This celebrity line up for the tenth series of ‘Dancing with the Stars,’ (America’s answer to ‘Strictly Come Dancing,’) has been announced recently. The new series hits screens in the US at the end of the month and will feature a range of celebs – including a rather iconic former astronaut and a Pussycat Doll!

The line up looks a little something like this:

• Buzz Aldrin: The second man on the moon will join the line up at the age of 80! He'll be paired up with professional, Ashley Costa.


• Shannen Doherty, star of 'Beverly Hills,' amongst others will pair up with pro, Mark Ballas.


• Pamela Anderson, who I am sure needs little by way of introduction will swap 'Baywatch,' for Ballroom, pairing up with Damian Whitewood.


• Evan Lysacek, an Olympic Gold Medalist figure skater, will take to the floor with Anna Trebunskaya


• Niecy Nash, TV presenter and comedienne will join up with Louis Van Amstel.


• Chad Ochocinco, former NFL star, teams up with pro, Cheryl Burke.


• Kate Gosselin, reality TV show star will dance with Tony Dovolani.


• Erin Andrews, a US sports reporter, will dance with professional, Maksim Chmerkovskiy


• Aidan Turner acts as something of a representative for us on this side of the Atlantic! The Irish actor will dance with Edyta Sliwinska.


• Jake Pavelka, star of ABC show, 'The Bachelor,' will dance alongside Chelsie Hightower.


• Nicole Scherziner, last but by no means least will also join the show. Pussycat Dolls lead singer and all round performer, she will be paired up with Derek Hough.

Early bets might say that the sensible money would be on Nicole Scherzinger, given her vast dancing experience, or on figure skater, Evan Lysacek. But given 'Strictly's' previous winners, which have included cricketers, a news reporter and actors, we know that previous experience might not end up counting for much!

We'll be keeping a close eye on the series!

It’s no massive surprise when you consider the popularity of the hit TV show, but the Strictly Come Dancing live ballroom tour is well underway and is going down very well indeed!

Having danced their way through Manchester, London, Nottingham, Glasgow, Birmingham, Sheffield and Liverpool, the stars of the show are currently completing their final couple of nights in Newcastle before the tour closes.

The live shows have followed a similar format to the TV shows, with 8 of the celebrities from last year’s show and their professional dancing partners competing, before facing the comments of the famous four judges. The ‘winner’ on the night is decided by a combination of audience votes and judges’ scores.
The show has been described by Suzanne Black of the Worcester News as “not one to miss,” by the Daily Mail as, “slick stage show,” and “crowd-pleaser.” And, as you’d expect, the blogosphere is awash with positive praise for the performances.

For a ballroom dancing show of this nature to fill out arenas normally played by the likes of Jay-Z, Rihanna and a host of commercial pop musicians makes it fair to say that the real winner of this live tour (and perhaps of the Strictly brand) is ballroom dancing itself. Ballroom has enjoyed a surge in uptake since the popular show began airing and even those who have yet to don their ballroom shoes are taking more of an interest than ever before.

Strictly Come Dancing seemingly opened the floodgates for dance related reality shows, with the BBC even adding to its dance show collection recently with new offering, ‘So You Think You Can Dance.’ The host of such related TV shows have certainly revived the popularity of dance within the mainstream to an unprecedented level. And that’s no bad thing! After all, it’s a much healthier pastime than watching TV and playing video games!
Have you seen the Strictly Come Dancing Tour? What did you think?

For the ballroom pros, this certainly won’t be new information. But for those who have yet to take the floor, you might be surprised to find out just how good for you ballroom really is.

If you’re one of the millions who started 2010 with a resolution to get fit and healthy and are now finding you’re tiring of the gym, ballroom might just be the answer! In fact, depending on the step, an hour of ballroom dancing can burn of anywhere between 250 and 450 calories. And while ballroom dancing is indeed a reasonably intense aerobic exercise, it doesn’t just have cardio benefits. It works the muscles all over your body.

A session on the dance floor also has far more appeal to most than a laborious hour on the treadmill, given that it’s exercise you can take part in with a friend or partner and it’s fun! Research shows that the more fun exercise is, the more of it we’ll do, thereby increasing its benefits again!

But the health benefits of ballroom are not just limited to physical ones either. In fact, studies show it has a positive effect on your mental health too. Any form of exercise causes your brain to release endorphins, which are chemicals that put you in a good mood. On top of that, the element of memorising involved with learning a new step is great for your mind and a study released by the New England Journal of Medicine said dance can actually help to lower the chances of Alzheimer’s and dementia in later life, thanks to the way it works your mind.

So essentially, ballroom helps you get happy, get fit and keep your mind ticking over. If those aren’t enough cause to persuade you to pull on your dance shoes, I don’t know what will be!

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