First lady of dance
Darcey Bussell takes Lauren Taylor through some of the moves on her first DVD
Asany Strictly Come Dancing fan will know, Dame Darcey Bussell knows her stuff when it comes to ballroom and Latin. The former ballet dancer and judge on the hit BBC show has just launched her first dance fitness DVD – believing that everyone could benefit from having some dance in their lives, not just celebrities in front of millions on a Saturday night.
Her method, dubbed the ‘Darcey Bussell Diverse Dance Mix’, combines dance and aerobic fitness and features 14 themed routines, with styles spanning different decades and countries – all led by one of Britain’s most famous ballet dancers herself.
Strictly fans will be happy to know they can learn routines heavily-rooted in favourites like the Charleston, the jive, salsa and samba. Other numbers on the DVD hark back to eras like 70s disco, the swinging 60s and 90s vogue dancing, or take inspiration from iconic dance styles from around the world – including Bhangra, Arabian, Flamenco and Irish.
“Dancers don’t have to be perfect but they can enjoy every minute of it”
Darcey retired from The Royal Ballet in 2007 after 20 years with the company, and three years ago, she set up DDMIX – a dance academy that runs dance fitness classes for adults and in schools.
“I realised very quickly [after retiring from professional ballet] that I couldn’t do nothing,” Darcey says. “So the idea was to keep my body moving and to keep it supple, because I realised after the strain I’d put my body under by doing quite extreme ballet for 25 years, I needed to keep my joints moving to keep them strong.
“I started off doing Zumba and had such a laugh doing that, but I thought there must be something slightly more diverse out there, so I devised DDMIX.”
The idea is that it’s a full body workout that can be as easy and fun, or as hard and sweaty as you like. Darcey worked alongside dance choreographer Nathan Clarke to create routines that get people moving without being intimidated by the word ‘dance’, or the idea that steps will be too technical to pick up.
Darcey says: “I think dance has still sadly got that [intimidating] ring around it. Strictly has done wonders to show that everyone can learn something. They don’t have to be perfect but they can enjoy every minute of it. I think that’s really important.”
The DVD is 70 minutes of fitness, made up of two to three minute routines, and 45 minutes is recommended in one session to provide a good full-body aerobic workout.
“It’s not intense,” Darcey says. “But dance touches every part [of the body]. We have some genres like the Nineties and Arabian which are very full-on for the arms, and other genres like Irish that’s very good for the calves or New Zealand Haka which tones the thighs.”
Each routine is broken down into the steps before you start, which Darcey says is important for fitness too. “You’re getting something out of working out how to move first before just going for it. Which is really important. You realise that if you go lower you’re going to feel your hamstrings, or if you get a bit higher, you’re going to feel your calves.”
Anyone who watched Strictly will know Darcey for her enthusiasm and kindhearted assessments of the celebrity dancers, and in person she’s exactly the same. She genuinely loves the routines in DDMIX, during which she encourages us and laughs all the way through.
Some of the moves are simple to follow, others take some practise but it’s all really good fun. Because the moves are never difficult, my confidence grows pretty quickly, circling my hands in the air for the Arabian routine, and jumping around in the rock ‘n’ roll routine. I begin to actually believe I’m could pass for a dancer – who cares if I’m deluded?
We take on the Charleston to ragtime jazz of course. Coupled with our swinging arms and swivelling feet, it’s instantly recognisable as a Strictly favourite – now I just need a flapper dress and feather in my hair.
After three routines I’m out of breath and need a break. The moves mean you keep your core engaged the entire time and, as Darcey says, it’s a whole body workout. I can feel that all the squats in the 80s Rocky routine will definitely hurt tomorrow... n Darcey Bussell’s Diverse Dance Mix DVD is available now, £12.99.