A Strictly Showstopper. The largest and most comprehensive exhibition of dresses from BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing

Denise Van Outen, Red Paso Dress,
Courtesy of BBC 1

This summer Woburn Abbey is hosting an exhibition of the glamorous gowns and celebrity costumes from the BBC’s world famous show, Strictly Come Dancing.

Running from Saturday 13th July to Sunday 29th September, Woburn Abbey’s historical state apartments are set to provide a dramatic and contrasting backdrop for the exhibition.   Visitors will be able to view some of the iconic dresses designed by Strictly Come Dancing’s current costume designer Vicky Gill and created by dress suppliers DSi.

Dresses from the last series will be featured, including the stunning full length scarlet dress worn by last year’s finalist Denise Van Outen, the Union Flag dress worn by Olympic Gold Medallist Victoria Pendleton and Flavia Cacace’s iconic Charleston dress.  The exhibition will allow visitors to see, up close, the intricacies and flawless designs of the dancer’s wardrobe and discover behind-the-scenes details of the dresses.

Strictly Come Dancing Dress at Woburn Abbey
worn by Denise Van Outen

Jonathan Irby, General Manager of Woburn Abbey commented: “Whether a fan of traditional ballroom or connoisseur of contemporary Charleston, we hope the combination of stunning Strictly Come Dancing dresses with Woburn Abbey’s classic art and architecture will score the exhibition a perfect 10!
“This is the largest and most comprehensive collection of dresses from BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing that has ever gone on display and Woburn Abbey is extremely proud to host the exhibition. It is spread throughout the house and included within the standard admission price for visitors to Woburn Abbey.

12 dresses from previous series’ of the BBC television show Strictly Come Dancing.  The dresses were worn by both the professional and celebrity female dancers.   The exhibition is included in the admission price for visitors to Woburn Abbey.

Woburn Abbey

Woburn Abbey has been the family home of the Earls and Dukes of Bedford for nearly 400 years and is currently the home of the 15th Duke and his family. The Abbey and its Gardens are steeped in a vast amount of history. Whilst the collection of art and antiques is world class in terms of its quality and outstanding in terms of its variety, there is much more to Woburn Abbey than just the art that lives within it.  The Russell family, their ancestors and descendants have, over many centuries created a fascinating cultural, social and diplomatic history with many an interesting and colourful story.

Set within 3,000 acres of beautiful Deer Park, the great house itself is full of unique history and is a remarkable record of 400 years of English history. This includes the story that led the 14th Duke to creating a charity called the Tavistock Trust.

The Abbey houses one of the most important private art collections in the world with over 250 works by artists including Gainsborough, Reynolds, Van Dyck and Cuyp. 

Visit http://www.woburn.co.uk/abbey/ for further information.