December 2014 issue!

Posted on December 12, 2014

Our festive December issue is packed with goodies, from a competition in which YOU can dance for Vincent and Flavia to a gorgeously illustrated look at Vernon and Irene Castle, the couple who brought ballroom to the world in the early 20th century. As Strictly Come Dancing goes on its dramatic way, with favourites falling by the wayside on the way to the final, we interview Pixie Lott and Trent Whiddon on training and technique, and hear about the international versions of the hit BBC show, plus much more! Don’t forget that the magazine is now stocked in 80 WHSmith stores. You can also buy your print copy here or your digital copy from all good app stores.

A Whole Lott of Talent

Claire Saul speaks to Pixie Lott and Trent Whiddon about their Strictly experience:

Trent: “At the first Strictly group rehearsal everyone was sizing each other up and Pixie did seem to pick up the choreography quicker than most and to have some natural ability but then I was really surprised when we actually started to get into the dancing…”

Buy your print copy here or your digital copy from all good app stores

Shall We Dance?

In an excerpt from his new book, Douglas Thompson celebrates the impact of Vernon and Irene Castle. Here they are in 1912:

“Women were arrested for wearing too little; their indiscretion apparently an invitation to natural disaster, floods and locusts and the like. The fire-and-brimstone men in the pulpits announced doom: these flimsy fashions were, so to speak, the Devil’s design and it was eternal damnation all round.

“Until Irene Castle took them on parade. She was exempt from damnation. She made it all smart and sensible and wholesome. She was elegant and she was young and she was married. This teenager made change safe; we are told the young are the motive power of history and Vernon and Irene Castle were historic landmarks. She validated the free, modern woman, who must be more engaged with society and men and life than her mother’s generation. It was only the beginning….”

Buy your print copy here or your digital copy from all good app stores

Also in the December issue….

Your time to shine! Dance for Vincent and Flavia in our amazing competition

Phil Meacham reports from the International Championships

Strictly International: Marianka Swain explores a global phenomenon

Gillian Lynne tells us about the creation of Cats, which has given more work to dancers than any other musical

Nerves? Learn how to make the most of them with our report on adrenaline and dancers

ZooNation’s Kate Prince talks about the creation of her latest show, The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party

Plus reports from the Blackpool Sequence Dance Festival and Bateman’s 60th Anniversary Ball, reviews of Dance ’Til Dawn, Dance Proms, The Scottsboro Boys, Made in Dagenham and more, CD and book reviews, Jack Reavely’s memories of the golden age of ballroom, sequence scripts, variations, news, reviews, our in-depth listings pages and more!

Buy now

The December issue is in shops now, or you can buy your print copy here or your digital copy from all good app stores

Zoe Anderson

Zoë was born in Edinburgh, and saw her first dance performances at the Festival there. She is the dance critic of The Independent, and has also written for The Independent on Sunday, The Scotsman and Dancing Times. In 2002, she received her doctorate from the University of York for a thesis on “Nationhood and epic romance: Ariosto, Sidney, Spenser”. She is the author of The Royal Ballet: 75 Years and The Ballet Lover’s Companion.