TEAM GB OLYMPIAN LOUIS SMITH CONFIRMED TO JOIN THE STRICTLY COME DANCING 2013 UK LIVE TOUR
18 JANUARY – 10 FEBRUARY
With just five weeks to go until the grand final on BBC One and the competition really intensifying, the Strictly Come Dancing UK Live Tour is delighted to announce that red hot favourite and Team GB Olympian Louis Smith will be joining the 2013 line up. Louis will be joining dancing sensation and TV actress Lisa Riley, Tracy Beaker star Dani Harmer and former England Cricket captain and legend Michael Vaughan. Louis will wow audiences across the country following his huge popularity and early success on this year’s ratings winning BBC One show. More celebrities will be announced very soon.
On announcing his place on the tour, Louis Smith said: "The support I've had on the TV show has been incredible. I can't believe how much I've enjoyed dancing every week. I love the pressure of performing in front of a live crowd, and I can't wait to do that in some of the biggest arenas across the UK."
Alongside the exciting celebrity line-up, Craig Revel Horwood, Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli are back as the tour’s formidable judges. They will be on hand to give their expert feedback and all important scores to the celebrities and their dance partners. The glamorous Kate Thornton will return as the host of the live show.
With over 1.5 MILLION tickets sold over the past five years, the hugely popular UK arena tour returns for the sixth consecutive year, opening at the Birmingham NIA on 18 January 2013.
The multi-million pound show will then visit some of the biggest entertainment venues in the UK, including Birmingham’s NIA, the Newcastle Metro Arena, the Glasgow SECC, Liverpool’s Echo Arena, the Manchester Arena, London’s O2 and Wembley Arena, the Capital FM Arena in Nottingham and Sheffield’s Motorpoint Arena. This year, due to popular demand, there are extra matinee performances in Newcastle and Nottingham.
The 2013 live tour will feature a brand new line-up of top celebrities including Louis, Lisa, Michael, Dani and more from the smash hit BBC1 show. Strictly fans can watch their favourite dancing couples competing live for the votes and all important feedback of the TV judges and vote themselves via their mobile phone. Arena audiences will experience Strictly’s glitz, glamour and breathtaking choreography, courtesy of judge Craig Revel Horwood, who is directing the arena tour for the third year running.
The tour has received rave reviews in the national newspapers since it began – The Daily Telegraph awarded last year’s tour a 4 Star review and the Daily Star Sunday described the show with “It’s exactly what you see on the TV show… It really is great fun” in a glowing review. The Sunday Express have previously said of the tour “The place was humming with as much vitality and involvement off the stage as on. That’s what it’s all about really”.
Regular audiences of over 9 million viewers are tuning in every Saturday night to watch the BBC One show, cementing Strictly as the nation’s favourite Saturday night entertainment. The television format, also known as Dancing With The Stars, entered the Guinness Book of World Records two years ago as the world’s most successful reality television show and there are now 43 local formats of Dancing with the Stars around the world.
What the critics say about Strictly Come Dancing The Live Tour:
SUNDAY EXPRESS – 5 STARS
“Dazzling, colourful and tuneful and full of big-hearted dancing”
“7,000 of us raised the roof. Does it get much better? Not often”
MAIL ON SUNDAY – 4 STARS
“The audience adored every second”
“Supremely elegant”
DAILY EXPRESS
“No one leaves without a smile on their face”
“Fabulous”
DAILY MAIL
“Tonight’s show was a sell-out…The Strictly phenomenon is extraordinary”
Tickets for STRICTLY COME DANCING the LIVE TOUR 2013 are on sale now:
18 – 20 January Birmingham: NIA 0844 338 8000
(Friday 18th at 7.30pm, Saturday 19th at 2.30pm and 7.30pm, Sunday 20th at 1.30pm and 6.30pm)
22 – 24 January Newcastle: Metro Radio Arena 0844 493 6666
(Tuesday 22nd at 7.30pm, Wednesday 23rd at 2.30pm and 7.30pm, Thursday 24th 7.30pm)
25 – 27 January Glasgow: SECC 0844 395 4000
(Friday 25th at 7.30pm, Saturday 26th at 2.30pm and 7.30pm and Sunday 27th at 1.30pm and 6.30pm)
29 – 30 January Liverpool: Echo Arena 0844 8000 400
(Tuesday 29th at 7.30pm, Wednesday 30th at 7.30pm)
31 January - 1 February Manchester: Manchester Arena 0844 847 8000
(Thursday 31st at 7.30pm, Friday 1st at 7.30pm)
2 – 3 February London: O2 Arena 0844 856 0202
(Saturday 2nd at 2.30pm and 7.30pm, Sunday 3rd at 1.30pm and 6.30pm)
5 – 6 February London: Wembley Arena 0844 815 0815
(Tuesday 5th at 7.30pm, Wednesday 6th at 7.30pm)
7 – 8 February Nottingham: Capital FM Arena 0843 373 3000
(Thursday 7th at 7.30pm, Friday 8th at 2.30pm and 7.30pm)
9 – 10 February Sheffield: Motorpoint Arena 0114 256 5656
(Saturday 9th at 2.30pm and 7.30pm, Sunday 10th at 1.30pm and 6.30pm)
Tickets prices: £35, £45 and £65 (Gold Circle)
The O2 prices are £36, £46 and £56 (including £1 venue facility fee)
Newcastle and Nottingham matinee performances, best available tickets £35 (Gold Circle £65)
All ticket prices are subject to a booking fee
Tagged in Strictly Come Dancing