your guide We want to take you on a journey through dance
AMY Dowden was the first – and so far the only – Welsh professional dancer on Strictly Come Dancing. The 28-year-old debuted on the BBC competition series in 2017 just months after becoming British National Latin Dance Champion with her partner and fiance Ben Jones.
She made it to the final of Strictly Come Dancing in 2019 with her celebrity partner Karim Zeroual, with the pair recently taking part in the series’ UK tour.
Dowden is soon set to showcase her impressive dancing once again with another tour, this time with Jones as well as their long-time friend and former Strictly finalist Colin Jackson.
Lost in The Rhythm brings audiences a powerful love-story featuring Latin and Ballroom styles, and will be on a sevendate tour of Wales next month – with one stop just over the border in Shrewsbury. It comes to the Pavilion Theatre, Rhyl, on March 28 and the William Aston Hall in Wrexham on April 4.
Joel Leaver caught up with Amy, who grew up in Caerphilly, to discuss the tour and the nation’s favourite dance show. What can audiences expect from the tour?
Hopefully an inspirational, emotional and happy journey.
Ben, myself and Colin Jackson all telling our stories on how we’ve all got lost in the rhythm along the way.
So is there an element of autobiography to it?
Yeah. I talk about Crohn’s [disease] and how dance was my saviour – there’s a number dedicated to that. My fiancé left school with no direction and started dancing, he got lost in the rhythm and got a career out of it. He literally left school not knowing what path to take in life. And Colin is such a successful Olympic athlete and Strictly completely transformed him afterwards. He’s still dancing to this day.
The tour is pretty much just in Wales. Was that a conscious decision?
I just wanted to come home and hopefully inspire the next generation. [Even] the Strictly Arena Tour doesn’t come to Wales, so we do sometimes miss out.
There’s two performances in North Wales. Have you been here before?
I’ve performed up there before whilst starting my dance career. I’ve competed up there. I’ve had so much lovely support from everybody in Wales, it’s great to say thank you.
You’re actually the first Welsh professional to be on Strictly. What’s that like?
It’s such an honour. I started in my local dance school in Caerphilly and I just hope it shows the next generation of children to go out there and try to aspire for their dreams. Nothing can stop them, it is possible. I’ve had hurdles along the way and I still got there in the end.
Audiences are used to you dancing with a celebrity. Is there pressure being just Amy Dowden, rather than Amy and Karim etc?
Absolutely. The pressure is definitely on but I’m gonna work super hard. I just really want to make everybody proud. It was your best series yet last year as you made it to the final. What was that like?
Oh my goodness, last year was just a dream come true.
We stood there in the final and I’ve been watching this programme since growing up, if I could go back and relive that night I absolutely would.
Karim and I had such a great night. We ended up top of the leader board that night, so we were the judges’ champions. Who would your dream partner for the next series be? That’s really tough because you don’t know how everyone is going to develop. If they haven’t done this before, you don’t know how they’re going to take it. I just think somebody who is up to working hard, wants to have fun and would just embrace [it].
There’s always drama around Strictly, from feuds to affairs. Are the pros used to it by now? I just focus always on my job and the dancing. I just don’t get caught up in any of the press or the drama.
Most couples are the focus of a ‘Strictly curse’ rumour. You’re happily engaged, and a lot of the other professionals are in relationships. How does everyone handle those kind of rumours?
We all just focus on our job. You can’t stop what the press are going to say or do. You just do the best job that you can possibly do and work with your celebrity the best you possibly can. And that’s what we’re there to do and that’s what we all love and are passionate about.
There was a recent dig on Dancing on Ice about Strictly having no same-sex couples... We have. Didn’t you see our amazing group numbers this year and last year?
That’s true, but the argument is that it’s not been seen outside of a group number.
It’s two people dancing. We were the first to do it actually, by doing it in our group numbers. [There was] a number with Graziano and Johannes. Last year we did the Believer number. No, no we do it.
Do you think a same-sex celebrity and professional partnership will happen soon though?
That’s not something us pros have any control on, that’s something that production make choices on.
Would you be up for having a female partner?
I teach all girl couples. The majority of my dance school are ladies dancing together and I just think dancing doesn’t matter who it is. It’s about that passion and love for dance, doesn’t matter who I’m dancing with. It’s telling that story and you getting lost in that music. You’ve become a role-model after speaking about your experience with Crohn’s disease. Why did you decide to talk about it?
I had a lovely letter off a little nine-year-old girl who’d just been diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. She wrote me this beautiful letter saying that I made her realise she could achieve her enormous dream of being a vet because I’m a dancer on the tele. I’ve met her since. A friend of her mum’s knew I suffered with it, that’s how she found out. It just made me realise y’know that if I’ve helped her, there could be other people I could help.
And also, as a little girl, for me if I knew of other celebrities or dancers, people in the public eye that had it, it would have maybe given me a bit more confidence. I just really want to help, not just for Crohn’s disease, [but for] people with chronic illnesses and to raise awareness and inspire them to not give up on their dreams. What’s the response been like? Have you received even more letters from kids?
Absolutely and I work closely now with Crohn’s and Colitis UK. I’ve visited a teenager last year who’s been suffering really bad. I get a lot of people messaging me on social media and I do the best I possibly can to encourage them that we do have the darkest of days but there are going to be better days.
And looking further ahead you’re getting married soon. How are preparations going? Amazing. Very exciting. Everything’s sorted now so it’s just enjoying the build-up as much as we can.
Will you be doing a traditional first dance?
We’re going to definitely do a traditional first dance. We’re just going to go with the flow.
And why should people come to see Lost in the Rhythm?
We want to take you on a journey through dance and our love and passion for it. It’s something everyone can relate to in life, we all have our ambitions, and hopefully everybody can get lost in our passion.
■ Tickets for the Rhyl show are available on the Pavilion Theatre website or at the box office. For the Wrexham show buy tickets on eventim.co.uk.