As a choreographer, director, writer, TV presenter, designer and now producer, it’s just as well dance legend Arlene Phillips is a stickler for organisation.

“I am very organised, often to the point where it drives people mad!” she smiles.

Is it an inevitable by-product of a dancer’s lifelong discipline? “Yes, probably, but I do try to make time for family and friends,” she says.

Arlene has worked with the world’s biggest stars, from Elton John to Aretha Franklin, and choreographed hit theatre shows, films, TV shows, pop videos and concerts.

She’s currently choreographing Andrew Lloyd Webber’s West End revival of The Wizard Of Oz and producing Midnight Tango, coming to Bradford this spring.

Set in a late-night bar in downtown Buenos Aires, it stars Strictly Come Dancing regulars, and world Latin dance champions, Vincent Simone and Flavia Cacace.

“Audiences can expect to see Vincent and Flavia demonstrating what they do best,” says Arlene. “We’re including every variety of tango, and adding just about every form of dance.

“Vincent and Flavia are amazing to watch – on the first Strictly tour there wasn’t a single night when the audience didn’t jump up and scream for more when these two danced. They’re so perfectly in tune with one another. They use every part of their bodies, from their heads to their fingertips. It’s tango to make you tingle.”

Arlene is looking forward to bringing the show to the Alhambra. “My sister lives in Leeds and we go to the theatre in Bradford. It’s a place I have great affection for. It’s somewhere I tie in work and family,” she says.

As a child, she danced whenever she heard music. “I started with ballet, then later, ballroom, tap and what used to be called modern dance,” she says.

“I was completely wrapped up in dancing. All I could think of was getting to class.”

She shot to fame creating sexy Eighties dance group Hot Gossip. And when the Kids from Fame were leaping on to New York cabs and Jane Fonda was feeling the burn, Arlene made leg-warmers and leotards hip, via her Pineapple dance studio.

Today her name is synonymous with world-renowned dance and hit shows. In the West End she has choreographed The Sound Of Music, Grease, Saturday Night Fever and We Will Rock You. Her movie choreography includes Annie, Highlander and Monty Python’s Meaning Of Life.

She has choreographed more than 100 TV commercials as well as videos for, among others, Duran Duran, the Bee Gees, Whitney Houston, George Michael and Robbie Williams.

In recent years, she has judged BBC1’s Strictly Come Dancing and DanceX.

For choreography, her inspiration comes from music. “The genre dictates, up to a point,” she explains. “Flashdance, for instance, is all street dance, but The Wizard Of Oz is a fantasy so you can be more creative. TV is different; I have greater freedom and find ideas from all sorts of places.”

At 68, Arlene has the body and energy of a woman half her age. “Having been a dancer, you want to keep your body in shape. I’m lucky that my energy hasn’t started to diminish – yet!” she laughs.

When it comes to one of her latest projects, she’s learned to sit still. Arlene has written a series of books, Alana Dancing Star, for little girls. Although dance is the central theme, the inspiration comes from fond memories of her own junior reading, especially Enid Blyton’s Magic Faraway Tree.

“Alana is a little girl who lives to dance, as I did,” she says. “When I was growing up, there were lots of stories about little girls and ballet, but nothing about other forms of dance. Each of my books covers a different dance.”

Does she have aspirations to write adult fiction? “I’ve been asked to write a ‘bonk-buster’ type novel set in the dance world,” she reveals. “Maybe one day I’ll write my autobiography, but writing takes time – which I don’t have a great deal of.”

From Hot Gossip to Strictly to DanceX, Arlene has inspired youngsters to take up dance over the past three decades. She’s passionate about children having access to dance and the proper funding for it.

“Dance engages the body and mind and takes you out of yourself. It’s a release,” she says.

“Whether you have a genuine aptitude or it helps your co-ordination, it doesn’t matter. You don’t need to be good at dancing, you just need to enjoy it.”

For those star-struck youngsters considering a career in dance, she has this advice: “By all means dance, but unless you’re really prepared for the rejection and the tough life of a dancer, keep it as a hobby. It can be a very hard life and not everyone gets lucky.”

Midnight Tango is at the Alhambra from April 26 to 30. For tickets, ring (01274) 432000.