Giovanni Pernice and Anton du Beke’s tour is sensational (Image: INSTAGRAM)
Giovanni Pernice showed he was weathering the storm amid accusations of his allegedly “militant” training technique on Strictly, as he and Anton du Beke took to the stage to continue their Together tour. Fans were left in no doubt about the continued bond between them as they shimmied around the stage to the tune of Bette Midler’s ‘Together (Wherever We Go)’.
From Giovanni’s raucous Elvis Presley impressions to Anton’s accidental-on-purpose wardrobe malfunctions, it was two hours of almost non-stop solid entertainment. Joining Giovanni on stage was Lauren Oakley, the astonishingly lithe and acrobatic fellow pro who partnered Krishnan Guru-Murthy on Strictly last year.
Giovanni was comedically self-deprecating during his routines with her, at one point dropping to his knees and peeking up her skirt to the tune of Elvis’ ‘Ain’t Nothing But A Hound Dog’, as if he was acting out a scene from a vintage Betty Boop cartoon. However, despite the Boop references, it wasn’t the 1930s that viewers were being transported to, but the 1950s, as the show sped through a series of high energy Elvis tracks.
Giovanni was virtually Michael Jackson reincarnated as he sashayed his way through ‘Jailhouse Rock’, demonstrating the kind of flawlessly executed high speed moves that show exactly why he’s a record-breaking international dance champ. His achievements away from Strictly include holding the Guinness World Record for the most Charleston swivels ever performed in 30 seconds, and the most jive flicks and kicks in 30 seconds too.
Meanwhile, he claimed singing wasn’t his forte, after delivering an Elvis impression that led Anton to brand him “the love child of Cher”. Giovanni hastily declared: “I think there’s people who can sing that better than me – let’s get on with the show!”
Giovanni and Anton stripped off again during the tour, as they had done for the BBC (Image: BBC)
However, anyone who has seen Anton and Giovanni’s Adventures in Sicily – including the debut episode which saw him soulfully sing to test out the acoustics in a cave – will know that, in reality, his vocals are on par with his top notch dance moves.
‘C’mon Everybody’, ‘Heartbreak Hotel’, ‘I Can’t Help Falling In Love’ and ‘Blue Suede Shoes’ might have been missing Giovanni’s vocal content, but his stage presence – and Lauren’s – made for an incredible show.
Meanwhile, Anton might have joked that his favourite part of the show was “the chat and the interval”, but don’t be fooled by the showbiz banter.
On the contrary, he’s one of the hardest working showmen around – and, astonishingly nimble for his age, there’s no part of his performance that didn’t impress.
Giovanni and Anton makes for an unlikely but unmissable pairing (Image: BBC)
ome might say that the less said about his Eurovision costume and the slightly cheesy Abba segment the better, but that part was all over in a flash.
Other highlights included dances to Lulu’s ‘Boom Bang A Bang’ and Sandie Shaw’s ‘Puppet on a String’, which saw Anton get wound up himself, plus a rendition of Eurovision 2023 nunner up Sam Ryder’s ‘Spaceman’.
This year marked the first time Giovanni has ever experienced live musicians on stage with him, something he says adds to the atmosphere, while the sheer skill of the singing and dancing talents backing him and Anton up shouldn’t be underestimated.
Even for those who have caught the pair live before, for example on the Him and Me tour, this next stage in their dancing journey shouldn’t be missed.
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Source: CNN
