Joining Anna on the podcast this week is the legendary dancer and choreographer Dame Arlene Phillips. From humble beginnings in Manchester, she ended up at dance school in London, where she worked as a live-in nanny for none other than film director Ridley Scott in order to get by. From there, she gained stratospheric success in dance and choreography - and her groundbreaking dance troupe, Hot Gossip, made her a household name in the 70s.
As a choreographer and director, her credits include countless shows in the West End, on Broadway, and in film - and her music video credits read like the playlist for the greatest party of all time: Elton John, Donna Summer, Pet Shop Boys, Whitney Houston…you name it, she’s worked with them. She was one of the original judges on Strictly Come Dancing, and she even braved the jungle on I’m A Celebrity...
Arlene is now in her 80s and is still working on musicals like Guys and Dolls and Grease. She talks to Anna about how dance is the greatest passion of her life and what it brings to her, how social standards and expectations for women are unfair, particularly when they get older, and what ambition looks like for her now at 81.
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