WHEN Strictly Come Dancing burst on to our TV screens, ballroom dancing no longer became something you associated with the grandparents.

Suddenly everyone was wanting to have a go. Ballroom dancing classes were popping up everywhere and everyone from kids to teens to mums and dads were giving it a go.

So it wasn't going to be too long before professional ballroom dancers and stars of the smash hit TV show, Anton Du Beke and Erin Boag, agreed to choreograph this lavish spectacle of ballroom dancing, from some of the world's finest dancers, that is heading to Sunderland next month.



Hosted by ex-Eastenders star Sophie Lawrence and popular actor Sam Kane, Simply Ballroom features a cast of international dance champions who will bring some of the most spectacular dance moves to the stage.

"It's such a lovely show," Sophie said. "It's great fun to be part of and it's nice because it's good, old-fashioned entertainment that the audience really seem to enjoy."

Since taking over from Lionel Blair as host in January, Sophie's been taught by the best, which shouldn't be too hard seeing as she trained as a dancer before following a career in acting and singing.

"I host the show with Sam and we introduce and explain the dances, and we do a bit of singing and dancing, and we've been taught to do a bit of ballroom dancing.

"I'd never done any ballroom dancing before even though I was a trained dancer many years ago.

"It's almost harder to learn it though if you already have dancing experience because it's so different. I've got the hang of it now, but it took a while and it's great fun.

"So much fun that Sophie, who starred in Grange Hill and Men Behaving Badly, played Diane Butcher in Eastenders as well as launching a pop career, is thinking of taking up classes.

"Ballroom dancing was totally old-fashioned and people of a certain generation did it best, but now it's open to everyone.

"With the show we sometimes hold classes at theatres and they're always packed with people of all different ages from kids as young as six and seven up to people of 70 or older.

"It's fantastic that ballroom dancing is back because not only is it a great way of keeping fit, it's also fun and there's so many different elements to it and it doesn't matter if you're four or 104, you can still do it.

"They're advertising classes just round the corner from my house and I'm thinking of signing up when we finish the tour.

"Whether you're already a ballroom dancing fan or not, by the sound of it this show is made to impress and has a little something for everyone.

"We have everything. We go back to the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers era and go right up to Grease and Dirty Dancing and show Latin ballroom.

"We've got the cha cha, salsa, rumba, quickstep; there's so much stuff. It's great.

"There are 12 dancers and some of them do solos as well as dancing in pairs. We also have a bit of a competition where the audience pick their favourite couples. So come and see us because it's an amazing show."

SIMPLY Ballroom is at the Sunderland Empire on July 11.Tickets cost between £21.50 and £23.50 and can be bought by phoning the Box Office on 0844 8472499 or logging on to www.sunderlandempire.org.uk