 |
The Partnership Best known to the public as professional dancers on the hit BBC programme Strictly Come Dancing, Anton Du Beke and Erin Boag first made their names in the highly competitive world of international dance competitions as both amateurs and professionals, winning many highly prestigious titles. They have danced together since their first meeting in 1997 when Erin moved to London from her native New Zealand. The couple had already established themselves as one of the most popular on the professional circuit even before they were one of the first couples invited to create the hit BBC programme, Strictly Come Dancing in 2004. Their celebrity partners have been Lesley Garrett, Esther Rantzen, Patsy Palmer, Jan Ravens, Kate Garraway, Gillian Taylforth and Laila Rouass for Anton and Martin Offiah, Julian Clary, Colin Jackson, Peter Schmeichel, Willie Thorne, Austin Healey and Ricky Groves for Erin. Erin reached the Final of the second and third series with Julian and Colin respectively and was the winner of the 2006 Christmas Special with Colin. Early in 2009 Anton and Erin made a two part series for Sky 1, Ballroom High in which they trained teenagers from one of London's more underprivileged areas to dance well enough to appear in a show at Blackpool's Tower Ballroom in less than a month. Other notable appearances, both as couples and individuals, include the 2004 Royal Variety Performance, BBC TV’s Test the Nation, Celebrity Star Spell, The Weakest Link and ITV’s Loose Women and GMTV. Anton has been featured as a guest presenter in City Hospital and King of the Waltzes with Lesley Garrett and took part in the BBC2 series Underdogs and Let Me Entertain You. In 2008 he became the presenter for the new BBC2 daytime series Step up to the Plate and also Team Captain for BBC1’s Hole in the Wall returning to host the show in 2009. Erin was the anchor woman for The Big Dance 2008 in Trafalgar Square, was the face of and participated in the 2009 Playtex Moonwalk, created educational exercise for Improvement through Movement a DVD for osteoporosis sufferers, appeared in the BBC Science programme The Truth about You and is ambassador and spokesperson for Move It 2010. Both Anton and Erin have appeared as regular guests and coaches on BBC’s Strictly Dance Fever. The couple have choreographed the hit touring show ‘Simply Ballroom’ - directed by Alan Harding. In the autumn of 2007, Anton’s book ‘Anton’s Dance Class’ was published by Kyle Cathie, Erin’s DVD ‘Simply Come Dancersize’ was released by 2|Entertain and a DVD of ‘Simply Ballroom’ by Universal. In January 2009 Anton and Erin took their own show – ‘Anton and Erin Cheek to Cheek’ around the UK and into the London Coliseum as part of the Sadlers Wells Spring Dance season. In early 2010 they returned to touring once again with a new show Steppin' Out with Anton and Erin. Last updated: 11th Mar 2010 |
|
