WithWOW What’s On WalesOnline
When did you first start dancing?
KAREN: I was born in Venezuela and I pretty much grew up with salsa dancing, music playing in the background every morning.
My family had a lot of parties – there would be 20 people in the living room dancing. There’s always a celebration in a Latin house. Funny enough, when I got to New York, things changed a bit for me and I started doing more classical dancing. I definitely had to grow up quickly when I got to New York, especially going into dance companies like The Fame School. You have to be on your game. I love to learn. GORKA: I started when I was 11. Which is not as young as some kids. My background was ballroom competition and then I joined a dance company when I was still competing. I always say I loved it but I’m not really a competitive person. Then we ended up being on the biggest TV show in the world and because of that we had the chance to create our own show Firedance.
What was it like joining Strictly Come Dancing? KAREN: Even to this day I have to pinch myself. When I got the call for Strictly I fell on my knees and I cried. I hadn’t worked for four months and was living on my savings. None of the dancers that were there back then are there now except Anton Du Beke and myself. I’ve been in the show for eight years. It is incredible, it really is, and a joy to be around.
How did your Firedance tour come about?
GORKA: There are so many dance shows right now but we wanted to create something different, and I think it’s very good that both of us are Latin. We share that kind of mentality and point of view. It’s all about passion. Not like classic sparkly ballroom. Even the outfits are more street fashion with a Latin feel.
KAREN: Gorka and I first met on Strictly, I saw that he loved salsa and he loves the flamenco and those are the dances I love as well. But we actually only started dancing together this year. We just clicked. This is the best partnership ever.
Will you be bringing the passion factor to your tour? KAREN: Gorka is from Spain and I’m from Venezuela so we have all this passionate dancing in our blood, it’s what we’ve grown up with really. All these incredible fiery dances that people really love and connect with. GORKA: I think it has helped that we have a shared heritage. It’s very easy because both our cultures have a similar feel. So it was very easy when it came to finding out the way that we wanted to put the show on. It was very easy. We have chosen to bring passion and fire.
Have there been any flare-ups with two fiery Latin tempers in the show?
KAREN: Not at all actually because I guess we both respect each other so much.
We’re very temperamental, yes. We know that we’re both fiery, yeah, but I guess the fact that we know that about each other means it doesn’t need to come out. It doesn’t clash. It means we can work together. GORKA: As soon as Karen and I started dancing together we were like ‘wow, this is fun’.
“We were getting on so well from the start.
We think the same. We see the dance the same way. From the very start it was very good and it’s easy when it’s like that.
What else can you tell us about the show?
KAREN: We have a beautiful band. And we also have very beautiful singers. They’re going to be singing in different languages as well, Spanish and English.
GORKA: I think having a band on the tour gives it all more punch, makes you feel more involved with the show and gives us more opportunities to play. If you have a live band it will never be the same every night.
That gives you that space to improvise and make the show different every night. If someone comes to see us twice it will be different each time.
Any plans for the future? GORKA: I would love to go international with this. I would love to do this show in Spain. All my family are there, so to take the show over there, even for a night or two nights, to show my family and friends what I have done would be incredible.
■ Firedance tours until April 5. Go to firedancelive. co.uk to book tickets.