A dancing legend in the making...

Oti Mabuse meets some of her own personal heroes

When I think of dancing,” says Oti Mabuse, “I can’t help but think of the dancers and choreographers who helped pave the way for dancers like myself.” However, when any member of the British public thinks of dancing, it’s quite possible that the first name to comes to mind will be Oti Mabuse.

After all, the South Africanborn talent show judge, TV presenter, and, oh yes, dancer, is hardly off our TV screens – best known as one of the team of professional dancers on Strictly Come Dancing (and its German equivalent, Let’s Dance), she has also been Dance Captain on The Greatest Dancer, a panellist on The Masked Dancer, and has just been announced as the replacement judge for John Barrowman on ITV’s Dancing on Ice.

But the reason that the public can’t get enough of her is that she’s a chatty, vibrant host when off the dancefloor, meaning that her latest venture, a podcast entitled ‘Dancing Legends’, will be a surefire hit.

On the weekly episodes for BBC Sounds via Radio 4, she will meet some of the most renowned names in dance, from ground-breaking ballet star Misty Copeland, to award-winning choreographer Matthew Bourne.

She will also meet some of her own personal heroes including South African dancer Kitty Phetla, choreographer and former Strictly Come Dancing judge Arlene Philips (above) and Strictly pro dancer Vincent Simone.

“It’s been so great to get a snapshot into their lives and the legacies they’ve left behind,” she says of the legends who inspired her own career. “This series has it all – music, interviews and the chance to hear me try out some of the iconic moves myself.”

Such is Mabuse’s popularity that she has gained fans of her presenting style even among the nondance obsessed public, which is handy, as she has previously hosted a podcast much more oriented towards the personalities of some of her celebrity friends and dance partners than the intricacies of the medium of dance.

The Rhythm Of Life ran to more than a dozen episodes, showing she’s well suited to a career as an interviewer as she engages in cosy chatter with celebs including her winning partner in 2020’s Strictly, Bill Bailey (left), plus Carrie Grant, Ronan Kemp, Steph McGovern, Angela Scanlon, Russell Kane, Gethin Jones, and Vicky Paterson.

She’s also touring the length and breadth of the UK from the end of April with her theatre dance show ‘I Am Here’.

Though whether she will be putting into practice everything she has learned from some of her podcast guests, like “queen of Charleston” Josephine Baker, and Irish dance supremo Michael Flatley. is another matter. As she says :“Let’s just say there’s a few steps I will NOT be trying again!”

■ Hear The Rhythm Of Life at BBC Sounds and Dancing Legends at Apple Podcasts – more at otimabuse.com.