You’ll get 99 super positive messages... but it is the sole negative one that you will focus on
Diversity’s Perri Kiely talks to LUKE RIX-STANDING about performance nerves and the pros and cons of social media
FROM winning Britain’s Got Talent aged 12 with dance troupe Diversity, to co-presenting a KISS weekday radio breakfast show with fellow dancer Jordan Banjo, Perri Kiely has packed a lot into his 25 years.
Amid the lockdown dance boom on TikTok, the dancer-turnedmedia-favourite is fronting a new Samsung campaign, hosting virtual dance tutorials shot on his phone.
We caught up with Essex-born Perri to find our more about his journey into dance, pre-performance nerves, and his finding creativity during the pandemic.
Why do you think lockdown has proved such fertile ground for the online dance movement?
I think the main reason is everyone being bored. When we went into lockdown, a lot of people were saying they wanted to learn new skills, like picking up guitar or learning a language.
But you really have to put your mind to those, whereas for me dancing is something you just sort of get involved in. You don’t have to be a certain standard, you just have fun and keep fit without really noticing.
Has social media changed the game?
Definitely. Before the Instagram days, you’d get a dance trend from a music video or a friend who’d seen it somewhere, but these days you turn your phone on and you’ve got everything.
Do you like social media, and spend time on it?
I’d hate to show you my screen time. It’s not always the most positive place, but I’m quite lucky in that I love putting stuff out there, and the feedback I get tends to be super positive.
But you could have 99 super positive messages and one negative one, and it’s the negative one you’d focus on. Once that happens, it can snowball and become a dark place. I’ve got the rest of the boys and the team, who’ve always got my back, but I can see how social media could be really negative.
How have you coped during the pandemic overall?
I’m quite lucky - it’s been as good as it could be. I stayed with my dad through lockdown, so I had company and outdoor space. I have friends stuck in high-rise flats, so I really don’t take that for granted.
Me and the boys had been constantly on the go, and it felt like the first time I was able to stop and do what I wanted to do.
Have you stayed active?
There have been on and off days. There were days of sitting about eating anything I laid eyes on, but I felt really weird if I wasn’t doing something, so I tried to dance as much as possible. I felt super creative.
What are you most looking forward to as restrictions ease?
I’ve really missed going out and performing. There’s nothing better than being backstage and hearing the seats start to fill, that bit of chitchat with music in the background. It really gets those nerves going, and I miss it so much.
How did you get into dancing?
I was one of those kids that wasn’t into anything, and I had no clue about dancing.
I was trying to find what I liked – football, karate, I tried lots of different hobbies – when I was walking through a shopping centre with my
mum and the boys were performing a little show.
It was really random, but I thought it was the best thing I’d ever seen, so I found out where they danced, became friends with them, and ended up becoming their sort of water boy.
Eventually I started dancing with them. One of my first performances with them was our BGT audition, actually.
I get nervous before pretty much everything. Even before interviews
Do you get stage fright?
Oh yeah, I get nervous before pretty much everything. Even before interviews, I get super anxious, though I’m fine once I start chatting.
Someone once told me you only get nervous when you care about something, because if you didn’t care, there’d be nothing to be nervous about. I want to get out there and perform my best, so the day I stop getting nervous is the day I’m done.
How do you manage those nerves?
You’ve got to throw yourself in the deep end, as horrible as it might feel. With dancing, I’ll be nervous right until the first move, and I think the boys would all say the same. You’ll be backstage and your heart will be racing, but the moment the screen opens, that just goes.
Luckily, I’m with my friends.
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