Arlene and Bruno – The judges’ story

Arlene Phillips and Bruno Tonioli first met in 1976 when Bruno came to England from Italy to pursue a career in dance – with little grasp of the English language.

Arlene was Bruno’s first dance contact in the country and he attended dance classes at her studio. Shortly afterwards, he became involved with the dance group Hot Gossip, inputting his thoughts on their unique sexy style. Arlene went on to choreograph the video for I’m Still Standing, by Elton John, which heavily features Bruno and is the only one in which Elton dances.

Having worked together on numerous occasions over the years, Arlene and Bruno first came together on TV as judges in BBC One’s Strictly Come Dancing. In 2004, Bruno started working on an idea for DanceX and approached Arlene with it. Together, they planned to create a fresh new format for the TV talent show.

According to Bruno, in the past dancers have remained in the background and, with very few exceptions, had only a supporting role to a leading artist. “We want to put dancers in the foreground,” says Bruno. Arlene adds: “In DanceX, we want the dancers to be the stars.”

DanceX sees a very different side to Arlene and Bruno’s relationship, as they come out from behind the judging desk and take a more hands-on approach as mentors to their own teams of dancers and singers. They are going head-to-head for the first time, putting their reputations on the line. Only one can be victorious, so viewers should be prepared for legwarmers at dawn!