Strictly Come Prancing to return for children’s charity

DOZENS of couples are donning their dancing shoes in preparation for Dundee’s answer to Strictly Come Dancing.

The hugely successful Strictly Come Prancing returns, after raising more than £30,000 for Help for Kids last year, and the 2019 contestants are eager to get started.

The 14 couples taking part include husbands and wives, mothers and sons and colleagues.

A special celebrity judge, who has yet to be announced, will decide who has the greatest spring in their steps.

The other judges are Glen McArthey, a ballroom dancing teacher, Kezia Miskell-Reid, who judged last year, and Denise West from DC Thomson.

Charlie Thomson, who is taking part with Dundee & Angus College workmate Gillian McGovern, said: “We’ve had one rehearsal and we know the style we are going to do. We know the music as well – it’s going well.

“I think we’ve got about a third of the routine already.”

Fiona Breen, who is competing with son Stuart, said: “I’m really looking forward to learning to dance.

“It’s nerve-racking but it will be fun as well. You are learning something new and it’s all for a good cause.”

Each couple will be allocated an instructor by Urban Moves Dance Company, which is sponsoring the event, to help them learn and polish their moves.

Wati Calley, who is taking part with friend Sean Rafferty, said: “We are excited just to get started. I am very excited to pick a costume.”

And Pamela McLaughlan, who will be dancing with partner Billy Griffin, added: “We are getting married next year and we can’t dance. We wanted to take part to help the charity and it’s a good opportunity to learn how to dance properly. We know what sort of song we want – we want a dance song.”

Attendees will be treated to a champagne reception, threecourse meal and entertainment from the dancers and a DJ.

Stacey Wallace, manager of Help for Kids, said: “Last year was a huge success.

“We thought we would only have maybe a couple of hundred people but it snowballed to 750 people attending on the night.

“This year we are doing it again in the Apex marquee, we are looking to sell out again and this year we have 14 couples. We didn’t have any problem getting dancers this year.

“We will have an auction running.

“We’ll have an opportunity for you to pay to vote for your favourite couple and there will be a star prize.

“Last year we had a holiday to Florida. This year, we don’t know what we are going to have, but we need to try and beat that.

“We’ll have entertainment from a DJ at the end. We have a little Help For Kids Choir. They will come along to perform on the night as well.

“It’s all about children. We feel it’s quite important for us to get that across so our little kiddies are going to sing on the night.”

Alexandra Hare from Urban Moves added: “It was for such a good cause and the event was such a great success last year that when we were reinvited to do it this year we absolutely grabbed the chance and are very happy to be involved again.”

Tickets for the event, which takes place on November 1, are priced at £60 per person and can be bought on Eventbrite.

The grand final is due to take place at 7pm.