Eurovision Dance Contest 07/08/2008

The Eurovision Dance Contest 2008 is just over one month away!

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and Eurovision TV announced that the second edition of the Eurovision Dance Contest will take place in the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (SECC) in Glasgow, on Saturday, 6 September 2008.

The Eurovision Dance Contest (EDC) is the most recent addition to the Eurovision family of events. After the launch of the Eurovision Song Contest in 1955 and the creation of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in 2003, the new show combines the glitz and glamour of ballroom dancing with the unpredictable drama which marks all Eurovision Contests: with the scoreboard, the foreign hosts, and – of course – the "douze points".

The 135-minute European co-production is organised by the EBU, hosted by the BBC and produced by leading British production companies Splash Media and Sunset+Vine. The International DanceSport Federation (IDSF) provides assistance in two important areas. DanceSport’s world governing body supervises the accreditation of the dancers and appoints the panel of expert judges.

The show will be broadcast live on television across Europe via the Eurovision Network at 21:00 CET. 2,000 spectators will be able to witness the event live in the 5,000m² SECC Arena Hall.

The 15 EBU broadcasters will be represented by a couple, each dancing a freestyle choreography inspired by the country they represent. In addition to being judged by a panel of IDSF experts in the arena, the European audiences at home will cast their vote by phone or SMS to determine this year's winner.

As was the case in 2007, the show will be hosted by one of the BBC's most popular talents, Graham Norton, and co-hosted by Claudia Winkleman.