Strictly Come Dancing heading to Birmingham NIA

Tickets are about to go on general sale for the Strictly Come Dancing Live Tour 2012, which will open at Birmingham's NIA in January.

They will be available from 9am on Thursday, September 29, 2011, available from The Ticket Factory at www.theticketfactory.com or on 0844 338 8000.

The shows will run from January 20-22, 2012 at the NIA, Birmingham, with tickets costing £65 (Gold Circle), £42.50 and £35 (subject to booking & transaction fees).

With over 1.3 million tickets sold over the past four years, the hugely popular UK arena tour returns for the fifth consecutive year, opening at the NIA before the multi-million pound show then goes on to visit another eleven arenas across the UK.

The 2012 five-week dance spectacular will feature a brand new line-up of top celebrities and their dance partners from the smash hit BBC1 show. Strictly fans can watch their favourite dancing couples competing live for the votes and all important feedback of the TV judges and vote themselves via their mobile phone.

Arena audiences will experience Strictly's glitz, glamour and breathtaking choreography, courtesy of TV judge Craig Revel Horwood, who is directing the arena tour for the second year running.

The 2011 tour received rave reviews in the national newspapers - the Sunday Express asked "Does it get much better? Not often" and awarded the show a 5 Star review. The Daily Telegraph's 4 Star review described the tour as "the ultimate feel good show". And the Mail on Sunday's 4 star review said that "the audience adored every second".

More than nine million viewers tuned in to watch the series' launch show on September 10 on BBC1. The ninth series begins this Saturday.

The television format, also known as Dancing With The Stars, entered the Guinness Book of World Records two years ago as the world's most successful reality television show and has been sold by BBC Worldwide to over 35 international broadcasters. Last year's final saw more than 14 million people tune in to see Kara Tointon raise the Strictly glitterball!