BBC One heads to the Blackpool Dance Festival

Prepare to swing your hips, move those feet, and feel the heat…

BBC One viewers of a certain age will remember the weekly BBC One visit to the Tower Ballroom in Blackpool for the original Come Dancing in the 1980s and 90s, and annually its reboot Strictly Come Dancing pays a semi-final sage visit. However the resort is much more than just that when it comes to making moves on the dancefloor

Once a year, the best ballroom and Latin dancers from across the globe quickstep their way to Britain’s very own Blackpool, to take part in the most prestigious competition – the British Open Championships at the Blackpool Dance Festival. For the dance world this is Wimbledon, this is Wembley, this is the Tour de France… it doesn’t get any better.

For nearly 100 years it has been one of Britain’s best kept secrets. But this time, BBC One is invited to join in.

Blackpool’s Dance Fever is the behind-the-scenes story of Latin and Ballroom in Blackpool – waltz and all… and a front-row seat to see how Strictly Stars are born.

Along the way the one-off programme meets some of the Latin dancers preparing for this year’s Blackpool, like south Londoners Oskar and Lauren. An accountant and estate agent by day, at night they transform into sizzling samba dancers.

Rebecca and Lloyd from Wales are competing against Tal and Ilana from New Jersey – all desperate to be finalists in the Amateur Latin competition. And South African Darren and his Ukranian girlfriend Marina want a top place in the Professional Latin event – the crème de la crème.

This is a truly international event: dancers from more than 60 countries have come to the seaside town, bringing passion and glamour, tears, triumphs and tribulations. Not to mention gallons of fake tan and hair spray! We follow them and their dreams to Blackpool, to see exactly what it takes to become the very best. Once these guys swing their hips, nothing is going to stand in their way, not even stiletto-stabbed ankles or double hip surgery.  – BBC

Blackpool’s ballroom and Latin heritage is a Great British success story; the iconic ballrooms at the Winter Gardens and the Tower have inspired dancers for more than a century. And just as Blackpool’s has worldwide renown when it comes to dancing, so do British coaches, who work behind the scenes to prepare dancers for Blackpool.

We meet 16-times World Champion Donnie Burns, from Scotland, known as the King of Latin. Dancers from around the world flock to his LA home for lessons. Fellow Brit, Richard Porter, teaches in Florida. Richard coached Strictly Stars like James Jordan, Neil Jones and Katya and Amy Dowden. Blackpool’s Dance Fever is an insightful and thrilling glimpse into an iconic and little-known world. – BBC

Blackpool’s Dance Fever, tonight (Monday, August 29th) at 8 pm on BBC One.