > 0:30:23as 'The Waltz King'. And with over 500 of them
0:30:24 > 0:30:25under his belt, he'd Here is the BBC Concert Orchestra
0:30:26 > 0:30:29to play his beautiful That was Richard Rodney Bennett's
0:30:30 > 0:48:23sumptuous music to 'Murder We heard the overture
0:48:24 > 0:48:28and then that lavish waltz, gradually gathering its own head
0:48:29 > 0:48:32of steam, as the train pulls away. And before that, I danced
0:48:33 > 0:48:37the Viennese Waltz with Which is a bit of luck, because we
0:48:38 > 0:49:15have some music next. 'Malambo', one of his four
0:49:16 > 0:49:18dances from 'Estancia', The malambo is usually
0:49:19 > 0:49:22a combative men-only dance, originally performed by rival
0:49:23 > 0:49:23Argentinian cattle ranchers. And you can just hear the posturing
0:49:24 > 0:49:26in Ginastera's music, all fuelled They're also going to add
0:49:27 > 0:49:33in a little Spanish flavour as they perform a paso doble -
0:49:34 > 0:49:36a proud dance, inspired by the marches and spectacle
0:49:37 > 0:49:39of the bullring, full of flamenco So get ready for a musical
0:49:40 > 0:49:45stand-off, a dramatic dance off and a great
0:49:46 > 0:49:49send-off to our first half. To play 'Malambo', please
0:49:50 > 0:49:51welcome again the brilliant BBC Concert Orchestra
0:49:52 > 0:54:32with their conductor, Before we carry on with park two of
0:54:33 > 0:54:36the concert, we are going to find out what it's like to be onstage
0:54:37 > 0:54:42creating the music. Here is Gavin Sutherland and cut the lean back
0:54:43 > 0:54:46some of the -- and some of the orchestra to tell us more. I am
0:54:47 > 0:54:51Gavin Sutherland and I have the best job in the world. Ultimately, you
0:54:52 > 0:54:56were waving a piece of wood around, and yet 75 people make sound as a
0:54:57 > 0:55:03result of that. And how fast or slow you move it dictates how fast or
0:55:04 > 0:55:10slow the orchestra play. This concert combines two my great love
0:55:11 > 0:55:13this, music and dance. Being a conductor, my mind is doing hundreds
0:55:14 > 0:55:18of thousands of calculations all the time. For a dance piece, it is doing
0:55:19 > 0:55:23twice the amount. My eyes will always be on the stage. Or, in the
0:55:24 > 0:55:28case of the Royal Albert Hall, behind me because the dancers are in
0:55:29 > 0:55:33front of the orchestra. As a result, I am to be my neck muscles going all
0:55:34 > 0:55:39night. Meanwhile, all the time I am keeping the bat ongoing and keeping
0:55:40 > 0:55:43the orchestra in check. -- the baton going. We are all in this together.
0:55:44 > 0:55:49Gavin is the link between the orchestra and the dancers. The most
0:55:50 > 0:55:53important thing he has to provide us with is the upbeat. It is literally
0:55:54 > 0:55:57an upward move followed by the downbeat, because it lets us know
0:55:58 > 0:56:02the speed that the piece is going to go flat. My eyes have to be with the
0:56:03 > 0:56:07dancers. I have to be able to read their bodies. Some have very fast
0:56:08 > 0:56:13feet, some have beautiful, fluid arms, and some have great dramatic
0:56:14 > 0:56:18sense. And I have to be able to make sure that the music will be
0:56:19 > 0:56:23supportive of them. In a normal concert performance, the conductor
0:56:24 > 0:56:27can really live for the moment and if they wanted to take off at some
0:56:28 > 0:56:30point, they can do that knowing that the orchestra will come with them
0:56:31 > 0:56:37and it will be terrifically exciting or it will fall flat on its face.
0:56:38 > 0:56:44With dance, you don't have that levity. We have to be incredibly
0:56:45 > 0:56:48disciplined. The pressure is making sure we get it right, making sure
0:56:49 > 0:56:52that we give the dancers what they need. If you consider that normally
0:56:53 > 0:56:57in orchestral music the percussion section comes in from time to time,
0:56:58 > 0:57:02punctuating the high moments and the quiet, subtle moments, in this prom
0:57:03 > 0:57:13we are generally the engine room, providing that rhythmic energy which
0:57:14 > 0:57:20is so essential to the dancers. Who could resist dancing to that? I will
0:57:21 > 0:57:23personally be trying to bring a little bit of Brazil back into the
0:57:24 > 0:57:32Royal Alberto Lora with me for the prom. -- Royal Albert Hall. What has
0:57:33 > 0:57:35been developed over the last two months is the most fantastically
0:57:36 > 0:57:36exciting exploration of the relationship between music and
0:57:37 > 1:06:41dance. What is not to like?! Welcome back to the second half
1:06:42 > 1:06:46of our very special Strictly Prom! That was the Mazurka and Waltz
1:06:47 > 1:06:48from Khachaturian's rambunctious And before that, opening the second
1:06:49 > 1:06:56half, I danced a quick step - - with Aljaz to Harry Warren's
1:06:57 > 1:07:10Broadway bonanza hit, '42nd Street'. Gavin, I heard you were spotted
1:07:11 > 1:07:13having a little dance yourself Why do I suddenly feel like Craig is
1:07:14 > 1:07:40in the room? I wonder how many extra hours
1:07:41 > 1:07:42rehearsal you'll get Well, to help the orchestra patch
1:07:43 > 1:07:53things up, perhaps we should shift into a more amorous mode,
1:07:54 > 1:07:56with a dance of love - the rumba! To perform the rumba,
1:07:57 > 1:08:01as I discovered, you've got to try and leave your inhibitions
1:08:02 > 1:08:03at the door as you step Here are Aljaz and Janette to show
1:08:04 > 1:08:20us how it is done. This is John Barry's poignant theme
1:08:21 > 1:14:02to the film 'Somewhere in Time'. Ladies and gentlemen...
1:14:03 > 1:14:11Not a dry eye in the house, guys. That was just exquisite, it really
1:14:12 > 1:14:16was. Before we go any further, thank you for being my partner tonight.
1:14:17 > 1:14:23Thank you. I think Katie was absolutely brilliant tonight. I
1:14:24 > 1:14:29don't mind stepping in Anton's shoes. I think I will do it more
1:14:30 > 1:14:36often. Be afraid. Be very afraid! It is quite a change of pace, doing the
1:14:37 > 1:14:40quickstep and then the Rumba. It is, but as you said, the Rumba is a
1:14:41 > 1:14:42dance of love, and to do it with someone you are in love with is very
1:14:43 > 1:14:54special. APPLAUSE
1:14:55 > 1:14:57Too sweet! Also, this is one of the most special places to dance, and
1:14:58 > 1:15:05with this incredible orchestra, it's just amazing. And thank you to
1:15:06 > 1:15:11everyone for clapping. Janette, does it make a difference dancing this
1:15:12 > 1:15:17kind of slow, intimate dance in front of an orchestra like this? It
1:15:18 > 1:15:24is passionate and romantic, and it feels like it is just the two of you
1:15:25 > 1:15:28in a room. To dance it in this hall with the orchestra gives Rumba a
1:15:29 > 1:15:33completely different light, and we really enjoyed it. Honestly, they
1:15:34 > 1:15:41are incredible, and tonight is incredible. Thank you also much for
1:15:42 > 1:15:56coming. We loved dancing that. -- thank you, all, so much. Aljaz and
1:15:57 > 1:16:15Janette, thank you so much. It is too much, isn't it? Too much.
1:16:16 > 1:16:17Let's turn the temperature up a few notches now
1:16:18 > 1:22:46to sizzling for a fiery dance, full of drama.
1:22:47 > 1:22:49Let's turn the temperature up a few notches now
1:22:50 > 1:22:51to sizzling for a fiery dance, full of drama.
1:22:52 > 1:23:04Performed with those famous bent knees, head flicks and staccato
1:23:05 > 1:23:07movements, the tango's got to be gutsy, it's got to be red hot.
1:23:08 > 1:23:09As Len says, it's got to snap, crackle and pop.
1:23:10 > 1:23:13It's 'Libertango' by Argentinian composer Astor Piazzolla.
1:23:14 > 1:23:18A fusion of two words, 'libertad' - Spanish
1:23:19 > 1:23:24And that's what Piazzolla was all about.
1:23:25 > 1:23:26He fused the tango tradition that was in his blood with classical
1:23:27 > 1:23:30and jazz influences to create new orchestral colours and set
1:23:31 > 1:23:38So is the dance, performed for us tonight by Giovanni and Joanne,
1:23:39 > 1:36:58as the BBC Concert Orchestra play Piazzolla's 'Libertango'.
1:36:59 > 1:37:37You are probably lucky you didn't see it.
1:37:38 > 1:37:39No wonder that song, Aquarelo do Brasil by Ary Barroso,
1:37:40 > 1:37:44And before that, we heard the magical Grand Pas de Deux
1:37:45 > 1:37:50Beside me here are the dazzling Kevin and Karen Clifton.
1:37:51 > 1:37:59APPLAUSE Getting their breath
1:38:00 > 1:38:12back here on stage, Anton said to me at the start of
1:38:13 > 1:38:20Strictly, we are going to swerve that one. You and me, doing a samba?
1:38:21 > 1:38:28No good will come of that! I think he was probably right. What is the
1:38:29 > 1:38:38secret, Karen? The secret is not to have a dress malfunction. I was
1:38:39 > 1:38:43like, what is that hitting me? Most of the time it is about smiling and
1:38:44 > 1:38:47moving your feet really quickly. If you do both at the same time, people
1:38:48 > 1:38:52get confused and don't know where to look. And that is the samba! Ladies
1:38:53 > 1:38:56and gentlemen, don't believe a word of that!
1:38:57 > 1:38:58Kevin, this is such a special night for me.
1:38:59 > 1:39:01Is it special for you to dance here, at the Proms?
1:39:02 > 1:39:09It is. We were sat at home last year watching the Proms, and we said to
1:39:10 > 1:39:19each other, we must go some year. The atmosphere looks incredible.
1:39:20 > 1:39:22APPLAUSE We had this incredible opportunity,
1:39:23 > 1:39:27all of a sudden, to be right in the middle of it amongst all of you guys
1:39:28 > 1:39:36and to dance with this orchestra. It is just a dream come true for us. It
1:39:37 > 1:39:39is all about dreams the night. Thank you very much, Kevin and Karen
1:39:40 > 1:39:46Clifton! Here's a question:
1:39:47 > 1:39:50Why do we dance? To exorcise the ghost of dead
1:39:51 > 1:39:57husband who's haunting you? That's what one poor,
1:39:58 > 1:40:00tormented widow is up to in our next This is her electrifying
1:40:01 > 1:44:04Ritual Fire Dance. Being out here with my glad rags
1:44:05 > 1:44:27and heels on, getting to dance alongside these - well,
1:44:28 > 1:44:31to me they're other-worldly I hope you've had fun too
1:44:32 > 1:44:46and enjoyed seeing how some composers have been inspired
1:44:47 > 1:44:48by ballroom and Latin dance. Let's be honest, we've only just
1:44:49 > 1:44:50dipped our well-pointed toes in the water, really - but do keep
1:44:51 > 1:44:53on exploring all this And I hope you'll dabble in some
1:44:54 > 1:44:59dancing as well as the orchestra send us on our way tonight
1:45:00 > 1:45:02with an upbeat, uplifting, When you're ready, let's face
1:45:03 > 1:51:27the music and dance! Everyone, please thank our
1:51:28 > 1:51:52incredible dancers - And Aljaz Skorjanec
1:51:53 > 1:52:21and Janette Manara! and sensational musicians,
1:52:22 > 1:52:49the BBC Concert Orchestra and their Thank you all so much for coming,
1:52:50 > 1:53:00and remember, keep dancing!