Ballroom Boys Duo Ian Waite and Vincent Simone return for their new show – Act Two!
With beautiful costumes, gorgeous lighting and world class routines; including the Viennese Waltz, the Foxtrot, the Rhumba… and of course… another incredible Argentine Tango routine by the master! The boys will be joined by their stunning dance partners and a world class singer.
For an evening filled with glitz and glamour, Ian Waite and Vincent Simone….Act Two will be coming to the Pavilion Theatre on Thursday 9 June at 7:30pm. Read the following interview with former Strictly Come Dancing’s professional dancers where they discuss their brilliant new show.
What can fans expect to see in your show?
Ian: A bit of everything really. Hollywood classics, Broadway musicals, a lot of hot Latin numbers.
Vincent: Passionate Argentine Tangos.
Ian: Definitely your Argentine Tangos!
Vincent: Yes, and an amazing singer with a voice of an angel. Plus, we have loads of comedy. You’re the biggest dancer on the planet and I’m the smallest. 5ft 2” plus VAT!
What do you love about doing this show together?
Vincent: Everything! We love working together. Everything, we are just a perfect match.
Ian: Vince is very creative, easy going, his choreography is on point. I just come along for the ride really!
Vincent: He presses play!
Ian: I press play a lot! (Laughing)
How did the touring partnership come about?
Ian: It was my idea.
Vincent: Yes.
Ian: And I thought of the name The Ballroom Boys. When I called Vincent he was in Spain, on holiday I think. I said what do you think about doing a tour and he really liked the idea, the concept was great and we would be the first Strictly all boys couple, haha. Yeah, it’s gone on from then.
Vincent: I jumped at the chance because it was a time when I had finished touring with Flavia and she wanted to have a break and this beautiful man came along and he rescued me. I was like a lost puppy!
How does Act Two differ from Act One?
Ian: I think we just put it on steroids, you know. We just kind of tried to make it bigger and better. More stairs, more curtains, more lights, more girls.
Vincent: More women!
Ian: Haha, more women! Yeah, just even more variety actually in this one, we have three comedy dances as well, don’t we?
Vincent: Yes, we do.
How far into the tour were you before lockdown stopped you in your tracks?
Vincent: We were teching at the theatre in Worcester.
Ian: We did our dress run and then we were closed down. We were about to do the show, ready to do the show, we had done our dress run and 544 days later we opened!!
Vincent: Yes, finally.
How easy has it been returning to live performance after lockdown? Did you have to spend a bit of time re-rehearsing the show or did you just go straight back into live performances in theatres?
Vincent: I didn’t think it was going to be this easy, but I felt almost like we never left. The day I got here, back to London from Spain, we started rehearsing and literally within an hour when we had a little break, I left the training room and it was so surreal. It’s like I never left.
Ian: You were still dancing in Spain quite a lot.
Vincent: I did dance a lot in Spain. I managed to dance and practise almost every day.
What do you love and dislike about touring?
Vincent: Our favourite part of touring is to see new places, new audiences, you never know what to expect. You have roughly the same reactions, but sometimes, especially when you go to places like
up North or to Scotland or Ireland, we get more of an explosion, a buzz from the audience.
How big a part has Strictly played in your popularity with live audiences?
Ian: I think it is one of the main factors really because they know us as characters from Strictly and they’ve continually supported us all our career. We have had tremendous support and there is a hunger for old-school Strictly, old-school classics. People love the Ballroom dancing, people love to go back in time and that’s what we try and do with our shows.
Ian Waite and Vincent Simone….Act Two is at the Pavilion Theatre on Thursday 9 June at 7:30pm. Book tickets now at wtm.uk/events/ian-waite-and-vincent-simone-act-two or call the Box Office on 01903 206206.