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Arlene Phillips

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Template:Short description Template:EngvarB Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox person Dame Arlene Phillips Template:Postnominals (born 22 May 1943)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> is an English choreographer, theatre director, talent scout, former television judge, presenter, and dancer. She reached mainstream fame on television as a judge on Strictly Come Dancing (2004-2008) and So You Think You Can Dance (2010-2011). She has also achieved success as a stage choreographer on musicals including Starlight Express (1987), Grease (1993 and 2022), Saturday Night Fever (1998), and Guys and Dolls (2023).

Early lifeEdit

Phillips was born on 22 May 1943 in Prestwich, Lancashire.<ref name="celeb">Template:Cite news</ref> She has a brother, Ian and a sister, Karen. She attended Broughton Preparatory School, Cheetham Hill, Manchester;<ref name="pass"/> Beaver Road Primary School, Didsbury;<ref name="pass"/> and Manchester Central High School for Girls<ref name="pass"/> after passing the eleven plus exam.<ref name="pass">Template:Cite news</ref> When Phillips was 15, her mother, who had been suffering from leukaemia, died aged 43 just before Phillips was due to take her exams.<ref name="pass"/>

Phillips originally wanted to be a ballet dancer and began dance classes at the age of three, receiving a grant from the local council to study ballet and tap dance at the Muriel Tweedy School in Manchester after leaving school at 16.<ref name="pass"/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Her mother had always expressed a desire to dance, which inspired Phillips into pursuing dance professionally.<ref name="pass"/>

Professional careerEdit

Phillips is internationally renowned as a choreographer and director of West End and Broadway musicals, but has many other professional credits.<ref name="pass"/> In her mid-teens, Phillips moved to London.<ref name="hall">Template:Cite news</ref> where she developed her own style of jazz dance, strongly influenced by American Modern Jazz dance popular in London at that time.<ref name="hall"/> She went on to teach her style of jazz dance at The Dance Centre, later named Pineapple Dance Studios in Covent Garden,<ref name="hall"/> and at the Italia Conti Stage School,<ref name="hall"/> so establishing herself as a successful teacher and choreographer.<ref name="hall"/>

Phillips was assistant choreographer on the 1982 film Annie<ref name="hall"/> and the promotional video for the Duran Duran song The Wild Boys, named Best British Video at the 1985 BRIT Awards.<ref name="hall"/> In the summer of 1996, she was stage director on the opening run of Michael Flatley's Irish dance show, Lord of the Dance at Dublin's Point Theatre.<ref name="speak"/>

Phillips choreographed the 2002 Commonwealth Games opening and closing ceremonies <ref name="hall"/> alongside fellow Mancunian, David Zolkwer.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

From 2004 to 2008, she was a judge on the BBC One show Strictly Come Dancing,<ref name="hall"/> and commented on the acts in Eurovision: Your Country Needs You for the BBC in 2009.<ref name="hall"/> In 2008, she created, produced, and choreographed the ITV television serial Britannia High.<ref name="hall"/>

Following Phillips's appearance on Your Country Needs You, she choreographed the performance of the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> She went on to choreograph Engelbert Humperdinck's performance of the UK entry in the 2012 contest in Baku.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In March 2013, Arlene appeared on Let's Dance For Comic Relief in the Dance Judge Panel with Greg James and Lee Mack.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Hot GossipEdit

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} In Britain, Phillips first became a household name as the director and choreographer of Hot Gossip, a British dance troupe which she formed in 1974.<ref name="pass"/> The group's performances were considered risqué at the time.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Hot Gossip spent two years performing in a London night club where Phillips and her manager developed the group's dance act.<ref name="pass"/>

Strictly Come DancingEdit

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} Phillips was a member of the inaugural judging panel between 2004 and 2008 for the BBC television series Strictly Come Dancing, alongside fellow judges Len Goodman, Craig Revel Horwood, and Bruno Tonioli.<ref name="hall"/><ref name="mirror"/>

In 2005 and 2006, Phillips was a judge for the spin-off series Strictly Dance Fever, which was also created by the BBC to seek dancers wishing to join the chorus of a West End musical.<ref name="hall"/> Later in 2007, she created and judged another BBC dance series, DanceX, a show formed to find a new commercial dance act. After the initial audition process, the competitors were split into two troupes of dancers, with Phillips mentoring one troupe and the other being mentored by her fellow Strictly Come Dancing judge Bruno Tonioli. The two troupes competed live on television each week, with Tonioli's troupe being the eventual winners.<ref name="hall"/>

Departure from Strictly Come DancingEdit

After the close of the 2008 series of Strictly Come Dancing, the BBC announced that several changes would be made to refresh the show in 2009.<ref name="drop"/> This led to a great deal of speculation in the media that Phillips might be dropped from the judging panel, but the BBC refused to respond to reports. They finally confirmed the news at the launch of their autumn schedule on 9 July 2009:<ref name="drop">Template:Cite news</ref> she was replaced by former Strictly winner Alesha Dixon.<ref name="drop"/> The news led to much criticism being directed towards the BBC for its apparent discrimination against older women on television; the BBC, however, strongly denied this.<ref name="drop"/><ref name="age"/>

The replacement of Phillips led to an unprecedented intervention from the then Minister for Women and Equality, Harriet Harman.<ref name="age"/> During a session in the House of Commons, Harman responded to questions stating that she believed the decision to drop Arlene Phillips was motivated by age discrimination, and called on the BBC to ensure that she would be taking part in the new series.<ref name="age">Template:Cite news</ref> The BBC did not formally respond to Harman's request, but repeated its comments that the decision was not due to age.<ref name="age"/>

Later activitiesEdit

In October 2009, Phillips appeared on the first episode of the 38th series of the satirical show Have I Got News for You.<ref name="mirror"/> Between April and July 2010, she made nine guest panellist appearances on ITV's flagship show Loose Women.<ref name="mirror">Template:Cite news</ref>

Britannia HighEdit

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} In 2007, Phillips became the Executive Producer and Creative Director for the ITV television series Britannia High. The show was a fictional drama about the lives of six students at a London performing arts school. Based on an idea by Phillips and West End producer David Ian, the series was marketed as the UK's answer to Disney's High School Musical. The show's music was created and written by hit songwriter, and Take That frontman, Gary Barlow.<ref name="speak">Template:Cite news</ref>

So You Think You Can Dance?Edit

Phillips has also been a judge on the UK version of So You Think You Can Dance?. The show's original creator Nigel Lythgoe is head judge on the series, and Phillips is joined on the panel by pop singer Louise Redknapp, and dancer and choreographer Sisco Gomez. Phillips's appointment as judge for the series came soon after the controversy over her departure from Strictly Come Dancing. The first episode aired on BBC One in January 2010, and a second series in 2011.<ref name="mirror"/>

Gala for GrenfellEdit

In July 2017, Phillips announced a dance gala to raise funds for those affected by the Grenfell Tower fire.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Gala for Grenfell took place on 30 July 2017 at the Adelphi Theatre, London and included stars from Strictly Come Dancing, The Royal Ballet and Sir Matthew Bourne's New Adventures company. Phillips said of the dancers taking part "They’re just doing it as themselves because each of the dancers is giving a gift and I want you to see them, and that they’re doing it for the love".<ref name="gren"/> The proceeds from the event went to the Kensington & Chelsea Foundation, the charity running the Grenfell Tower Fund.<ref name="gren">Template:Cite news</ref>

Spoken word tourEdit

In 2017, Phillips embarked on a UK-wide spoken word tour, in conversation with Jacquie Storey.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Holding Back the YearsEdit

In 2017, Phillips was a presenter on the BBC One series Holding Back the Years.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!Edit

In November 2021, Phillips at the age of 78 became the oldest ever contestant to appear on ITV's I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!.<ref name="mirror2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The record was formerly held by Stanley Johnson who took part in the 17th series of the show at the age of 77.<ref name="mirror2"/> Phillips participated in series 21 of the show and was the first celebrity eliminated.<ref name="mirror3">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Dancing on IceEdit

On 20 February 2022, Phillips joined ITV's Dancing on Ice as a guest Judge for Musicals week.

Toys the MusicalEdit

On 10 October 2024, Phillips joined Toys<ref name="pump1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> as the executive co-producer.<ref name="wbc1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Phillips said at the time "I’ve been involved with Toys for many years, with the super talented and much missed Phil Edwards. I am delighted that Paul Morrissey and I can start the adventure of Toys coming to life and I’m thrilled to be producing this show with him." Toys only played for a short period with one reviewer writing "Although the story is a bit challenging to follow and there is lots of exposition to digest, there’s also lots of heart and thoughtful life lessons about the value of toys as therapeutic tools as well as playthings."<ref name="fringe1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

HonoursEdit

Phillips was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2001 Birthday Honours.

Phillips was made Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2013 New Year Honours for services to dance and charity,<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref>

She became Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2021 Birthday Honours for services to dance and charity.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Personal lifeEdit

Phillips has been in a relationship with Angus Ion, a set builder, since 1985. The couple first met on the set of the music video for the Freddie Mercury song "I Was Born to Love You".<ref name="mirror"/>

Alana Dancing Star booksEdit

In 2010, Phillips wrote a series of children's fiction books. Alana Dancing Star is a series of six books, in which the title character explores different genres of dance. The series covers ballroom dance, samba, hip-hop, Bollywood, Broadway, and tango. In summer 2011, one of the books, Viennese Waltz, was selected to be part of Richard and Judy's Summer Children's Reading List.<ref name="pass"/>

DiscographyEdit

Year Title UK Chart Position
1982 Keep in Shape System with Arlene Phillips citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

1984 Keep in Shape System Volume 2 No. 100<ref name="officialcharts"/>

Theatre creditsEdit

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Film creditsEdit

Awards and nominationsEdit

Year Award Category Work Result Ref
1987 41st Tony Awards Best Choreography Starlight Express Broadway Template:Nom <ref name="tony">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

1994 1994 Laurence Olivier Awards Best Theatre Choreographer Grease (musical) Dominion Theatre Template:Nom <ref name="ipswich">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

1999 1999 Laurence Olivier Awards Best Theatre Choreographer Saturday Night Fever (musical) London Palladium Template:Nom <ref name="ipswich"/>
2006 The Theatre Carl Alan Awards Outstanding Services Award Career achievement Template:Won <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

2023 2023 WhatsOnStage Awards Best Choreography Grease, Dominion Theatre Template:Won <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

2023 2023 Laurence Olivier Awards Special Recognition award Career achievement Template:Won <ref name="speak"/><ref name="recognise">Template:Cite news</ref>
2024 2024 Laurence Olivier Awards Best Theatre Choreographer Guys and Dolls (2023), Bridge Theatre Template:Won <ref name="bury">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

See alsoEdit

ReferencesEdit

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External linksEdit

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