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'Strictly' musicals week - 7 of the best ever dances, from 'The Sound of Music' to 'Little Shop of Horrors'

Faye Tozer and Giovanni Pernice are remembered for their 'Strictly' musicals week routine. (BBC)
Faye Tozer and Giovanni Pernice are remembered for their 'Strictly' musicals week routine. (BBC)

It's musicals week at Strictly Come Dancing, always a favourite theme with viewers and contestants.

The 2021 line-up includes routines inspired by Frozen, Les Miserables and Matilda - but will any of them live up to these seven all-time great moments on the show?

Read more: Strictly 2021's couples share their most stressful moments so far

We look back over some of the dances worthy of a West End encore in past series of Strictly.

Abbey Clancy and Aljaz Skorjanec - Saturday Night Fever (2013)

Model Clancy and her partner Skorjanec went on to win the entire 2013 series, and this Salsa inspired by Saturday Night Fever shows exactly why they were the best couple that year.

Scoring a perfect 40, it struck exactly the right balance between steamy and fun, showing off Clancy's effortless grace even in the Latin numbers which are often the celebrities' downfall.

It was one of Skorjanec's best dances, too, and includes some impressive lifts.

Debbie McGee and Giovanni Pernice - Cats (2017)

Musicals week was a strong theme for the class of 2017, but there were two stand-out performances - and magician's assistant McGee's American Smooth was one of them.

She and Pernice perfectly pulled off their Cats outfits in a routine that even included on-stage fireworks.

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Former ballerina McGee, then 59, showcased some amazing dance skills including a sense of balance that a 20-year-old would be proud of in this dance that would have won her the final in most years.

Alexandra Burke and Gorka Marquez - Mary Poppins (2017)

If musicals week was ever going to suit a celebrity, it had to be singer and West End performer Burke.

She'd already impressed earlier in the series with a My Fair Lady-themed number, but looked to the classic shows again as she danced as Mary Poppins in musicals week.

The levels of energy and precision in her feet make it almost impossible to tell whether she or Marquez is the pro dancer.

Faye Tozer and Giovanni Pernice - The Sound of Music (2018)

Some Strictly dances go down in history as the perfect combination of costume, theme and performance, and this Lonely Goatherd Charleston from Steps star Tozer and Pernice is certainly one of them.

Pernice is never one to shy away from an extreme costume, but if you could get past the striking look, you'd notice a perfect performance putting a completely different spin on the dance from most other couples who tackle it.

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From the dancing goats to the spring in their step, it's impossible not to get caught up in how much fun they're having.

Karim Zeroual and Amy Dowden - Hairspray (2019)

Many a Strictly success has been achieved on the dancefloor through a Jive, and CBBC presenter Zeroual found it definitely played to his strengths.

He was famously good at anything fast-paced and this routine oozed all the joy of Hairspray, scoring him a perfect 40.

This was Zeroual's high-point of the series and he even went on to perform it again in the final.

HRVY and Janette Manrara - A Chorus Line (2020)

This was HRVY's moment in Strictly, and of any routines throughout past years, it's this one that really screams musicals week.

Matching sequinned tailsuits, props work with top hats and perfect use of the staircase all add up to a truly memorable American Smooth.

Like Zeroual, HRVY went on to choose this as his favourite to dance in the final.

Maisie Smith and Gorka Marquez - Little Shop of Horrors (2020)

If there was one celebrity who could have stopped Bill Bailey from winning last year, it was Smith, with this Jive one of her high points on the show.

Even just watching this incredibly fast routine was exhausting and it seems unbelievable that she and Marquez didn't score full marks.

It also gave EastEnders star Smith the chance to show off her acting skills in one of her strongest performances.

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