The Return of the Legends – Review – St George’s Hall, Bradford

By Christine Goode, September 2025

I had the pleasure of being in the company of not one but five legends last night! Well, my guest, myself and about a thousand adoring Strictly Come Dancing fans as well. Seasoned dance professionals Brendan Cole, James Jordan, Pasha Kovalev, Vincent Simone and Ian Waite all came together to bring a second spectacular show on the back of last year’s sell-out tour.

The audience was buzzing with excitement, with many groups of friends and couples eagerly awaiting the show. We take our seats, surprised when, instead of the usual pre-show announcement banning photography, we are actually encouraged to take photos and videos throughout the show. The lights go down and a huge cheer fills St George’s Hall. The music starts, and with cameras at the ready, the legends enter onto the stage. The audience go wild – and I mean wild!

Wow! These guys are all in great shape, and dressed to kill, they greet the excited audience and have a bit of cheeky banter with each other before going on to perform a wide variety of dances. With world-class Latin, ballroom, tango and rumba at its finest, they perform as a group and individually with their partners, who also happen to be international, award-winning professional dancers.

“Breathtaking”

The concept of the evening is presented with varying themes. In the first half the stars dance as their film idols – Ian and Brendan as Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly, James and Pasha as John Travolta and Patrick Swayze, and Vincent as the Godfather. With familiar music from the films of their portrayed characters, they receive rapturous applause after each number.

The second half is a mix of music and dance from musicals to current chart music, with something in there for everyone. My favourite of the evening is the rumba, performed by James and his partner Polina Mayer to ‘Lay Me Down’ by Sam Smith, which is simply breathtaking.

The costumes, as one would expect, are super-sparkly and diamanté-encrusted Latin dresses and shirts, as well as classic elegant suits and flowing ballroom dresses – and are fabulous.

The celebrities recall how they started their careers as dancers and then finally ‘got the call’ from the BBC, letting us in on life behind the scenes at Strictly, to life now and how that has led them to their next successful chapter back on stage performing in theatres across the country doing what they love the most. At certain times I did think the chat seemed to take over from the dance, and occasionally the script was repeated, but momentum soon flowed once the dance started again.

“Perform and inspire”

The overall set is great and something you would expect to find in a ’50s-style jazz club, mixed with today’s clever technology, and huge letters that spell out “LEGENDS” in tiny lights add the perfect touch.

Everyone had a thoroughly entertaining night, which was demonstrated by a standing ovation at the end and a dance-along. It is inspiring to see that the love of dance for these five legends has not died, and even into their mid-forties and fifties, the dedication, fitness and diligence is still as strong as ever. May they continue to perform and inspire audiences everywhere, setting a high standard for emerging young dancers who are rising through the ranks, all aspiring to be the next big name in the world of dance.

Christine Goode( Writer )

Christine Goode founded her own dance school – The May School of Dance & Theatre Arts over three decades ago. Her dedication to teaching and love of dance, has created many successful artists in the industry, and she is delighted that many of her former students have now returned with their children, allowing them to also discover this beautiful art. She has choreographed, produced and directed shows over the last 36 years, and is devoted to all live theatre and music. Now in her third year of writing about her obsession with the arts, Christine loves to encourage everyone to see as much live theatre as possible.
maydanceschool.co.uk

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