Unfortunately we've seen the original advert as well - likelihood is it does mean Ten Dancers in the dancing sense, but it's not at all clear whether it does or not - it could just as easily mean 10 dancer slots to be filled.

I agree with you on the inventive pro dances to a certain extent - they're always good when they're doing routines to show tunes (Sweet Charity, Chicago) or inventive numbers like the Hollywood one. But to make them all so different would be a mistake as well i think - arguably the most popular and best pro dance ever is their series 5 jive to Rebel Yell, which was just pure, quality dancing to fantastic choreography which was done by Matt and Nicole (I think), showing just what the pros are capable of doing with a standard dance.

I think the confusion over what '10 dancers' means sounds right.

Another possibility is the BBC might be going down the DWTS route by signing more pros, so that some actually take part in the competition and others work in the background throughout the series on choreography and training.

The advert does say 'to partner celebrities' though, which if that is the case would be pushing the current pros into background roles - which is demeaning to them. Then again, they have done that to Karen already

Well goodbye strictly !!!! I won't be tuning in anymore

Article also says the producer will be holding meetings with the current crop of faces to see who gets the chop........looks like we might find out sooner father than later !

I did miss that tbh, but maybe that's the aim and some will end up being on the live shows and some will be in the background? *grasping at straws*

I do hope we find out long before we find out which celebs are taking part. I suspect we'll only find out if it gets leaked, which it probably will, everything else seems to.
Just got to wait now...

Agreed my stand out No 1 dance of last year for all those reasons plus it was new and inventive for SCD.


For SCD to work over here there has to be a blend of the inventive,modern (ie Hip Hop Samba) with traditional (Rebel Yell Jive), if the BBC try to turn SCD into a version of DWTS which seems much more showy,gimicky and brash it won't work,its a delicate blend but getting rid of certain long standing,popular very versatile Pros is not the answer.

Its seems to me that at every event a pro does someone always asks the question are you taking part in strictly this year? , so unless they lie and go down the route of I'm not sure, I'm assuming we'd find out quite soon .

Also, A DANCE TROUPE !!!! WTF so we're gonna get strictly's answer to pans people now are we, oh joy ! that will pull in the viewers !

The Pros don't normally know if they will definately be re-contracted until June/July.

I wouldn't be sure unless i'd signed on the dotted line no matter what has been said verbally........

Looks like the serious hype is starting early this year!

If I was one of the pros offered a contract i wouldn't sign on the dotted line unless it was 100% confirmed that they won't be thrown into the background/just doing the pro dances!

Yep lot of speculation on here last year esp with Karen,people saying she had said herself she was in etc etc,but she had not actually said she was taking part as a Pro with a Celeb in the traditional sense (she meant her role on ITT),no one knows unless you see a pro yourself actually say they are taking part as a Pro with a Celeb on SCD.

.........and thats months off

Can't imagine them paying another pro/s just to do pro dances when they have the current pros (who do both pro dances and pro/celeb dances) over a barrell pay/employment wise .

If there was a danger of doing just pro dances the pros would know from the money offered (not as much) and i doubt would sign ...............likewise i doubt any pro would sign just to dance with their celeb,no pro is going to risk getting knocked out first week with no other work booked (outside of SCD) and no exposure/pro dances on SCD for the following 3 months.

The in and out of Pros has been present since series 2 onwards. Vincent and Flavia, for example, have been a revelation and Brian and Kristina are very popular. Of course, a lot of the current pros should not be removed but we should be used to change by now. Not all of it is bad.

I remember! I think the 'Karen' discussion started as early as January after a student in her class posted.

Just because the pros haven't stated a fact on camera on the show, doesn't mean they haven't said as much in private to those of us who work with them, and know them personally.

As to the lack of British dancers - it is a long story; if you really want to know send me a PM and I'll gladly explain.

That's fine, but I'd personally appreciate it if you'd say that it was told to you - most of us aren't lucky enough to know the professionals personally, so hints that people know more than us are a bit annoying, even though I'm sure they're not intended to be that way. I don't mind that you can't say any more because it was told to you privately, but either please say that or else it doesn't really need said at all, otherwise we're perfectly justified in asking for a source for information.

You are right, I apologise.

Things to be borne in mind

DWTS has had its own cull - with fewer couples BUT most of the pros who left have already appeared (by week three) in the interval dances etc. alongside competing/eliminated pros

Many of DWTS' current and former pros are not Americans but dancers from across the world (mainly Europe) performing in America - just as we have a number of dancers from overseas performing in SCD

I agree with those who think having a couple of these, or dancers like them, would be good for the show - and I'd like to think that it is unlikely to be a "total wipeout" of the current crew.

If they recruit a load of American dancers and replace all of our current pros with this 'troupe', I simply will not watch

I never watch DWTS but going by the Tour, having non competing professionals performing the pro dances seems a good idea to me instead of all the hurried costume changes etc - but won't it be cost-prohibitive?

I don't think the costume changes have ever caused a problem on Strictly, seems a bit of an excuse for hiring new pros rather than actually a necessity...

It's in the Sun, that oh so reliable source of information, so take it with a pinch of salt

Last years SCD wasn't a particularly good series in terms of organization at all. Don't let a popular winner paper over the cracks. The problems were still there.

If there are to be changes, I'll wait and see who is replaced and who with before switching off, but I think as usual the Beeb are missing the point. The problems last series weren't with the current crop of pros but the organization of the programme itself. Why can't the Beeb see what is blatantly obvious to the rest of us?????

I agree ... the pros we just about the only thing right with SCD last year in my opinion.

Tbh I'm not convinced that any of the pro's are that much more or less popular than the others, at least not popular enough in their own right to carry a donkey through to the Strictly Final...

However, those that have their own cabaret shows - which is most if not all of them as far as I know - don't seem to have a problem in selling tickets, which suggests to me that they're popular enough for it to get up an awful lot of noses if the beeb were dumb enough to replace them wholesale.