Strictly Come Dancing's first live show of the season will air on Saturday, September 26, and will open with a group number featuring the professionals, hosts, and judges dancing to an orchestral version of Joy by RAYE and her sisters Amma and Absolutely.
The launch show, which aired on Saturday, September 19, introduced this year's celebrities, their professional partners, and three new hosts. Emma Willis, Johannes Radebe, and Josh Widdicombe have stepped in as presenters following Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly's decision to leave the programme last year.
Opening group number and first dances
A sneak peek of the show revealed that the Strictly professionals, hosts, and judges will open the first live show with a dazzling group number. Pictures show dancers Aljaž Škorjanec and Nancy Xu fronting the dance, with judges Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas, Anton Du Beke, and Craig Revel Horwood also taking centre stage alongside the three new hosts.
After the group number, all 15 couples will take to the stage and dance together for the first time. The BBC has revealed what each couple will dance to during the first live show, with routines ranging from sambas to quicksteps.
Full list of couples and dances
- Bethany & Nancy - Quickstep to Stop This Flame by Celeste
- Dani & Nikita - Samba to Lush Life by Zara Larsson
- Delta & Kai - Samba to Baianá by Barbatuques
- Jaime & Carlos - Tango to I Feel Love by Donna Summer
- Lacey & Vito - Cha Cha to How Will I Know by Whitney Houston
- Melanie & Aljaž - Cha Cha to Don't Go Breaking My Heart by Elton John and Kiki Dee
- Dame Sarah & Julian - Quickstep to C'est Magnifique by Kay Starr
- Tabby & Mark - Jive to Animal by KATSEYE
- Cach & Maddie - Quickstep to I Just Might by Bruno Mars
- Chris & Amy - Tango to No Roots by Alice Merton
- Graeme & Lauren - Cha Cha to Hound Dog (Smokey Joe's Café version)
- John & Katya - Foxtrot to Ordinary by Alex Warren
- Lawrence & Jowita - Paso Doble to Aperture by Harry Styles
- Shaun & Alexis - Cha Cha to Lil Boo Thang by Paul Russell
- Will & Dianne - Samba to Rock DJ by Robbie Williams
New hosts on nerves and excitement
Speaking about presenting her first live episode of Strictly, Emma said: "I'm feeling nervous for sure but I was told recently that nerves and excitement are the same feeling – it just depends on how you mentally approach the emotion to determine whether it's fear or joy.
"So I'm like: 'Right, okay, we can have all of that feeling'. A little bit of nerves because it keeps you on your toes and it means you care. And then bucketloads of excitement. I've also missed presenting live telly so I can't wait – who knows what's going to happen?"
Josh added: "What could possibly go wrong? Loads of things – but let's not focus on them. I think it's going to be really, really fun.
"It's going to feel utterly surreal, just as terrifying as the first one. Will it ever stop being terrifying? I hope not, because hosting something like this should be the best kind of terrifying."
Johannes explained he's feeling a range of emotions about presenting live as opposed to dancing live, saying he's "excited, terrified, and pretending to be very calm".
He added: "The launch show was my first proper taste of this new chapter but the live shows are the real thing. There's nowhere to hide so I'm going to have to trust my preparation, trust the team, and trust myself. And actually I'm really looking forward to it.
"There's something very special about live television. You get one shot, you have to be present, and you get to experience those moments with the audience at home as they happen."
Strictly Come Dancing airs on BBC One and BBC iPlayer from 6.15pm on Saturday, September 26.
