Dame Arlene Phillips DBE (born 22 May 1943)[1] is an English choreographer, talent scout, television judge and presenter, theatre director, and former dancer, who has worked in many fields of entertainment.

[5] Phillips choreographed the 2002 Commonwealth Games opening and closing ceremonies [4] alongside fellow Mancunian, David Zolkwer.

[9] In Britain, Phillips first became a household name as the director and choreographer of Hot Gossip, a British dance troupe which she formed in 1974,[3] using students she was teaching at the time.

Hot Gossip spent two years performing in a London night club where Phillips and her manager developed the group's dance act.

[4][10] In 2005 and 2006, Phillips was a judge for the spin-off series Strictly Dance Fever, which was also created by the BBC to seek dancers wishing to join the chorus of a West End musical.

[11] This led to a great deal of speculation in the media that Phillips might be dropped from the judging panel, but the BBC refused to respond to reports.

They finally confirmed the news at the launch of their autumn schedule on 9 July 2009:[11] she was replaced by former Strictly winner Alesha Dixon.

[12] During a session in the House of Commons, Harman responded to questions stating that she believed the decision to drop Arlene Phillips was motivated by age discrimination, and called on the BBC to ensure that she would be taking part in the new series.

Based on an idea by Phillips and West End producer David Ian, the series was marketed as the UK's answer to Disney's High School Musical.

The show's original creator Nigel Lythgoe is head judge on the series, and Phillips is joined on the panel by pop singer Louise Redknapp, and dancer and choreographer Sisco Gomez.

[13] The Gala for Grenfell took place on 30 July 2017 at the Adelphi Theatre, London and included stars from Strictly Come Dancing, The Royal Ballet and Sir Matthew Bourne's New Adventures company.

Phillips was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2001 Birthday Honours and in 2006 she received a Carl Alan Award for Outstanding Services made by the International Dance Teachers Association.

[25] She won her first Oliver Award for her work on Guys and Dolls at the Bridge Theatre in 2023, for which she received a standing ovation during the ceremony.