Strictly Come Dancing Hen Party Dance Class

Strictly Choreographers: Greta & Julia

I've been campaigning for us to do the Strictly party for ages and I was so excited when it was finally selected to be one of the new themes back in 2011. I'm one of those people who dream about appearing on Strictly (Pasha would be my partner and we would be Len's favourites). So, I decided to structure our Strictly hen party so that is is as close as possible to an episode of Strictly Come Dancing, right from the 'nice to see you…', all the way up to 'keeeep dancing'.

Then came the hard bit; choosing which Strictly dances to include! I chose the Latin dances because they are more upbeat and fun for a hen party celebration. Plus, they can be danced out of hold so our groups don't need to dance in pairs the whole time. We kick off with the Salsa; a nice easy start and absolutely anyone can do it. This is followed by the Argentine Tango which is a favourite of mine. I love it when Vincent & Flavia give their 'professionals performance'.  <Julia>, one of our resident choreographers and ex Pineapple Cheerleaders did the Latin choreography. She is a fantastic latin dancer and she did a lot of the work on our Dirty Dancing hen party. She also specialises in Argentine Tango and Swing dance. Julia did a great job on our Strictly hen party. She kept the moves nice and basic but gave our dance teachers the option to add more complex content depending on the level of the hen group. All of our Strictly dance teachers say how well it works for their hen parties which is fantastic.

Next up, my all time favourite Strictly dance: the Charleston. I love this dance because it's so light and fun! The charleston is all about getting into character which I think is more fun for a hen group than technique. Our Charleston is inspired by Chris & Ola's glitter ball winning dance to Bugsy Malone! It is great because not only do we do the signature Charleston steps, we also have a fun bit in the middle where the groups make up their own mini charleston dances and the bride scores them (in the style of the Strictly Judges). It is hilarious. I also love it because lots of our groups come dressed in 1920's charleston costumes so it really feels like we're on Strictly.

I then put a couple of surprises into the party including the chance to learn one of the actual routines from Strictly. I chose one of the most memorable dances ever performed and it is absolute genius - but I'm not allowed to tell you about it on the website as it is meant to be a surprise. Although here is a clue: it includes a bit where you drag your partner across the floor like a sack of potatoes. It is brilliant. (If you especially want to know the full content feel free to phone me or one of the rest of the team in the office and we can of course tell you which routine it is.)

Finally, in celebration of the upcoming wedding, we end the party with a romantic waltz to the beautiful Norah Jones 'Come away with me' inspired by Harry and Aliona. It's a gorgeous end to the show and a lovely cool down for the hen party.

So, that's our Strictly hen party. I hope that I've done the strictly fans proud and that you all love it.