Snippets: DWTS (Katherine's trouser trouble) Ex-Strictly champs; aspiring theatre stars

Katherine Jenkins and Mark Ballas made it through to the semi final of Dancing With The Stars - despite the best efforts of a wardrobe malfunction!

A beautifully swirly and romantic Viennese Waltz netted them 26 points - I must admit the getting in and out of the floor lift detracted a bit for me too - but it was still a lovely VW with plenty of movement.

They then took on the challenge of a feisty triple cha cha with an interloper - starting in a suit which made way for the normal fringy number, one of the trouser legs wrapped itself around Kath's pin and refused to let go! How she managed to keep on the beat was brilliant and she picked her moment to kick it away perfectly. The judges scored them a  near perfect 29, excellent technique and sassiness, a cool head too.

Tom Chambers received the blessing of Fred Astaire's daughter, Ava, in his West End show Top Hat.

Kara and Artem will be taking part in the Jubilee Family Festival in London.

West End Kids will be running the WEK: Summer Intensive this summer, in London from 31st July -5th August, for young musical theatre performers in the UK, aspiring for professional careers within Musical Theatre, Dance and the performing arts.

The West End Kids reflect individual talent, hard work, training, athleticism, teamwork, dedication and dazzling performance skills to young performers aged 10-21 years.

Register now for Auditions in Manchester on Wednesday 6th June and in London on Thursday 7th June.

For further info call 020 8123 2025 or send an email to: auditions@westendkids.co.uk

Purestar Productions Summer Workshop: Learn to dance like the stars of MTV with a workshop on Saturday, 25th August that will end in a showcase!

Open to all dancers: 7-10 yrs, 11-15 yrs and 16+.

Times: 9.30am to 6pm. Cost for day: £35.

Venue: Barrington Theatre, Ferndown, Dorset.

Features the Purestar Dance Team who have worked with artists such as Kylie Minogue, Madonna, Usher and Justin Timberlake.

For more info send an email to : timnoble@purestarproductions.com or call 07886 969 713.

Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two - Choreography Centre Stage

Aleames on the sofa and Alex (Alex says Relax) is still speechless and can't remember anything except that she did enjoy it! James (Top of the whirled) says that as a teacher, to take her from Bambi to Wembley has made him very proud, properly emotional - no, it's dust in the air. Yeah right! Seriously, he went home and cried after their first three days training because he just didn't know what to do! The self-deprecating talk from Alex was because she was absolutely shocking! With them, Robinita, Robbiola and Russia all accounted for first during the Moment of Truth, the Big4 Gladiators would have known how they all feel every week! Less golf, more dancing - he's on his phone and she's having to nag - Charleston this week, should suit her quirky and scatty nature. He hadn't actually told her about the swingathon until today!

Who is it? Passionate about skincare - a slave to fake tan - catchphrase "this is the best thing ever" - it's a tall she: Has to be Natalie, and it is.

Karen Hardy's Choreography Corner: Take a snapshot of the arena - lots of choice: top stage, centre stage, surrounding arena floor - who made the most of it? Pashee brave, she owned her solo section, confident, strong; Jastina lifting it higher every week, the spring in the kicks the swing, he's learning everything, taking it deeper, we love it because of those little extras; Harriona unravelling, risky, lots of what ifs, always bringing more; Robbiola, if ever you'd pay to see an opening, that would be it, performed to the crowd, incredibly difficult lifts, physically in overdrive; Robinita clever rolling in/off the arms, the huge space a struggle for Anita to keep up, may have been better to keep her centre stage; Artolly tricky, near on impossible - the pirouette on the steps. Shot of the night, them heading towards centre stage, a Hollywood entrance! Big floor, big moment, perfect for pro dancers - fantastic first class routine, maybe a step too far for Holly.

Pashee have Argentine Tango this week, roving reporter Vincent tells us step by step: It's all about the man chasing the woman to possess her! Signature move: Ganchos - those snappy leg hooks; sacada - the displacement of each others feet; calesita - man lifts the lady slightly, she's still while he moves around her; planeo - standing on one leg, the other pointed to side while the partner runs around, turning them. Let yourself go with the music, feel each others heart beat!

Top of the Frocks with Amanda Wakely and Oonagh: Top tip - make the woman wear the dress, not the other way around. Chelsee's really clever, flattering, elongated, stretch satin, well designed so Union Jack not distorted, slits, 4000 crystals, feathers emphasising hips, 2 metres of boas cut into strips; Holly's not strictly a dress *groan* 2 pieces, leotard base echo of twinset, 5 layers, georgette, satin, organza, green and blue; Alex's rather beautiful, clever illusion of bare back, elegant, 8 panels of white satin, slight flare, organza, 42 metres, crinoline, writing to keep away from legs!

In other news: The line up so far for the live shows is all revealed - Nancy&Artem; Jastina; Harriona; Mark Foster and Katya; Pashee; Robbie&Natalie; Robinita. Len, Bruno and Craig are judging, with Kate Thornton presenting.

Sir Brucie will be appearing at the Royal Albert Hall in his own headline show on May 3rd next year.

Interview with former Strictly champ, Tom Chambers, about Top Hat.

It's dancing musical chairs, as Christine Bleakley is to replace Holly Willoughby in Dancing on Ice, while Holly signs up to present The Voice.

Eastender's Charlie Brooks has apparently signed for the Strictly Christmas Special

And last I heard, Keith Chegwin was still thereabouts in the Dancing on Ice mix, irrespective of injury!

Snippets: Tom & Summer; Kara & Artem

Top Hat, starring Series 6 Strictly Come Dancing winner Tom Chambers and Summer Strallen, will begin rehearsals in July, with the tour to follow in August - and, I'm so excited - it's coming to Canterbury!

Top Hat isn't a biography of Fred and Ginger though, it's a reworking of their film, with a few extra, iconic songs thrown in! Here are some more details, courtesy of an interview with Summer.

And last series Strictly winner, Kara Tointon, who will be guest starring in new supernatural drama, Bedlam, has revelead she's eating like an elephant (is that more or less than a horse?) since touring with Artem: “It's fantastic. We’ve been doing the Strictly tour together and I’ll be devastated if I stop dancing, because it’s a great way to stay in shape and I can eat anything I want!”

On changing her eating habits, Kara added: “My sister [The Inbetweeners star] Hannah noticed I’ve been eating more and said: ‘You know you don’t have to eat everything Artem eats?’ I heard that a whole night of intense dancing can burn 10,000 calories, so I’ve been eating like an elephant.”

Isn't it marvellous to hear a 'starlet' enthusing about food! No size zero any time soon for Kara, what a terrific role model *applauds*. Thanks to www.twitter.com/TheSun_Buzz for that little snippet :-)

South Bank Sky Arts Awards - Tuesday

The South Bank Sky Arts Awards are upon us on Tuesday, having found a new home – note the ‘Sky’ slipped in there – but still with Master Melvyn at the helm. (Sky Arts channel, 9pm).

Nominated in the Dance category are: Abstract ballet Asphodel Meadows by Liam Scarlett; Hofesh Shechter’s Political Mother; Akram Khan’s Gnosis

And in Pop, the nominees are: Plan B for The Defamation of Strickland Banks; Foals for Total Life Forever; Tinie Tempah for Disc-overy.

I’m no expert in the arts but I thought I’d take a moment to chat about someone from the world of dance who crept into my consciousness last year and whose work I wish I could see more of: Matthew Bourne.

Matthew made an impression on me during the first UK series of So You Think You Can Dance last year, when the last five boys had the chance to showcase their skills via his stunning interpretation of Swan Lake. Considering there was only one natural ballet dancer among them it became one of my favourite routines from the whole series.

Then of course, I found that snippet where he praised Tom Chambers – would you believe, even now, there are still those who can’t admit that Tom can dance and seem to think SCD Series 6 was won by the wrong person! Crazy, isn’t it? How can you argue though, with someone of Matthew’s calibre?

Matthew, as you see, isn’t nominated in this year’s South Bank Awards; I expect they’re saving him up for a lifetime achievement award! As ‘probably the world’s most successful choreographer’, he’d get my vote!