DANCERS of this year’s Strictly Oxford are practising their steps in hope of a dazzling spectacle this weekend.

Tickets are still available for the annual competition – inspired by BBC1’s Strictly Come Dancing – which partners up to 15 peoplelocal figures with professional dancers.

Joining the judging panel this year is BCC1’s Strictly dancer – and Ballroom Showdance World Champion – Joanne Clifton who starred in the most recent series partnered with Radio 1’s Scott Mills.

Contestants will be judged on their waltz and jives in Saturday’s performance at a grand show in the city’s New Theatre, with ticket sales in aid of Vale House, a care home for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia sufferers.

One of the competition’s organisers Mary Carey said: “It is all going extremely well, the dancers are firing on all cylinders and we are all looking forward to it.

“This year Joanne Clifton is going to be joining us as a judge on the night which is very exciting to have someone like that with us.

“The routines are very challenging. The couples do individual show dances which vary hugely from year to year and from the little preview I have seen there are for more lifts going on than in the past. It is exciting they seem to get better and better every year.”

This year’s dancers include a police superintendent, fire service manager, DJ, lawyer, charity worker, teacher and Vale House carer.

The 15 couples will battle it out for the Strictly Oxford title from 6.30pm on Saturday. It comes after it was revealed that last weekend’s Strictly Bicester event raised thousands of pounds for charity.

Bicester Community College hosted the 16 Bicester celebrities and their professional partners on Saturday, April 18, and Sunday, April 19, putting on two separate competitions.

Strictly Bicester winner on Saturday was Matt Crook from the Pegasus Theatre in Oxford, and his professional dance partner Katie Douglas.

Each competitor chose a local charity to raise money for throughout the competition, including Barnardo’s, which supports young people with learning and physical disabilities to access social and leisure activities, chosen by Mr Crook.

And Sunday saw Louise Cave, a strategic partnership manager for eco-town developers A2Dominion, pip her fellow novices to the postwin with dance partner Steve Payne.

She said: “Having come third on Saturday night, winning on Sunday evening was a truly amazing moment. I still can’t quite believe it.

“I have to thank my brilliant dance partner Steve for all of his support and encouragement over the last three months, and for making training so much fun.”

Winners and their professional dance partners will be invited to compete at the Battle of the Strictlies in Northamptonshire in June.

The final show will featurebe the ultimate Strictly dance off for winners from the smaller regional competitions such as Oxford, Banbury and Brackley.

One of the organisers, Karen Warner, said: “It was an absolutely fantastic event, both evenings just had such a lovely atmosphere and everyone looked brilliant and performed well.”