All the latest news from Dincwear Pro Dancewear.

Grammys 2024: Taylor Swift makes history.

 

Taylor Swift made history when she won best album for Midnights, becoming the first artist to win the prize for a fourth time, having previously won for Fearless, 1989 and Folklore.

The 34-year-old pop megastar overtook Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon and Frank Sinatra, who had previously tied with her on three wins apiece.

Swift also delighted her legion of fans by revealing during the show that she would be releasing a new album on 19 April – The Tortured Poets Department – and sharing a photo of the album’s front cover on social media.

Accepting best pop vocal album, she said she’d been keeping the secret for the last two years.

The Grammys were the first big music event Swift has attended since falling victim to a deepfake attack on social media late last month, when fake, sexually explicit images of her were shared online.

Accepting the prize, Swift ushered her team around her saying, “Guys I feel so alone” before going on to thank everyone who made the album a success.

She said: “I would love to tell you this is the best moment of my life, but I feel this happy when I finish a song, or when I crack the code to a bridge that I love, or when I’m shortlisting a music video, or when I’m working with my dancers.

“For me the reward is the work… All I want to do is keep doing this, so thanks so much for giving me the opportunity. Mind blown!”

The award was presented to a visibly shocked Swift by Canadian superstar Celine Dion.

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Dancing on Ice’s Ashley Banjo to be replaced by Olympic skater as ‘exit’ confirmed.

Ashley Banjo will be replaced on the Dancing on Ice panel next week, with an Olympic skating icon coming into replace the Diversity star, as he takes a lengthy hiatus from the show.

Having been on the panel since the ITV programme made its return in 2018, Ashley is back on screens for the new series, to sit alongside gold medallists Torvill and Dean and ex Strictly pro Oti Mabuse. However, after all the performances on Sunday night’s Dancing on Ice were done and dusted, presenter Holly Willoughby had some shock news for viewers at home, when she revealed that Ashley was taking some time off the show in order to fulfil tour commitments with Diversity.

The Britain’s Got Talent 2009 winners are set to play to audiences all over the country on their biggest tour yet, meaning that Ashley won’t just be missing in action for one week, but will be absent until the semi final, with that news delivered by Holly’s co-host Stephen Mulhern.

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Strictly Come Dancing’s Giovanni Pernice delights fans with four-word message as they show support.

It comes as the dancer hasn’t joined his fellow pros from the BBC One dance contest as they tour the country with this year’s live tour.
Giovanni Pernice has been flooded with praise from his fans as he sent a four-word message amid his absence from his Strictly Come Dancing co-stars. The dancer hasn’t joined his fellow pros from the BBC One dance contest as they tour the country with this year’s Strictly live tour.

Instead, Giovanni is just weeks into his own headline tour which kicked off in mid-January. The 33-year-old started his Let Me Entertain You tour in Hayes at the Beck Theatre before he began travelling up and down the country, which will continue through until the end of April when the tour will end at the New Victoria Theatre in Woking.

And while it’s his own show, on his biggest tour to date, Giovanni’s not alone on stage as he’s joined by Strictly co-star and ‘leading lady’ Lauren Oakley as well as an ensemble of dancers.

With the tour now very much in full swing, Giovanni took to Instagram to share his first big update. Sharing a picture of himself with Lauren and the rest of his show’s cast on stage, the Italian star said: “Living my best life!!”

He then went on to say: “Have you come to watch the show? What do you think ?? Not spoilers please. The show is running until may so you can still grab your tickets at giovannipernice.com.”

And it didn’t take long for the comments to come flooding in. @debbie.lee01 said: “Love love love love love.” @louizew1 commented: “Another amazing show. You never disappoint. VIP Nottingham on Tues was amazing.” @sharonsil78 wrote: “Another fabulous show in New Brighton. Great production with @laurenmayoakley and crew. Bellisimo!”
And it didn’t take long for the instagram comments to come flooding in

It comes after Giovanni addressed what type of dance teacher he is as he was quizzed on what he’s really like behind the scenes. The dancer appeared on The One Show last month to chat about his new tour.

But during his appearance on the BBC One show, he was asked by hosts Alex Jones and Ronan Keatin about his relationships with, and training of his celebrity partners, to which he said: “I’m definitely a perfectionist.”

He went on: “Like everybody else, I like to win. But for me it’s more about bringing the best out of partners, especially if I see that there is talent there. I want to do my job properly.”

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Grease announces full cast for UK and Ireland tour.

Hope Dawe and Marley Fenton.

Complete casting has been revealed for the upcoming UK and Ireland tour of Grease.

Nikolai Foster directs the teen musical that follows Danny and Sandy through their senior year at Rydell High and Arlene Phillips choreographs the piece that WhatsOnStage hailed a “thunderously good evening out” during a previous run at the West End’s Dominion Theatre. Phillips also picked up a WhatsOnStage Award for Best Choreography in 2023.

The cast will be led by Marley Fenton (Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends) as Danny and Hope Dawe (a Mountview graduate) as Sandy, alongside Rebecca Stenhouse (Legally Blonde) as Rizzo, George Michaelides (Disney’s Newsies) as Kenickie, Kieran Lynch (The Adventures of Peter Pan) as Doody, Lewis Day (Beauty and the Beast) as Roger, Sario Solomon (Pacific Overtures) as Sonny, Alicia Belgarde (Bugsy Malone) as Frenchy, Emerald B (The National Lottery’s New Years Eve Bash) as Jan, India Chadwick (P.S I’m A Terrible Person) as Marty, Jayd’n Tyrone (Grease at the Dominion Theatre) as Eugene, Phoebe Roberts (Mamma Mia!) as Patty Simcox, Dominique Planter (The Lion King) as Miss Lynch, Joe Gash (Rock of Ages) as Vince Fontaine and Teen Angel, Deena Kapadia (Death Note) as Cha Cha and Adam Davidson (Mary Poppins) as Johnny Casino.

The company is completed by Zera Aitken, Dylan Gordon-Jones, Sergi Ibanez, Thomas Inge, Lauren Hampton, Imogen Malone, Ben Middleton and Carly Miles.

The production also features designs by Colin Richmond, orchestrations and musical supervision by Sarah Travis, lighting design by Ben Cracknell, sound design by Tom Marshall and Richard Brooker, video and projection design by Douglas O’Connell and casting by David Grindrod CDG.

The tour is set to launch at Bromley’s Churchill Theatre (12 to 20 April 2024), before heading to Dublin (23 April to 4 May), Hull (7 to 11 May), Northampton (13 to 18 May), Ipswich (21 to 25 May), Liverpool (27 May to 1 June), Norwich (3 to 8 June), Newcastle (10 to 15 June), Glasgow (17 to 22 June), Edinburgh (25 to 29 June), Aberdeen (2 to 6 July), Birmingham (15 to 20 July), Truro (23 to 27 July), Bradford (29 July to 3 August), Milton Keynes (5 to 10 August), Eastbourne (12 to 17 August), Blackpool (19 to 24 August), Nottingham (27 to 31 August), Cardiff (2 to 7 September), Canterbury (9 to 14 September), Bristol (16 to 21 September), Oxford (24 to 28 September), Dartford (30 September to 5 October), Manchester (8 to 12 October), High Wycombe (21 to 26 October), Southampton (29 October to 2 November), Southend (5 to 9 November), and Sheffield (11 to 16 November).

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General News & Sighting

• Equity and the Independent Theatre Council have agreed pay and provisions – including commuting costs – will rise by 5% every year for performers, stage management and choreographers. The agreement will run from April 2024 – April 2027. (The Stage)
• Graham Watts has been reappointed as Chair of the Critic’s Circle Dance Section and of the National Dance Awards for another year.
• Johannes Radebe announced that his memoir “JoJo: Finally Home” is being adapted into a movie.
• Ellie Leach, who became the youngest winner of Strictly last year, is set to make her stage acting debut in the UK tour of “Cluedo 2”.
• More than 2000 applied for open call auditions for the One Direction inspired musical “Fangirls” in London.
• Complete casting for “An Officer and a Gentleman” on tour has been revealed. The choreographer is Joanna Goodwin and the tour starts in Birmingham on the 23rd of February.
• Complete casting has been revealed for the upcoming UK tour of “Grease”. Marley Fenton will play Danny and Hope Dawe plays Sandy. The choreography is by Dame Arlene Phillips and the show will open in Bromley on the 12th of April.
• “Tina – The Tina Turner Musical” has extended its West End run into 2025.
• Singer and dancer Hinton Battle has passed away. He was the first person to portray the Scarecrow in the original Broadway stage version of “The Wiz”.
• Chita Rivera, multi-award winning Broadway legend, has passed away aged 91.

Future Dance Events News

• “Heathers” will return for a new UK tour opening in Windsor on the 24th of July. The choreographers will be Gary Lloyd and Christopher Parkinson.
• A new musical featuring the work of Steps will open at the Alexandra theatre in Birmingham from the 9th until the 24th of November. The choreography is by Matt Cole.
• A stage musical based on Prince’s film and album “Purple Rain” is in the works with producer Orin Wolf.
• “Kiss Me, Kate” will run at the Barbican theatre in London from the 4th of June until the 14th of September. It will star Adrian Dunbar and Stephanie J Block and be choreographed by Anthony Van Laast.
• Luba and Vito from Strictly headline a Charity Dance Show at Dudley Town Hall on the 9th of April at 7.30 pm. You can get tickets at: mpvtickets.com
• Casting for the UK premiere of “Bhangra Nation” has been announced. It will star Zaynah Ahmed and Gregory Armand. The choreography is by Rujuta Vaidya and Rebecca Howell. The show will run at the Birmingham Rep from the 17th of February to the 16th of March 2024.
• The European premiere of “Your Lie in April” will take place at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane on the 8th & 9th of April 2024. It will be directed and choreographed by Nick Winston. The casting director is Harry Blumenau.
• Nick Winston will be directing the world premiere of the new musical “Wild About You” at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane on the 25th & 26th of March 2024. It will star Eric McCormack.
• “The Wizard of Oz” has confirmed the full cast for its tour of the UK and Ireland. The choreography is by Shay Barclay. The show will open in Liverpool on the 13th of December 2024.
• “Standing at the Sky’s Edge” has confirmed the initial casting for its 2024 West End transfer. It has choreography by Lynne Page and will run at the Gillian Lynne theatre from the 8th of February 2024.
• Nick Winston and Ryan Lee Seager will be directing and choreographing the world premiere of “Burlesque The Musical” – which has Christina Aguilera as an Executive Director. The show will open at the Manchester Opera House on the 13th of June 2024.
• “Clueless The Musical” will have a developmental run at the Churchill theatre in Bromley from the 12th – 24th of February 2024.
• “Mean Girls” is coming to the Savoy Theatre in June 2024.
• A touring musical version of “101 Dalmations” will open in Wimbledon on the 22nd of June 2024.
• “& Juliet” will embark on a UK tour from the 8th of July 2024. The choreographer is Jennifer Weber.
• “The Devil Wears Prada” has confirmed its West End run and UK premiere. It will be directed and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell and be cast by Jill Green. The show will open in Plymouth on the 9th of July 2024.
• “Bonnie and Clyde The Musical” has announced the initial cast and tour dates for 2024. Katie Tonkinson will star as Bonnie Parker.
• “Starlight Express” is to return to London in the Summer of 2024. It will be choreographed by Ashley Nottingham.
• The world premiere of the new British musical “Cable Street” is to open at the Southwark Playhouse on the 16th of February 2024. The choreography is by Melody Sinclair.
• “Some Like It Hot” is coming to the West End in 2025. It will be directed and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw.
• Full casting has been revealed for the first UK and Ireland tour of “Aladdin”. Gavin Adams will star with Desmonda Cathabel as Jasmine. Sarah Benbelaid is the Assistant Dance Captain. The show will open in Edinburgh in October.
• The 2024 Mighty Hoopla Big Weekender has announced its line up led by: Natalie Imbruglia, Cascada and Gabrielle.
• “Shucked” will open in the West End in 2024. The choreographer is Sarah O’Gleby.
• “Come From Away” announced a UK and Ireland tour beginning in Leicester on the 1st of March 2024. The production is being cast by Pippa Ailion and Natalie Gallacher. The choreography is by Tara Wilkinson and Kirsty Malpas with Richard Hinds. The Dance Captain is Angeline Bell.
• The new musical “Starter for Ten” will premiere in Bristol next year at the Old Vic theatre from the 29th of February until the 30th of March 2024.
• “Sister Act – The Musical” will return to the Dominion theatre in the West End on the 15th of March 2024. It will star Beverley Knight and Alexandra Burke. The choreography is by Alistair David.
• The lead cast has been unveiled for “We Will Rock You” opening in the West End. It will star Lee Mead and Brenda Edwards.
• “Jesus Christ Superstar” will tour the UK in 2023/4 opening in Manchester this September. The choreography is by Drew McOnie.

Auditions & Vacancies

• Laura Vanhulle is looking for 2 understudies for her new tour of “Olive Branch”. The audition is at the Place in London on the 16th of March from 11.00 am – 5.30 pm. The deadline to apply is the 1st of March. You can get more details at: hello@vanhulledancetheatre.co.uk
• Locked Creative is looking for a male gymnast / dancer for a feature movie filming in London. For more information, go to: info@lockedcreative.com
• Grayboy / P&O have auditions for dancers in London on February the 19th until the 22nd. You can email auditions@grayboy.com to receive the brief and application form.
• Auditions for the Thursford Christmas Spectacular 2024 will be held at Pineapple Studios in London on the 17th & 18th of June.
• Rouge in Las Vegas is looking for dancers. Contact: sheer@shows-pro.com

Dance Classes

• Keith and Judy Clifton have a new beginners class on Thursdays at the Grimsby Town Hall from 7.30 – 8.30 pm. Contact: keith.clifton@icloud.com
• Andrei and Mia Linnik-Holden have a Ballroom Workshop on the 17th of March at the CC Dance Studio in Harwich.
• Ryan Jenkins has partnered up with Mandy Allen to produce the iD – Company Summer School from the 12th until the 16th of August. For more information contact: info@the-idcompany.com
• Zizi Strallen and Charlie Stemp have a dance masterclass on the 6th of April with beginnerscall.uk
• Sophie Ferrero and Christabelle Huddleston have an Intermediate/Advanced workshop on the 10th of February from 3.00 – 7.00 pm at the Manor in London.
• Lizzie McConachie has a commercial class on Mondays at Pineapple Studios from 7.30 – 8.30 pm.
• Aimee Casey has an Adult Ballet class at Flame Studios in Cardiff on Fridays from 6.30 – 7.30 pm.
• Robin Windsor, Luke Miller, Grace Cinque-White and Alan Burkitt are raising funds for the Strictly Foundation with a dance workshop in London on the 25th of February from 11.00 am – 4.00 pm at the Dance Attic. You can book your place at: The Strictly Foundation | Theatre & Dance Foundation
• Lowri Beth Evans is teaching a Beginners Heels course at the Glow Up Studios in Cardiff for 4 weeks starting on the 9th of January from 7.00 – 8.00 pm.
• Hannah Cleeve has a new dance intensive for dancers aspiring to work professionally on the 21st – 23rd of February from 11.00 am – 5.00 pm at Flow Dance in Oval. For more information contact: hannahcleeve@outlook.com
• Lucy Jane Adcock has 2 weekly classes at the Base dance studios in London on Sundays at 11.30 am and on Wednesdays at 10.00 am.
• Christina Andrea has a Commercial Edge class at Base Studios on Thursdays from 2.30 – 4.00 pm.
• Graziano di Prima has The Big Salsa Dance to raise funds for Child Bereavement UK on the 16th of February at the AO Arena in Manchester.
• Beth Ackroyd is doing an Adult Ballet class at the Fresh Ground in Battersea on Thursdays from 11.00 am – 12.00 pm. You can contact Beth on: beth.lauren@live.com
• Daniela Fabbricatore is teaching an Advanced Lyrical class at Move It on the 17th of March at 2.15 pm.
• Jordi Guitart will be teaching at Move It on the 16th of March at 3.30 pm.
• Weronika Wiktoria is starting a Street Jazz class every Monday at 5.30 pm at the Base dance studios with Ralitsa Chepisheva.
• Lil J is offering a sassy Commercial class at the Pineapple Dance Studios on Tuesdays at 4.15 pm. You can book on the Pineapple app.
• Amy Ireland is offering a Beginners Tap class at Pineapple Dance Studios on Fridays at 10.15 am and a Commercial Tap class on Mondays at 8.30 pm.
• Dominique Marinho is teaching a Beginners Heels class on Tuesdays at Pineapple Studios from 3.45 – 4.45 pm.

Film & TV

• The first trailer of the new movie “Wicked” will be released this Sunday during the Superbowl in America.
• The movies “Wicked” and “Moana 2” will both be released on the 27th of November.
• We spotted Zara Richards and her Warriorz dancers performing with Davido at the O2 in London.
• We spotted Hayley Ainsley in the latest advert for Nintendo Search.
• We spotted Renae Hughes, Lashay Harvey & Kamira Samuel performing with Rita Ora in Dublin.
• We spotted the following dancers performing at the Grammys in America with Dua Lipa: Demi Mensah, Bailey Swift, Nicole Weber, Kane Horn & Ben Hukin. The Agency was AMCK and the choreographer was Charm La’Donna.

Pro Dancer News Published by the Dincwear Pro Dancewear Team.

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