DanceX
Team Arlene
Judge: |
Arlene Phillips |
Choreographer: |
Ashley Wallen |
Vocal coach: |
Joshua Alamu |
Arlene is best known as the sharp-tongued judge on BBC One’s hit series Strictly Come Dancing and Strictly Dance Fever. She is a world-renowned choreographer, with her work seen widely in theatre, feature films, concert arenas, television, music videos and commercials.
Over the course of her career, Arlene has received considerable critical acclaim, winning several prestigious awards including a Bafta, an Emmy for best choreography and an OBE for services to dance.
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Arlene on what she's looking for
Arlene wants DanceX to be something exciting, sexy, cool and edgy. "If it’s been done before, there's no point doing it again", she says.
On the contestants
Arlene admits she is nervous about the series. The outcome of DanceX will literally make or break these young performers' careers. Despite what the dancers thought, Arlene believes she was extremely generous with her comments throughout the auditions.
Now, she admits her patience won’t last if any dancers fail to work until they drop. “There are some dancers I worry about, but there’s no time for charity anymore,” she says. “If they are not up to standard I’ll certainly let them know. I’m done with generosity now.” So, if the dancers think they’ve had it bad so far, they haven’t seen anything yet.
On Bruno
Arlene says Bruno hasn't changed at all from the overeager student she first met in 1976. From the moment inquisitive Bruno first walked into her dance class, and proceeded to ask incessant questions, it was immediately apparent what a chatterbox he was. "He started talking then, and he hasn't stopped since!"
On winning
Arlene realises her hard-earned reputation rests on the outcome. "The sleepless nights have begun," she admits. "Of course I want to win. I've always been very competitive and I probably want it more than Bruno."
On Hot Gossip
Arlene started Seventies dance sensation Hot Gossip as a rebellion against the trend in television dance shows where choreography was just about making the dancers smile.
The day after they appeared on The Kenny Everett Video Show, pictures of the girls in their sexy attire filled the front pages of the newspapers and Mary Whitehouse sent a livid letter of complaint, bemoaning the girls' skimpy clothing and sexual moves – a sure sign that the band had made it. The band had a smash hit single, I Lost My Heart To A Starship Trooper, and toured the world before landing their own TV special.
Arlene says: "DanceX is not about recreating Hot Gossip, but finding something new and fresh. We’re looking for cool, hip dancers and singers who have the drive and ambition to make it big and be part of an exciting, modern group. I hope they'll go on to have the same level of success as Hot Gossip."
Ashley Wallen – choreographer, Team Arlene
Ashley is one of the Britain's leading choreographers. He has worked with stars ranging from the Sugababes and Kylie Minogue to Mariah Carey. He is widely viewed as one of the industry's brightest young talents.
Before working with Arlene, Ashley had imagined her to be terrifying, but the reality has pleasantly surprised him. "She's actually a lovely lady," he enthuses. "And creatively she is amazing – top of her game! Her ideas for the show are amazing!"
Because Arlene has had such an illustrious career, Ashley was flattered when she asked him to join her team on DanceX. "Well, our team is fabulous! We've got some exciting ideas and it's going to be very hard for Bruno to beat us."
Joshua Alamu – vocal coach, Team Arlene
Joshua is a well-respected vocal coach who has worked on several major television projects including BBC One's popular celebrity duet series, Just The Two Of Us, and T4's reality show Musicool. He began his career as a backing vocalist, working with top artists including Daniel Bedingfield, All Saints and Take That.
Joshua is not worried that many of the DanceX finalists are scared about singing on national television. He is used to working with people who lack confidence in their singing ability and is convinced the problem can easily be overcome with a combination of good technique, discipline and hard work. Joshua explains: "These guys are all disciplined already because they wouldn’t have reached such a high standard of dance if they weren’t. I can get them singing – and singing well – as long as they apply the same level of discipline to singing as they do to dance."
With Arlene's choreographic cunning and Ashley's blossoming talent, Joshua believes he is in with a winning combination. "I can't wait to work with the team. We're really going to be a force to be reckoned with!"
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