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Strictly <em>Keep </em> Dancing gets your avatar on the dance floor - now the BBC is going to do a Zynga!

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By Noel Young, Correspondent

April 30, 2012 | 4 min read

The first online game centred on the smash television shows, "Strictly Come Dancing" and its US sibling "Dancing with the Stars." has been announced by BBC Worldwide and ABC Television.

May I have this dance!

The titles don't leave a lot to the imagination - "Dancing with the Stars: Keep Dancing" in the US and "Strictly Keep Dancing" - but the idea is great.

The show which began as "Strictly Come Dancing" in Britain in 2004 and morphed into "Dancing With the Stars" in the US has now become a worldwide phenomenon.

The new online game is free to enter - but that doesn't mean it's not commercial. Dance fans can buy cash or coins ( from $2 to $100 in the US ) to speed them along "give you more energy" or for "customization" as the website says.

This is where Zynga on Facebook makes millions online with FarmVille and other games . The Dancing profits in the UK will go back to BBC programme-makers "to help fund more great programmes," says the website.

Fans of the show will be able to create an avatar for themselves, choose a professional dancer, then take their moves to the dance floor, competing against friends and fellow fans to find what it's like winning the real-life l trophy.

Players can customise their personal avatar with glam makeup, hair and fantastic costumes. Sequins, heels, hair, lipstick, nutrition, publicity and more, make the experience as authentic as the television show. For men it's a bit less spectacular.

Players will learn different dance routines including the Samba, Jive and Tango, all while customising each step to complete their dance routine.

The game is available to sample now at www.DWTSKeepDancing.com .

At the same time , BBC Worldwide is launching "Strictly Keep Dancing" in the UK, accompanying the format's original version, "Strictly Come Dancing."

Robert Nashak, for BBC Worldwide Digital Entertainment & Games, said , "'Dancing with the Stars' is a global pop culture phenomenon and developing this game has been a major initiative for our business.

"We've tried hard to create a fun and authentic experience that fully engages players in everything that it takes to be a celebrity contestant on the show."

For ABC Television Karin Gilford, Senior Vice President, Digital Media, said, "Fans can't get enough of Dancing with the Stars, and this game allows them to become completely immersed in the experience. We think the ease of use, along with the degree to which fans can customise their own experience will make it an absolute obsession for anyone who has dreamed of taking a twirl under the mirror ball."

"Dancing with the Stars: Keep Dancing" say the TV people is developed to present a realistic reflection of the show with special 3D graphics that bring the glitz and glamour to life, giving an experience that's as sexy, sassy and dramatic as the real thing.

"Strictly Keep Dancing" will launch concurrently in the U.K., with players in both countries having access to play on the SCD and the DWTS dance floor.

BBC Worldwide will eventually roll out "Dancing with the Stars: Keep Dancing" to the 75 plus territories where DWTS is broadcast. Local versions will let players participate with professional dancers on their local DWTS production.

The "Dancing with the Stars" format launched as "Strictly Come Dancing" in Britain in 2004. It premiered on ABC in 2005. Since then, the format has been broadcast in over 80 countries around the world.

The Guinness Book of World Records declared in 2010 that "Dancing with the Stars"/ "Strictly Come Dancing" was officially the world's most successful reality TV show.

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