Strictly Come Dancing skilled Neil Jones has one big demand for the brand new 2025 collection – a contestant who makes use of a wheelchair. The 43-year-old, who joined the BBC dance competitors in 2016, can be returning as a professional dancer for his tenth yr in a row later this yr. He initially began dancing on the age of three and has represented Finland, the Netherlands, and the UK in main dance competitions. Neil and fellow Strictly star, Katya Jones, turned four-time British Nationwide Champions earlier than they each determined to hitch the long-running BBC collection. Final yr, he was partnered with Toyah Willcox, the place they completed in 14th place.
Talking completely with Specific On-line, Neil was quizzed on who his perfect movie star accomplice can be. He revealed, “I’ve all the time stated Keith Lemon. I believe he’d be unbelievable. He completely loves the present. However I’d actually like to see wheelchair dancing.”
He continued, “I do know that we had a bunch dance final yr, and we had one woman throughout the group dance in a wheelchair. We are saying it with every part. In the event you see somebody on TV, for example ginger, as a child, it makes you simply go, ‘Oh wow, I can do this.’
“I believe it is actually vital, and that is what Strictly touches base with a lot. You have to have the entire range of celebs all through, as a result of you then by no means know who you are touching at dwelling, in the way in which that there might be some little child there, or some grownup, or any individual who’s like, ‘Oh, I may by no means do that.’
“I used to show a whole lot of wheelchair dancing and lots of people with disabilities in all totally different lights. I believe the vital factor is that inside dance, it isn’t all about footwork.
“Dance is about interpretation to music, and that is the identical in Latin and Ballroom, and I believe that is what we should always discover a means of exhibiting that.”
Neil can be performing his present Gingerland at Lichfield Competition on July tenth and eleventh. The outline reads, “Gingerland is a futuristic dance-theatre spectacular the place redheads are outlawed for the extraordinary powers hidden of their DNA. In a world that fears distinction, one younger lady’s journey by means of historical past, identification, and rise up units the stage for a robust rebellion.
“Filled with unique music, jaw-dropping choreography, and sudden twists, Gingerland is a celebration of individuality—with out giving an excessive amount of away.”
The idea was born from Neil Jones’ private expertise as a redhead. Talking concerning the present, he stated, “This can be a mission that I’ve had on my thoughts for for years now, I like creating reveals. I am very a lot a storyteller.
“So I assumed, I will play with that and really say as if we’ve got a superpower and we’re nearly the brand new technology of superheroes. With all of that collectively, I went, ‘Let’s make it into an precise storyline with characters, and I could be the narrator of the entire present.'”
To seek out out extra concerning the present and tickets, click on right here.
