Oti sets sights on more glory after sessions with Scots champ
bid to take steps to be more inclusive. And Oti has no worries about it. She said: “Who leads depends on who you are talking about and what style of dance. On The Greatest Dancer, we’ve had all girl groups. “I just think dancers are a beautiful thing and it’s not about that. Just like Strictly is all about dancing and that is always going to be at the forefront.” As well as getting ready for her defence of her Strictly crown, the eight-times South African Latin American Champion has also just announced her first ever UK tour, which starts in April 2021. She will be stepping on to the Edinburgh Festival theatre and Perth Concert Hall stages on April 18 and 19 as part of the 50-date extravaganza. She’ll then return to
Scotland for dates at Inverness’s Eden Court Theatre on May 20, Aberdeen Music All on May 21 and Glasgow’s Armadillo on May 22.
She’s looking forward to getting back to Scotland where she’s also spent time on the Strictly tour.
She said: “On tour, we’ve been to Glasgow, Stirling, Inverness and Edinburgh.
“I really love it in Scotland. It inspires me. I love the hills and the castles.
“My husband, Marius, also loves castles so we’ve been up there travelling when we can.”
Oti has promised to bring along some of the world’s greatest dancers and London West End’s finest singers and musicians.
She added: “It’s new, it’s daunting – it’s a challenge we’re looking forward to showing everyone.”
And she’s hopeful the pandemic will have been eradicated by the time her tour comes around.
Oti said: “Are we going to be allowed out? I can’t see the future but fingers crossed that things work out and people are able to come and see my show and have a good night out.
“This is my first tour and it means so much that I even have a tour and to be the first professional dancer to actually have her own show while still on the show.
“It’s kind of a big thing and I want to pay respect to everybody who has opened doors for me.
“And I feel being given the best dancers on the show would be the way to do it.”
She has also revealed budding dance stars of the future are more than welcome to apply to join the live concerts’ cast. Oti said: “I want to support up and coming dancers who would love to be in the show.
“Having the best around me and trying to choreograph and produce a good show is something I’m looking forward to starting and looking into.”
Oti, who started dancing in
South Africa aged four, credits her mother, Dudu, for her success.
She said: “I’ve been dancing my whole life all the way through my teenage years of studying at university.
“I went to Germany and met my husband and we started dancing and competing together then I got Strictly Germany with Marius and then I was able to get Strictly UK. So it’s going to be 26 years of me dancing.”
Yet she believes she has some way to go before she can call herself the greatest dancer.
Oti insists that accolade goes to big sister, Strictly judge Motsi who is 10 years her senior.
“She is definitely the better dancer,” Oti laughed. “I’m not even ashamed to admit it.
“She’s been here longer and she has had such a successful and really positive career and one that people can look up to. It’s something to admire about her.”
And on Strictly, she said: “We’re all just going to try to make sure it’s a better season and it’s nice for us professional dancers to know there’s a job to go back to.”
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