Monday 27 March 2023

Dancing in chiffon and sequins

Did anyone else watch the recent Come Dancing episodes from the 70s which were shown on Sunday evenings at 7.00 on BBC4?  I came across them by chance and was immediately taken back to watching tv with my Gran back in the day.  My Gran went to what she called "sequin dancing" - sequence dancing.  She took me along once, but I have two left feet, so I was not ever invited again.  But she loved Come Dancing on tv.

The wonderful music provided by the likes of Ray McVey and Tony Evans and their bands, Barri Haynes doing the commentary and the incomparable Terry Wogan leading the show - what's not to like for us "oldies".  The music is so nostalgic!

The dancers are wonderful.  At first I wondered why the commentator mentioned the colours of the dresses and then I remembered that some people would still have had black and white tv in those days!  The dresses - all sewn by the dancers and their Mums - are wonderful concoctions of chiffon and sequins.  Each sequin sewn on by hand, of course.

My favourite parts of the show are the formation dancing and the military two step - that's the very formal dance where the men salute.  There's a lovely version on YouTube here.  Such a smart dance, and as for those shiny shoes!  Did you watch the original Come Dancing, or am I just getting very old!!!!!  (Don't answer that!!!)  I hope the BBC show more episodes soon!

Love, Liz

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