Strictly Monday

It's Friday and the week has been odd. Monday night, J and I went to the Liverpool Philharmonic to see, "Dance to the Music," a live show featuring the BBC, Strictly Come Dancing Band, with dancing by Kristina Rihanoff, Robin, (Bobby) Windsor, Kara Tointon and Artem Chigvintsev.

I love live music and it was faultless, the musicians and singers are so talented, but I have to admit that I am spellbound by the dancing.  They chose the most popular songs from every genre and generation and it really was brilliant.  My two favourites were Liverpudlian Tommy Blaize performing a slow version, (which I'd never heard before,) of "My Girl," I found this clip but it was actually better on the night; http://youtu.be/EsHLu1DGHvc , then another of the singers, Tori Beaumont, beautifully perforned in the style of Eva Cassidy, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," to which Kristina and Robin performed, I couldn't say what dance it was, maybe an American Smooth as there were a lot of lifts, all I know is that it was beautiful, moving, stunning to watch.  At the end, most of the audience were moved to give them a standing ovation, it was pure brilliance and emotion on the stage before you.  At the end of the piece, they both left the stage, then Robin returned, breathless but tried, through his heavy breathing to explain that both he and Kristina had  left special people at home, and that they had decided that each night, they would dance that piece for their people, which almost brought back the tears I was trying so hard to temper.

Later, Kristina and Robin danced a contemporarty piece to Christina Perry's "Jar of Hearts."  Again, it was passioinate, moving, breathtaking, and won them another standing ovation.  I've sat in many a Liverpudlian audiance and these special gifts, the standing ovation, is not freely given away, trust me, they were truly deserving.

Kara is the only non professional but she can really hold her own and she does not stand out as a non professional, (she did win Strictly almost two years ago but she is truly talented.)  Artem and Kara, a real life couple in the wake of Strictly, performed a piece that Artem had choreographed for them in Stictly.  It was the first time that a piece of classical music had  been used on Strictly and it was equally stunning in real life, they performed to music from Swan Lake; http://youtu.be/z6ySmDg23k0

We managed to get bracelets backstage to both ladies so I hope they're wearing a little bit of Love Harlow.

It was 11pm before I got home, I had a shower, coffee and a piece of toast then hit the hay by 11.30, of course, I didn't fall asleep straight away so when my alarm went off at 3.50am, I'd had 3.somthing hours sleep.