Caerphilly-born dancer Amy Dowden is to feature in an all-new show, Lost in The Rhythm at Brangwyn Hall, Swansea on April 3, 2020
The show will bring a mix of ballroom and Latin dances with individual performances from Amy along with Ben Jones and Colin Jackson, as well as entertaining group numbers with their supporting dancers.
Amy, who established herself on the hit BBC show Strictly Come Dancing discusses the new show of which she has been heavily involved in directing and choreographing along with Ben Jones.
How excited are you to be doing your own tour?
What a dream come true! And so excited to be going to so many locations in Wales so my friends and family and all my Welsh fans can come to see me perform. It’s also really exciting to be dancing with Colin Jackson again, two years after I danced with him on the Strictly Christmas Special. We got four 9s which bodes well! The other bonus is I get to dance with my soon-to-be-husband Ben Jones.
Your relationship with Colin goes back even further than it does with your partner Ben, I believe?
When I was 17 Colin made a documentary in which he followed me and my dance partner at the time as we went to the Welsh Championships, which we were lucky enough to win. I would never have believed that ten years later he would be my dance partner on Strictly!
Tell us about the show…
The show is all about why we got lost in the rhythm. Ben, why at 15 did he suddenly take up dancing? Colin, a successful Olympic athlete, why did he fall in love with dancing? And for me, it’s about how the rhythm has saved me so many times when I have been at my lowest ebb with my Crohn’s Disease. It’s going to be emotional, fun, happy and hopefully inspiring to all.
Colin Jackson, Amy Dowden and Ben Jones will star in Lost In The Rhythm at Swansea’s Brangwyn Hall on April 3.
So what can people expect from the show?
Lots of energy! True-hearted performances and a love of dance. It’s going to be a fun show and we hope the audience will want to get out of their seats and join in.
Are there any surprises?
There definitely will be, we’ve got some amazing dancers that are also going to be performing with us and a Welsh singer called Natasha John, who has an amazing voice so I can’t wait to perform with her. One of the dancers is a young lad called Lloyd Perry who I’ve known since he was in his mummy’s belly. He’s from Ystrad Mynach and his dance partner Rebecca is from the West Midlands, just like my partner Ben so they are following in our footsteps and I’m sure they are going to be even more successful. We’ve been working with them for years and when they travelled to the States we went as their guardians. Well, I think I was theirs and Ben’s guardian!
We can’t talk to you and not mention the last series of Strictly Come Dancing…
I know, it was an amazing experience. I couldn’t have asked for a better partner than Karim, he was so dedicated and worked so hard. He really deserved to reach the final. We would’ve loved to lift the Glitterball Trophy but Oti is one of my best friends and Kelvin is so lovely, we were more than happy to see them win.
What were your highlights from the series?
In terms of dances, getting the first 40 of the series with our Jive was up there, but also getting to Blackpool was brilliant. The Tower Ballroom is a special place for me having watched competitions there as a little girl and so to be able to go there with Karim so he could experience it as well is something I won’t forget.
And as well as the tour, 2020 is shaping up to be a big year for you…
Yes! I’m very excited to say that Ben and I are getting married this summer! Each New Year’s Eve we have a big party at our dance school where we take our turn at performing for the students and their families.
In 2018 Ben finished our dance down on one knee and suddenly pulled an engagement ring out of his sock, it was such a surprise! I can’t wait to get married, lots of our Strictly friends are coming, though, so there may be some competition on the dancefloor at the reception!
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Tickets available from the Box Office on 01792 475715 or at http://www.brangwyn.co.uk and are £30.00. Meet and greet tickets are £58.00.
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UPDATED MARCH 22: THESE DATES HAVE NOW BEEN POSTPONED DUE TO THE UK GOVERNMENT ADVICE REGARDING THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC