Dance show is a family affair

Ballroom champion Joanne Clifton has made a passionate plea for the under-threat dance and entertainment industry to be taken seriously by the Government.

The appeal from the five times British ballroom champion and 2016 BBC Strictly Come Dancing winner comes just weeks ahead of her appearance at Peterborough’s The Cresset theatre in the city’s first socially distanced live performance.

She will be appearing with her brother Kevin, also a British dance champion and Strictly winner, in An Evening with Kevin & Joanne Clifton on November 14.

But the production comes at a tough time for the dance and entertainment industry with the Covid pandemic forcing the closure of many national shows and venues while locally many dance schools have been forced to put class lessons and social dances on hold.

Joanne said: “This is a chance for us to show that the industry can do this in a socially distanced and Covid-secure way.

“I was so offended by what seemed to be a suggestion from the Government that dancers and others in our industry should be prepared to retrain to do something else.

“Dancing is our profession, it is not a hobby,

“This is our life and our career. We have trained since we were kids. We have put just as much into our careers as those who train to be lawyers or teachers.

“We have made huge sacrifices, suffered injuries and given sweat and tears for our profession.

She said: “I really think there should be more help financially for the industry.

“It is not only about ourselves. Dancing, music and entertainment bring so much to people - it is good for people’s mental health.

“Audiences are desperate to have a few hours to escape from all the worry - they are desperate to be entertained.”

Staging Peterborough’s first socially distanced production means a lot more than simply spacing out the audience and doing away with an interval.

The performers and crew have also had to form separate ‘bubbles’ for the production’s two-month long national tour.

The cast of four - Joanne and Kevin and their two show partners - will spend the entire tour in one ‘bubble’ while the crew lives in another ‘bubble’ as they tour the country.

Joanne said: “It will seem strange at the moment. But we just want to get back into the theatre and perform and we will be giving the Peterborough audience our best show.”

The Covid-19 lockdown, social distancing and hygiene restrictions have made it a tough time for local dance schools, dance teachers as well as enthusiasts of all ages who have not been able to hold or attend social dances.

Joanne said: “Dancing is wonderful exercise for people - I prefer it to going to be the gym - and is a hugely enjoyable pastime.”

She said: “My tip for ballroom enthusiasts is to keep going and to just find ways and time to dance.”

During lockdown Joanne with Strictly Come Dancing colleague Katya Jones hosted a number of online workshops to help keep people dancing.

She said: “They attracted a good number of viewers so I have used the workshops to write a book called Beyond Lockdown to help keep people motivated.

She said: “We just want people to keep on dancing.”

An Evening with Kevin and Joanne will treat the audience to lots of dance, singing, stories plus question and answers from the audience.

Joanne said: “Kevin and I will be showing off our rivalry.

“We started as kids dancing with each other but as we grew older when we came to dance the rhumba we just couldn’t do it.

“It has been 20 years since we danced together but even now if we look each other in the eyes, we just fall about laughing.”

It has been three years since Joanne left Strictly Come Dancing after starting on the show in 2014.

She said: “I miss the friendships, the training and the environment but at the moment I am really happy pursuing my career in musical theatre.

“I’m looking forward to seeing how the show turns out this year. It’s too early to predict who will win but I am looking forward to seeing Jamie Laing dance as he missed out because of injury last year.

“Would I go back to Strictly? Well, as they say, ‘never say no.”