Video & Gallery: Strictly Come Dancing judge waltzes into Suffolk
CHEMISTRY lessons were replaced by the Cha Cha Cha yesterday, as Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood waltzed into a Suffolk school.
Laurence Cawley
CHEMISTRY lessons were replaced by the Cha Cha Cha yesterday, as Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood waltzed into a Suffolk school.
Youngsters at the St Louis Middle School were given a master dance class from the celebrity judge as a prize for winning a drama and dance competition earlier this year.
St Louis was the last of six schools on Mr Revel Horwood's Bone Factor Tour of the UK, which he fitted in between filming for the Saturday night celebrity dance show.
The notoriously hard-to-please judge said: “I'm having the most enjoyable time.
“It's fantastic to see these kids dancing and showing just how quickly they can learn a new dance and put it together.”
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After giving the Year Six dance group a score of ten for their dancing skills the Australian born dancer added: “All of them were certainly a lot better than John Sergeant and Fiona Phillips and had better foot work than Joe Calzaghe.
“What I really want to see is more children dancing at schools. Everyone can dance and the health benefits are massive from improving flexibility to strengthening the bones. It was great to see some of the boys joining in and I would like to see more of them taking up dance.”
Mr Revel Horwood's Bone Factor Tour is sponsored by the National Osteoporosis Society, (NOS) of which he is a patron. He was inspired to support the charity by his mother whose dancing career was cut short after she developed a debilitating bone condition.
Asked if he had any favourites to take home this year's Strictly Come Dancing title he said: “Hollyoaks' Ali Bastian, Zoe Lucker and Eastender's Ricky Groves all performed well at the weekend and they have to be in with a shout.”
Drama and English teacher Jakki Biggs said the school, which also celebrated St Louis Day yesterday, had been in a state of excitement all week for their visitor.
She said: “Our drama group won first prize at the Woolsey Festival with a dance routine showing the health benefits of dancing. When we found out Craig would be coming along as a prize we were absolutely thrilled.”
Olivia Holcroft from the NOS, who has been travelling with Mr Revel Horwood on the tour, said Osteoporosis was one of the biggest killers in the country.
She said: “We are pushing dance as a way of avoiding problems with bones. It's been proven that we only have up until we are 20 to make sure our bones are in top condition which is why we are so lucky to have Craig and the whole Strictly Come Dancing craze to inspire everyone.”
For more information on Osteoporosis call 01761 471771 / 0845 130 3076 or go to www.nos.org.uk
