Arlene on DanceX

Arlene Phillips talks about heading-up her DanceX troupe and her Hot Gossip days.

Arlene on what she's
looking for
Arlene wants DanceX to be exciting, sexy, cool and edgy. "If it's been done before, there's no point doing it again", she says.

On the Contestants
Arlene admits she is nervous about the series. The outcome of DanceX will literally make or break these young performers' careers. Even though the dancers might have thought differently, Arlene believes she was extremely generous with her comments throughout the auditions.

Now she admits her patience won't last if any dancers fail to work until they drop. "There are some dancers I worry about, but there's no time for charity anymore. If they are not up to standard I'll certainly let them know. I'm done with generosity now." So if the dancers think they've had it bad so far, they haven't seen anything yet.

On Bruno
Arlene says Bruno hasn't changed at all from the over eager student she first met in 1976. From the moment inquisitive Bruno first walked into her dance class and proceeded to ask incessant questions, it was immediately apparent what a chatterbox he was. "He started talking then and he hasn't stopped since!"

On Winning
Arlene realises her hard-earned reputation rests on the outcome. She admits, "The sleepless nights have begun. Of course I want to win. I've always been very competitive and I probably want it more than Bruno."

On Hot Gossip
Arlene started 70's dance sensation Hot Gossip as a rebellion against the trend in television dance shows where choreography was just about making the dancers smile. The day after they appeared on the Kenny Everett Video Show, pictures of the girls in their sexy attire filled the front pages of the newspapers and Mary Whitehouse sent a livid letter of complaint, bemoaning the girls' skimpy clothing and sexual moves - a sure sign that the band had made it. The band had a smash hit single, I Lost my Heart to a Starship Trooper, and toured the world before landing their own TV special. Arlene says "DanceX is not about recreating Hot Gossip, but finding something new and fresh. We're looking for cool, hip dancers and singers who have the drive and ambition to make it big and be part of an exciting, modern group. I hope they'll go on to have the same level of success as Hot Gossip."