Tripping the Light Fantastic
It's an odd, practically meaningless phrase - but if you ever had to explain it to a non-English speaker, you could do worse than point them in the direction of Lionel Blair, whose death at the age of 92 was recently announced.
The BBC quote Lionel Blair as saying in 2008: "People still say, almost in a derogatory way, 'Oh, you're a dancer'. Or, 'You're so showbiz'. Well what's wrong with that? I am. I love it. I'm thrilled to have been part of showbiz for so many years."
Variety and light entertainment have had a bad press for years. But like Abba's unashamedly poppy tunes, which for years suffered from the same untutored snobbery, they are held in affection in many hearts - and have given us some greats. Morecambe and Wise, to name but one - as I'm sure Eric would say.
So in remembrance of Lionel Blair, and in tribute to a much maligned style of showbiz, which lit up many a family living room in days gone by, why not watch Mr Blair displaying the twinkle in his toes in aid of the homelessness charity Shelter in 2009 - along with a host of faces familiar to UK TV audiences. For those who Pros, Mr B's dance partner in this charitable terpsichoreanism is Mr S:
And why not consider buying your Christmas cards from Shelter this year? They have t-shirts and a second-hand shop too...
The BBC quote Lionel Blair as saying in 2008: "People still say, almost in a derogatory way, 'Oh, you're a dancer'. Or, 'You're so showbiz'. Well what's wrong with that? I am. I love it. I'm thrilled to have been part of showbiz for so many years."
Variety and light entertainment have had a bad press for years. But like Abba's unashamedly poppy tunes, which for years suffered from the same untutored snobbery, they are held in affection in many hearts - and have given us some greats. Morecambe and Wise, to name but one - as I'm sure Eric would say.
So in remembrance of Lionel Blair, and in tribute to a much maligned style of showbiz, which lit up many a family living room in days gone by, why not watch Mr Blair displaying the twinkle in his toes in aid of the homelessness charity Shelter in 2009 - along with a host of faces familiar to UK TV audiences. For those who Pros, Mr B's dance partner in this charitable terpsichoreanism is Mr S:
You can watch this video on www.livejournal.com
And why not consider buying your Christmas cards from Shelter this year? They have t-shirts and a second-hand shop too...