Little did I know that there's nothing more competitive in the world than a professional ballroom dancer. They are as competitive as Olympic athletes.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
I'm obviously always interested in the dancer who's an athlete and vice versa. I expect dancers to be in condition like an athlete is and to challenge themselves in the same way, to the same physical degree.
Being a competitive dancer is an expensive business - you have to buy the £2,000 or so tail suit and the shoes, and then get yourself around the world to the competitions. And there is not a lot of money to be made in competing.
You are an athlete if you are a dancer.
Dance is certainly a sport, and they are phenomenal athletes, and they're also artists.
Certainly the life of a dancer is very difficult. The training is very hard and relentlessly grueling.
In Europe, a great dancer might be on the same level as a movie star. In America, not so.
There's no dancer alive better than those of the 1950s and 1960s. It's only the energy that changes. Every now and then, someone like me comes along, and people say, 'Oh, this guy is this new thing.' But that's not so. There is no me without them. The tradition just goes on.
It's great that ballroom dancing is being recognised. For many years ballroom dancers were misunderstood and other dance forms didn't want anything to do with us.
One is born to be a great dancer.
I find that dancers are only well trained in ballet these days.