Strictly Come Dancing is back…and so are the controversies

With all its glitz and glamour, Strictly Come Dancing has returned to cosily ease our passage into the dark, winter nights with a touch of sparkle. But, among the sequins and the fake tan, is the ultimate Saturday night in escapism provoking some thought-provoking social commentaries?

Along with the heel leads, Strictly is making steps towards equality and inclusion showing that, as head judge, Shirley Ballas, puts it: “we can all do what we love”. Stars such as Paralympian, Ellie Simmonds, and deaf actress, Rose Ayling-Ellis, have captured the nation’s hearts. Ayling-Ellis’ success in winning the prestigious Glitterball trophy is proof that Strictly is moving towards offering more inclusive inspiration.

The recent inclusion of same-sex partnerships further demonstrates Strictly’s push for equality. Such partnerships are, in fact, a much truer reflection of the real world of Ballroom and Latin competitions.

“Same-sex partnerships, particularly female-female pairings, are extremely common on the University Dance Circuit”

Ben Jones, President of Leeds University Dancesport Society

Due to the lack of male dancers, the encouragement of these partnerships means that women can compete when they would not have otherwise had the opportunity to do so.

“If Ballroom dancing is to survive, it must be open and accessible to all. Its adaptation to the modern age should not be feared, but rather embraced”

Ben Jones, President of Leeds University Dancesport Society

An image Ben drew my attention to was that of Terpsichore, the Greek muse of dance whose name literally means ‘Delight in Dancing’. I think it is worth reminding viewers that this is exactly what we have seen in Richie and Giovanni’s quickstep and in Jayde and Karen’s Flashdance inspired routine. Their dancing encapsulates what Strictly is all about: embracing the rhythm of the music, abandoning fear and leaving inhibitions at the door.

Unfortunately, this liberal mindset does not seem to extend to many of the young female contestants who possess the confidence to match their talent. Year after year, the voting public seem strangely disengaged with certain self-assured women and find their pride unappealing. Alexandra Burke, for example, consecutively found herself in the bottom two during the 2017 series and received harmful comments from online trolls, despite being a captivating dancer at the top end of the leaderboard. In 2020, Eastenders star Maise Smith, who was just 19 at the time, found herself in the same situation despite repeatedly receiving near perfect scores from the judges. This year I fear that we are to experience dancing déjà vu as performer Fleur East also found herself in the dance-off in Movie Week.

But, isn’t being confident in our own abilities to avoid losing ourselves in a spiral of self-doubt exactly what we are trying to teach the next generation, whose low self-esteem we are already concerned about? Of course, arrogance is certainly not what we are aiming for, but neither is the excessive praising of humility to the point of losing sight of our own self-worth. Why then, I ask, are we still criticising the women who show the very qualities that we are intending to endorse?

Notwithstanding these concerns, there is no doubt that Strictly brings a simple yet magical feeling of comfort and happiness to millions of viewers around the country each week with its sparkle, shimmer and smiles. It is a celebration of dance and the joy that it brings, and, I, for one, cannot wait to keep watching… and ‘Keep Dancing!’