{"id":31718,"date":"2023-08-24T12:21:40","date_gmt":"2023-08-24T10:21:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/?p=187640"},"modified":"2023-08-24T12:40:07","modified_gmt":"2023-08-24T10:40:07","slug":"which-classical-performers-have-appeared-on-bbcs-strictly-come-dancing","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/rss_feed\/which-classical-performers-have-appeared-on-bbcs-strictly-come-dancing\/","title":{"rendered":"Which classical performers have appeared on BBC\u2019s Strictly Come Dancing?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Here are the stars from the classical world who have graced the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing – as performers and, in one case, a much-loved judge <\/p>

By Steve Wright\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Thursday, 24 August 2023 at 10:21 AM<\/p>

\n\n

Over its long history (the first series was broadcast way back in 2004), the BBC\u2019s flagship dance contest show Strictly Come Dancing<\/em> has attracted hundreds of illustrious contestants from the worlds of sport and entertainment\u2026 and, among them, we can find a select quartet of notable names from the classical world.<\/p>\n

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A guide to the music of BBC\u2019s Strictly Come Dancing<\/em><\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\nClassical performers who have appeared on Strictly Come Dancing\u00a0<\/em><\/h2>\nAled Jones<\/h3>\n
Singer and radio \/ TV presenter Aled Jones shot to fame as a teenage chorister in 1985. That was the year his recording of \u2018 Walking in the Air\u2019<\/a>, for the film The Snowman, made the top five of the UK singles chart. Since then, Aled has worked for the BBC, ITV, and Classic FM.<\/p>\n
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Who is Dave Arch, the conductor for BBC\u2019s\u00a0Strictly Come Dancing<\/em>?<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
What year did Aled Jones apear on Strictly<\/em>?<\/h3>\n
Aled\u2019s Strictly<\/em> moment came in 2004 (Series Two) when, dancing with the Russian professional Lilia Kopylova, he reached week 7. Only Julian Clary, Denise Lewis and series winner Jill Halfpenny performed better.<\/p>\n\n<h3>Katie Derham<\/h3>\n<p>Presenter <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/who-is-katie-derham\/\"><strong>Katie Derham<\/strong><\/a> has made an interesting journey at the BBC, from financial researcher to classical music broadcaster. She\u2019s now a familiar face as one of the presenters of the BBC Proms.<\/p>\n<h3>What year did Katie Derham apear on <em>Strictly<\/em>?<\/h3>\n<p>In Series 13 (2015), Katie and her dance partner Anton du Beke finished in a very creditable fourth place.<\/p>\n<iframe title=\"Katie Derham & Anton Du Beke Viennese Waltz to 'If I Can Dream' - Strictly Come Dancing: 2015\" width=\"200\" height=\"113\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/cWE6g_q0SAY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<h3>Bill Bailey<\/h3>\n<p>The hugely engaging comedian and polymath Bill Bailey is an avowedly avid fan of all forms of music, including classical. Indeed, we interviewed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/bill-bailey-on-his-relationship-with-classical-music-and-how-it-has-shaped-his-life\/\"><strong>Bill Bailey on his love of classical<\/strong><\/a> in 2009, several years before his victorious appearance on <em>Strictly Come Dancing<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Bailey chose works by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/composers\/jean-sibelius\/\"><strong>Sibelius<\/strong><\/a>, Debussy, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/camille-saint-saens\/\"><strong>Saint-Sa\u00ebns<\/strong><\/a>, Bach and Mozart as the five pieces that have had the greatest impact on him.<\/p>\n<h3>What year did Bill Bailey win <em>Strictly<\/em>?<\/h3>\n<p>Bill Bailey competed on <em>Strictly Come Dancing<\/em> in 2020 (Series 18). With partner Oti Mabuse, Bailey made it all the way through the competition, emerging as the Series 18 winner.<\/p>\n<iframe title=\"Bill and Oti Couple's Choice to Rapper's Delight \u2728 Week 4 \u2728 BBC Strictly 2020\" width=\"200\" height=\"113\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/NtAJtaC76H0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<p>He was 55 at the time, meaning that, yes, Bill Bailey is the oldest <em>Strictly<\/em> winner. Nice work, sir!<\/p>\n<h3>Dame Darcey Bussell<\/h3>\n<p>The retired ballerina Darcey Bussell is perhaps now as well known for her six-year stint as a Strictly judge, as for her illustrious career on the stage. Bussell started out dancing with <a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"Sadlers Wells Royal Ballet\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Sadlers_Wells_Royal_Ballet\"><strong>Sadlers Wells Royal Ballet<\/strong><\/a>, but transferred to the Royal Ballet after just one year. That was where she acquired the distinction of becoming the youngest-ever\u00a0principal dancer in 1989, aged just 20.\u00a0<sup id=\"cite_ref-5\" class=\"reference\"\/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><a class=\"standard-card-new__article-title\" href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/best-ballet-music\/\">Best ballet music: the finest ballet scores of all time<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"standard-card-new__article-title\" href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/6-best-different-ways-see-ballet\/\"><strong>Six of the best: different ways to see ballet<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Bussell stayed with the Royal Ballet for her entire career, although she also performed as a guest with some of the world\u2019s great companies including La Scala Theatre Ballet and\u00a0the\u00a0Kirov Ballet.<\/p>\n<p>She retired from ballet in 2007. Her final performance, at the Royal Opera House, was James MacMillan\u2019s\u00a0<i>Song of the Earth<\/i>, which features music from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/composers\/gustav-mahler\/\"><strong>Mahler<\/strong><\/a>\u2018s song cycle\u00a0<i>Das Lied von der Erde<\/i>.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><a class=\"standard-card-new__article-title\" href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/five-essential-works-mahler\/\">Five essential works by Mahler<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>When was Darcey Bussell a judge on <em>Strictly<\/em>?<\/h3>\n<p>Darcey Bussell did seven series as a Strictly Judge \u2013 beginning with Series 10, in 2012, and ending with Series 16, in 2018. She was part of one of the best-remembered judging lineups, alongside Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli, and the show\u2019s longest-serving judge, Craig Revel Horwood.<\/p>\n<p><em>Top pic: Bill Bailey and Oti Mabuse. Pic: BBC \/ Guy Levy<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p> Here are the stars from the classical world who have graced the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing – as performers and, in one case, a much-loved judge <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":31719,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"3"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/08\/which-classical-performers-have-appeared-on-bbcs-strictly-come-dancing.jpg",2480,1655,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/08\/which-classical-performers-have-appeared-on-bbcs-strictly-come-dancing-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/08\/which-classical-performers-have-appeared-on-bbcs-strictly-come-dancing-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/08\/which-classical-performers-have-appeared-on-bbcs-strictly-come-dancing-768x513.jpg",768,513,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/08\/which-classical-performers-have-appeared-on-bbcs-strictly-come-dancing-1024x683.jpg",800,534,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/08\/which-classical-performers-have-appeared-on-bbcs-strictly-come-dancing-1536x1025.jpg",1536,1025,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/08\/which-classical-performers-have-appeared-on-bbcs-strictly-come-dancing-2048x1367.jpg",2048,1367,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Here are the stars from the classical world who have graced the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing - as performers and, in one case, a much-loved judge","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/31718"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31719"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31718"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31718"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}