Strictly Come Dancing - By: Dzagbe Cudjoe

Strictly Come Dancing and its spin-offs have been a phenomenal worldwide success. The first country to adopt the show was Australia. The U.S has a version called "Dancing with the Stars". Other offshoots are seen on tv in Brazil, Bulgaria, Argentina, the Czeck republic, Croatia, Germany, Hungary, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Panama, Peru, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Sweden, Turkey and the Ukraine.

The show enjoys unprecedented popularity and was the most popular television program in the world in 2006, reaching the Top 10 in 17 countries.

The show has a simple but very effective formula. A number of celebrities such as actors, athletes, journalists, models etc. are paired with a professional dance partner. The same professional dancers usually appear year after year. Only four, however, have taken part in every series.

Each week the contestants perform a dance which is given a score by a panel of professional judges. Viewers are given a certain amount of time to vote on their favorite dancers, either by telephone or via the Internet. The two couples with the lowest combined score perform a "dance-off". The judges then decide which couple to save and the other couple is eliminated and must leave the competition. This elimination process continues until one couple can be declared the winner.

Such is the popularity of the program that there are now Strictly Come Dancing Live tours, Christmas Specials, web sites and chat shows as interest in this program continues to escalate.

The question is what makes this program so successful? Some of the answers are obvious. Tv programs these days are very orientated by sex, age and socio-economic considerations. The result is that there are very few programs which cross all of these boundaries. Strictly Come Dancing is one such.

It airs at a time which encourages multi-generational viewing. In a world full of stress and uncertainlty viewers appreciate a program which makes few intellectual demands and is beautiful to watch. The music, movement and costumes help to transport us to another world. Through watching we allow ourselves to relax, to tense up, to experience excitement and a myriad of other emotions.

Another obvious reason for the shows success is the power viewers have over the results.. This is a two-edged sword which adds tension to the proceedings. Unlike the judges viewers are anything but impartial. Few viewers I suspect vote solely on the celebrities dance performance. Personality, admiration for the celebrity, age and the underdog factor certainly play a part.

The most obvious influence of "Strictly Come Dancing" is that Ballroom and Latin dancing are enjoying an enormous increase in popularity across all age groups. Those of us of a generation who learnt ballroom dancing as a matter of course are now suddenly regarded with interest and respect.

This program is indirectly teaching some very important and positive lessons. Powers of empathy are aroused with the expenditure of positive energy supporting a favorite celebrity. There is admiration for people in the public eye who are willing to accept the challenge of something new and be prepared to fail and accept defeat gracefully in front of millions. Viewers can see how to accept unkind criticism in a positive manner. The audience sees how personality is expressed through movement. There is positive proof how when dance truly reveals personality it has a beauty and authenticity which transcends accuracy of the dance steps. Mature contestants sometimes have the advantage that they know who they are and are not frightened to show it. The show makes clear that women are intensely attracted to men who can dance.

The audience experiences emotion conveyed without the need for words. The language of dance is universal. It is almost impossible to ballroom dance with a partner if angry or upset with that person. A resolution must be found before the dance partnership can be resumed.

Also demonstrated is the fact that dancing begins with the correct posture associated with that particular dance, body shape or size are secondary considerations. We can all dance within our own personal limitations and restrictions.

Viewers are made aware of how the intellect can be an obstruction to the way a body moves. No amount of will alone wil teach anyone to dance. Body-Mind-and-Spirit have to be in harmony.

More than ever we need to re-connect with out inner silent Selves which requires expression through movement and not through words. Many cultures have already lost the concept of dance being vital to all the great events of life whether personal, spiritual, mundane or cosmic. Dance needs to be re-introduced into peoples' lives as a therapeutic, self-revelatory and self-harmonizing activity. Peoples innermost Being must initiate and sustain the manner in which the dance manifests itself physically.

"Strictly Come Dancing" is playing a very important role in changing the general publics attitude towards dance. May it run for many more series!

About the Author

Dzagbe Cudjoe is a Dance and Movement Therapist, Intuitive Counselor, Healer and Ethnologist with a keen interest in promoting Dance as a means of achieving Mind-Body-and-Spirit integration... She is the author of the e-manual "Dance to Health -Help Your Special Needs Child Through Inspirational Dance". available at Dance to Healthand a dvd "Dance in Our Footsteps"available

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