On Friday 8th March, young dancers from the Azure Theatre School took to the ballroom at The Sheraton Grand Park Lane to warm up the dancefloor for BBC Radio 2 presenter Claudia Winkleman and her Strictly Come Dancing co-presenter Tess Daly; the twosome have pledged to practice what they preach and ‘Keep Dancing’ in an epic challenge that will see them floss, dab and salsa to the beat for the longest ever Danceathon in Red Nose Day history.
Kicking off on Monday 11th March through to Tuesday 12th March, the dancing marathon will push the duo to their limits, both physically and mentally, as they swap the side lines of the dance floor for centre stage and dance non-stop for over 24-hours, all to raise vital cash for Red Nose Day to help Comic Relief improve countless lives both here in the UK and internationally.
Kelly-Marie Gibbs, Azure Theatre School principal, said: “We know how tough dancing for long periods of time can be, so hats off to Claudia and Tess for taking on the challenge of doing it for over 24-hours. We’ll be following their progress and cheering them on!”
Claudia Winkleman, who hosted the first ever Comic Relief six-hour Danceathon in 2015, said: “I’m so excited to be taking on this epic Danceathon challenge with Tess live at Radio 2 in the legendary Wogan House. I know it’s going to be hilarious to watch because we’re pretty bad dancers – I’m not very good at standing, let alone dancing. Thankfully we’ll have each other and we’re going to push through to raise as much money as we can for Red Nose Day.
“We love Comic Relief and believe in everything they do. We’ve seen first-hand how the money raised provides a lifeline for people living in the most desperate situations, and we’re doing this for them. We want people at home to come together, dig deep and support us through this because dancing for over 24 hours is going to be one hell of a challenge.”
Tess Daly added: “I am so proud to be supporting Red Nose Day with Claudia. I just hope we have the stamina to ‘keep dancing’ for over 24 hours straight!
Inspired by Azure Theatre School or Claudia and Tess? Visit comicrelief.com/danceathon to sponsor the dancing duo or for all the tools needed to host your own fundraising danceathon.
