Arlene Phillips facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Arlene Phillips
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Phillips in 2009
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| Born | 22 May 1943 Prestwich, Lancashire, England
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| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Choreographer |
| Years active | 1976–present |
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Notable work
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Annie Starlight Express Saturday Night Fever Hot Gossip Loose Women Strictly Come Dancing So You Think You Can Dance We Will Rock You |
| Partner(s) | Angus Ion (1985–present) |
| Awards | Laurence Olivier Award Carl Alan Award |
Dame Arlene Phillips is a famous English choreographer, director, and TV personality. She was born on May 22, 1943. She became well-known as a judge on the TV show Strictly Come Dancing. She also judged So You Think You Can Dance.
Arlene Phillips has created dances for many popular musicals. These include Starlight Express, Grease, and Saturday Night Fever. She has also directed shows and helped find new talent.
Contents
Early Life and Dance Dreams
Arlene Phillips was born in Prestwich, Lancashire, England. She has a brother named Ian and a sister named Karen. She went to different schools in Manchester.
When Arlene was 15, her mother passed away. This happened just before her exams. Arlene had always wanted to be a ballet dancer. She started dance classes when she was only three years old.
After leaving school at 16, she received a special grant. This helped her study ballet and tap dance in Manchester. Her mother had always dreamed of dancing, which inspired Arlene to become a professional dancer.
Becoming a Professional Choreographer
Arlene Phillips moved to London when she was a teenager. There, she created her own style of jazz dance. It was influenced by the American Modern Jazz dance popular in London. She taught her unique style at The Dance Centre, which later became Pineapple Dance Studios. She also taught at the Italia Conti Stage School. This helped her become a successful teacher and choreographer.
Arlene was an assistant choreographer for the 1982 film Annie. She also worked on the music video for the Duran Duran song The Wild Boys. This video won an award in 1985. In 1996, she was the stage director for the start of Michael Flatley's Lord of the Dance show in Dublin.
Arlene Phillips also choreographed the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2002 Commonwealth Games. She worked with David Zolkwer on these big events.
TV Appearances and Shows
From 2004 to 2008, Arlene was a judge on the BBC One show Strictly Come Dancing. She also gave her opinions on acts for Eurovision: Your Country Needs You in 2009. In 2008, she created and choreographed the ITV show Britannia High.
She choreographed the performance for the UK's entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009. She also choreographed Engelbert Humperdinck's performance for the UK in the 2012 contest. In 2013, Arlene was a judge on Let's Dance For Comic Relief.
Hot Gossip Dance Group
Arlene Phillips first became famous in Britain because of a dance group she formed in 1974. The group was called Hot Gossip. Their performances were considered quite daring at the time. Hot Gossip performed in a London nightclub for two years. During this time, Arlene and her manager developed the group's dance routines.
Strictly Come Dancing Journey
Arlene Phillips was one of the first judges on the BBC TV series Strictly Come Dancing. She was on the show from 2004 to 2008. Her fellow judges included Len Goodman, Craig Revel Horwood, and Bruno Tonioli.
In 2005 and 2006, Arlene also judged a spin-off show called Strictly Dance Fever. This show looked for dancers to join a West End musical. Later, in 2007, she created and judged another BBC dance series, DanceX. This show aimed to find a new commercial dance act. Competitors were split into two teams. Arlene mentored one team, and Bruno Tonioli mentored the other. The teams competed live each week. Bruno's team eventually won.
Leaving Strictly Come Dancing
After the 2008 series of Strictly Come Dancing, the BBC announced changes for 2009. This led to many rumors that Arlene might leave the judging panel. The BBC confirmed the news on July 9, 2009. She was replaced by Alesha Dixon, a former Strictly winner.
This decision caused a lot of discussion. Many people felt it was unfair to older women on television. The BBC strongly denied that age was a factor. Even the Minister for Women and Equality, Harriet Harman, spoke about it. She said she believed the decision was due to age discrimination. She asked the BBC to keep Arlene on the show. The BBC repeated that age was not the reason for the change.
Later Activities
In October 2009, Arlene Phillips appeared on the satirical show Have I Got News for You. Between April and July 2010, she was a guest panelist on the ITV show Loose Women nine times.
Britannia High
In 2007, Arlene Phillips became the Executive Producer and Creative Director for the ITV show Britannia High. This show was a drama about six students at a performing arts school in London. Arlene and West End producer David Ian came up with the idea. The show was seen as the UK's version of Disney's High School Musical. The music for the show was created by Take That frontman, Gary Barlow.
So You Think You Can Dance?
Arlene Phillips also judged the UK version of So You Think You Can Dance?. The show's creator, Nigel Lythgoe, was the head judge. Arlene was joined by pop singer Louise Redknapp and choreographer Sisco Gomez. Arlene's role as a judge on this show came after the discussion about her leaving Strictly Come Dancing. The first episode aired in January 2010, and a second series followed in 2011.
Gala for Grenfell
In July 2017, Arlene Phillips announced a special dance show. It was created to raise money for people affected by the Grenfell Tower fire. The event was called the Gala for Grenfell. It took place on July 30, 2017, at the Adelphi Theatre in London. Stars from Strictly Come Dancing, The Royal Ballet, and Sir Matthew Bourne's company performed. Arlene said the dancers were performing "for the love." All the money raised went to the Grenfell Tower Fund charity.
I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!
In November 2021, Arlene Phillips became the oldest contestant ever on ITV's I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!. She was 78 years old. She was the first celebrity to be eliminated from that series.
Dancing on Ice
On February 20, 2022, Arlene Phillips joined ITV's Dancing on Ice as a guest judge. This was for their Musicals week episode.
Toys the Musical
On October 10, 2024, Arlene Phillips became an executive co-producer for Toys the Musical. She had been involved with the project for many years. The musical played for a short time. One reviewer noted that while the story was a bit hard to follow, it had a lot of heart and lessons about toys.
Awards and Honours
Arlene Phillips has received several important honours for her work in dance and charity.
- In 2001, she was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE).
- In 2013, she became a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).
- In 2021, she was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE). This means she is now known as Dame Arlene Phillips.
She has also won awards for her choreography, including the Carl Alan Award and multiple Laurence Olivier Awards.
Personal Life
Arlene Phillips has been in a relationship with Angus Ion since 1985. Angus is a set builder. They first met while working on the music video for the Freddie Mercury song "I Was Born to Love You."
Alana Dancing Star Books
In 2010, Arlene Phillips wrote a series of children's books. The series is called Alana Dancing Star. It has six books, and each one explores a different type of dance. These include ballroom dance, samba, hip-hop, Bollywood, Broadway, and tango. In 2011, one of her books, Viennese Waltz, was chosen for Richard and Judy's Summer Children's Reading List.
Theatre Work
Arlene Phillips has choreographed and directed many theatre shows. Here are some of them:
- Starlight Express (1984, 1987)
- Grease (1993)
- Saturday Night Fever (1998)
- We Will Rock You (2002)
- The Sound of Music (2006)
- Flashdance (2008, 2010–2011)
- The Wizard of Oz (2011)
- Guys and Dolls (2023)
Film Work
Arlene Phillips has also worked on several films, creating dances and movements for them.
- Annie (1982)
- Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (1983)
- Legend (1985)
- The Wind in the Willows (1996)
See also
In Spanish: Arlene Phillips para niños
