Time for the pros to take centre stage...
After two tough years on hold, the Strictly Professionals Tour is back. RICHARD BARBER talked to the dancers who can’t wait to take the spectacular tour back on the road and show a desperate public what they’ve been missing
THE PANDEMIC may have put paid to the hugely popular Strictly Professionals tour for the past couple of years. But now it’s back and the 10 tip-top dancers are ticking off the days until April 28, when they will crisscross the UK showing off their enviable skills. Having joined the show in 2012, Karen Hauer, 39, is a Strictly veteran and the longestserving female professional.
The last Strictly pro tour was in 2019 – “and it was exceptional,” she says.
So what made it so special? “You’re just surrounded by the best dancers in the world, people who are part of the Strictly family you’ve danced with for a long time and with whom you have a deep-rooted bond.”
However, she refuses to single out a particular dance she likes best.
“When you have a director and choreographer as gifted as Jason Gilkison, the whole two-hour show is a treat.
“On Strictly you only see a percentage of what we can do. On the tour, to be able to do complete dance routines live is electrifying.”
There are 36 separate shows on the UK tour, sometimes two in one day. “And yes,” says Karen, “that can be demanding. It would be a bit like a footballer playing a match every day.
“But we’re not only artists, we’re athletes, too. It’s a very intense experience.” Karen is already match-fit though, having just completed a tour with Gorka Marquez, 31.
Even so, he’s been spending time in the gym building up his strength. “The men have to do all the lifts,” he says, “so you have to be in good shape for that.”
Gorka lives with his actress fiancee Gemma Atkinson, whom he met on Strictly, and their daughter, Mia, who is three in July.
“I’ll be able to sleep in my own bed some days, when we’re in Manchester, for instance, but Gemma will bring Mia to see me on other occasions. She likes to see Daddy dancing.”
This will be 32-year-old Luba Mushtuk’s first pro tour. “I have performed on the pro/celeb Live Tour,” she says, “although that was quite different as it is more of the TV format. I can’t wait to transport audiences into my world.”
This will also be Kai Widdrington’s first pro tour. “I remember sitting in the audience at the Eventim Apollo in London three years ago really wanting to be a part of it one day.”
Adds Kai, 26: “I love dancing with celebrities but we only get a couple of minutes to show what we’re capable of each TV show. On this tour, and in the best possible way, we can show off.and the adrenalin you get from a live audience gives you that extra ingredient.”
Back in the day, he almost signed with Southampton FC but chose dancing instead.
“I loved Elvis and Michael Jackson. I loved the way music made me feel when I was dancing. In the end it was a no-brainer. And then I ended up on Strictly – it’s changed my life.”
Katya Jones, 32, says she is champing at the bit to get on the tour. “On the TV show, the challenge is to take famous beginners and teach them how to dance. On this tour, it’s purely professionals which means we can achieve a different level of performance: two hours of fantastic dancing, wall-to-wall energy.
“And I love the interaction with the audience. That energy flows in both directions – it’s hugely exhilarating.
“We finish the show and it really feels like we’ve made the world a better place.
“If I’ve made just one person happier, that’s my job done. I always say, it’s not about what you do; it’s about the feeling you leave people with.and if my muscles ache at the end, I know I’ve given my all.”
This will also be the second pro tour for Nadiya Bychkova, 32. “I loved being able to show what we can really do as professional dancers. It was an amazing experience last time
‘If I’ve made one person happier...that’s job done’
and I feel so ready to go even further for this tour. It’s such a pleasure to dance with fellow professionals for all our fans.
“It means so much to bring joy to people after the turmoil of the last couple of years.” She keeps herself fit all the time, she says. “This is my job. This is what I do. I’m not too fond of the gym but I love to hike and walk.”
And her favourite dance? “Definitely the rumba. It’s the most difficult, the most dramatic, the most rewarding.”
SEASONED Strictly veteran Neil Jones, 39, agrees. “The pro tour takes us back to what we used to do. The audience gets to understand who the individual professionals really are and what they’re capable of. “The group numbers, the solo routines, are out of this world. Personally, my favourites are the paso doble and the jive – the drama of one, the energy of the other.”
The Strictly Live Tour is quite an experience, says Neil. “When you sell out somewhere like the O2, it’s not an experience you easily forget.
“But equally, there’s something special about the intimacy of a theatre on the pro tour.” In May his age will start with a new number. Does it get harder to maintain your stamina the older you get?
“I’ve always taken care of my body. I’m always stretching. I have regular sessions with my physio so, if anything goes wrong it heals very quickly.
“I tore my calf muscle, for instance, during the 2019 run of Strictly. I was back dancing after two weeks rather than the eight predicted.
“I like to keep going.after two years isolated in my flat, I can’t wait to get in front of a live audience again.”
Graziano Di Prima, 27, is equally enthusiastic, and this will be his very first pro tour. “On the Strictly Live Tour you feel a bit like a rock star. I can’t describe the noise that thousands of people make. This one, though, is going to be much more up close and personal. I can’t wait.”
Dianne Buswell, 32, could tell Graziano what makes the pro tour special. She says. “There’s nothing to beat showing people what we’ve grown up doing all our lives.
“There’s something very particular when a professional dances with a fellow professional.
“Magic happens. It’s a real firecracker on stage, one of the best things I’ve ever done.
“And it never feels like hard work because it’s so joyful. Everyone watching feels like they’ve come on a journey with you. One of the reasons I dance is to escape from everyday struggles. It’s a double whammy if I can give back some of that to people watching me.”
Will one of those be boyfriend Joe Sugg whom she originally met on Strictly?
“Absolutely. He’s my Number One fan! And my parents, Mark and Rina, are going to fly over from Perth to see the show. I’ve got itchy feet waiting for it to begin.”
For Strictly newbie Cameron Lombard, 21, each experience is another first.
“I joined the Strictly family last June when I moved to London. I’ve no real idea what the pro tour is going to be like.
“But all the other dancers say it’s one of their favourite things in the Strictly calendar.
“I’ve been hiking up the mountains above Cape Town in preparation and doing a bit of kick-boxing. I’m raring to go.”
And the last word from Karen Hauer. “There’s enough bad news in the world today,” she says.
“How nice to welcome the public into a happy bubble, to spread a little sunshine, to offer two hours of unapologetic escapism.”
‘Magic happens. It’s a firecracker on stage...’
Strictly Come Dancing – The Professionals UK Tour, April 28 – May 30, venues and tickets: Strictlycomedancinglive.com