''The Strictly'' is a signature dance routine from the BBC show ''

Strictly Come Dancing ''Strictly Come Dancing'' (informally known as ''Strictly'') is a British dance contest show in which celebrities partner with professional dancers to compete in mainly ballroom and Latin dance. Each couple is scored by a panel of usually 4 ...

'', which launched in the 13th series of the popular entertainment show. The dance was devised by ''Strictly Come Dancings Director of Choreography,

Jason Gilkison Jason Gilkison is an Australian professional ballroom dance champion and choreographer. Early life Gilkison was born in Perth, Australia. He was raised by his single mum, Kay. At age 4, he began dancing at the Perth ballroom dance studio, fo ...

and draws inspiration from some of the show's most iconic moves, as well as celebrating some of the show's stars.

Background

A fragment of the dance first appeared in the professional's opening Strictly Express group number in the season premiere on 5 September 2015. It was referred to explicitly for the first time by Tess Daly on 3 October 2015 after the judges danced on performing some of the signature moves and discussed further the following week on the programme's sister show, '' Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two''. On 9 October 2015 a tutorial appeared on the BBC's website and iPlayer platform hosted by two of Strictly's professional dancers, Natalie Lowe and Tristan MacManus. The dance is intended to be performed to the ''Strictly'' theme tune, and is made up of eight simple moves which repeat: the Samba Point, the Charleston, the Shimmy, the Lasso, the Samba Bounce, the Russell Grant, the Anton Flirt,

Judy Murray Judith Mary Murray, OBE (née Erskine; born 8 September 1959) is a Scottish tennis coach. She is the mother of professional tennis players Jamie and Sir Andy Murray. Life and career Murray was born on 8 September 1959 in Bridge of Allan, Sti ...

, and the finale which can be either the Claudia (an embrace and a leg kick), the

Tess Tess or TESS may refer to: Music * Tess (band), a Spanish pop band active from 2000 to 2005 * TESS (musician), a UK musician Film and theatre * ''Tess'' (1979 film), a 1979 film adaptation of '' Tess of the d'Urbervilles'' * ''Tess'' (2016 film) ...

(an embrace and a leg lift) or the

Brucie ''Brucepattersonius'' is a genus of rodents within the tribe Akodontini from southeastern South America. Also known as brucies, the genus is named after Bruce Patterson, MacArthur Curator at the Department of Zoology (Mammals), at the Field Muse ...

(an embrace and a lean forward).

How To Do The Strictly

# Samba Point: Step across with your left foot and tap with your right. Stretch your left arm skyward. Repeat the step on your opposite leg. # The Charleston: Swing your left leg to the right and then back again. Swing your arms in the opposite direction to your left leg. # Samba Point: Step across with your left foot and tap with your right. Stretch your left arm skyward. Just think Saturday Night Fever. Repeat the step on your opposite leg. # Shimmy: Shimmy your shoulders and step around in a box step. # Lasso: Offer your right hand, partner to take hand before and bring them around your body in 6 steps. # Samba Bounce: Bounce in to meet hands and then out again. # Russell Grant: Face your lovely partner and roll those arms in front of your chest. # Anton Flirt: Wiggle your hips. If you're not the wriggler, turn in a circle. Repeat steps 1 - 5. # Judy Murray: Push in for two and out for two. # The Claudia: Finish with an embrace and leg kick, or; The Tess: Finish with an embrace and leg lift; or, The Brucie: Finish with an embrace and forward lean.

Other instances

Various other BBC shows and stars have performed the routine. Notable examples include the cast of ''

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the Ea ...

'', ''

Casualty Casualty may refer to: *Casualty (person), a person who is killed or rendered unfit for service in a war or natural disaster **Civilian casualty, a non-combatant killed or injured in warfare * The emergency department of a hospital, also known as ...

'', ''

Holby City ''Holby City'' (stylised on-screen as HOLBY CIY) is a British medical drama television series that aired weekly on BBC One. It was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama ''Casualty'', and pr ...

'', ''

Teletubbies ''Teletubbies'' is a British children's television series created by Anne Wood and Andrew Davenport for the BBC. The programme focuses on four differently coloured characters known as the Teletubbies, named after the television screens on th ...

'' and ''

Danger Mouse Danger Mouse may refer (or appear in) to: * ''Danger Mouse'' (1981 TV series), a 1981 British animated television series * ''Danger Mouse'' (2015 TV series), a 2015 reboot of the British animated television series * Danger Mouse (musician) (born ...

''. On 19 October,

British Airways British Airways (BA) is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a populati ...

published a video featuring their staff performing The Strictly at

Heathrow Airport Heathrow Airport (), called ''London Airport'' until 1966 and now known as London Heathrow , is a major international airport in London, England. It is the largest of the six international airports in the London airport system (the others be ...

. On 28 November, a celebration film was published that highlights some key performances of the dance by TV stars and fans of the show.

References

Dances Strictly Come Dancing {{UK-reality-tv-prog-stub