We've been going to Manchester Arena each year since 2014 to enjoy Strictly Come Dancing's live show and this year was no exception. Leaving the colourless, winter's day outside, we entered the magical world of Strictly with its bright lights, great music and plenty of sequins.
We had great seats and although the arena is the largest indoor venue in the UK we felt we were almost on the dance floor with the stars.
 |
| Manchester's Ellie Leach with partner Vito Coppola |
 |
| During the ensemble pieces the dancers really made full use of the dance floor |
The 2023 series had the best dancers ever and for the live show seven couples were picked including locals Ellie Leach and Layton Williams and their professional partners. All of this year's dancers were definitely fab-u-lous!
The lighting and pyrotechnics were better than ever and emphasised the drama of the afternoon, particularly the Latin dances. For most of the show the dancers were bathed in warm lighting to create the illusion of winter tans - there was definitely far less spray tan on show than in previous years.
We had a great time with Sarah and her family and as we left to go our separate ways we all said 'Same time next year?'