INTERVIEW
AJ Pritchard
Get on the Floor
Cliffs Pavilion
4th March
AJ Pritchard
Get on the Floor
Cliffs Pavilion
4th March
We chat to star of Strictly Come Dancing, AJ Pritchard who will be coming to Southend with the tour of his brand new debut show, Get On The Floor!
He tells us all about the show which features lots of contemporary dance which is something AJ feels is the way Strictly will embrace in the next series. We also discuss same sex dance routines and the prize that means the most to him...
He tells us all about the show which features lots of contemporary dance which is something AJ feels is the way Strictly will embrace in the next series. We also discuss same sex dance routines and the prize that means the most to him...
Have you been to Southend before?
No, I don't think I have actually I was trying to think of this before. It is a flying visit unfortunately but I’m sure we can fit a bit in there in that time.
It must be really exciting to be doing your own show?
Honestly, to say that I’ve got a debut show - I’m like a big kid! I’ve always wanted to do my own tour but never thought that it would ever be possible. Now that it’s come to fruition and actually happening, I feel nervous but excited at the same time. I want everyone to come along, obviously.
What can audiences expect from Get on the Floor?
The great thing is that it’s all the best parts that the Strictly audience will already know plus added bonuses. So there will be all the ballroom and latin dance, but also street dance, commercial, some ballet and tap. So it’s a fusion of all the styles. We also have a female and male vocalist so you get that live feeling to the dancing and the vocals really add to the effect.
How much input have you had for the show? Is it all from you or have you collaborated with anyone?
We’ve been able to collaborate but the good thing is that I’ve been there every step of the way. It’s really exciting as I know the choreographers and I’ve got people I’ve worked with in the past, which is really nice because I know their work and I can trust them.
The real fresh feeling is that the dancers are people I’ve never worked with before which is really exciting. They’re all fantastic in their own field - one of them is a great tap dancer and one of the girls is very into commercial which allows the contemporary dances to really flow; so I’m pushing myself and all my boundaries - and they’re pushing theirs.
Is it quite unique for a show like this to have an open audition for dancers?
Yeah, for this sort of tour most people use dancers that they know or they’ve used in the past, whereas for me it was about giving other dancers an opportunity; the same way that I got given the opportunity with Strictly and obviously took it with both hands. It means that they’ll be seen in a different light and I think that's good. It’s not about how good a dancer you are sometimes, it’s about how it makes you feel, so seeing people in the open auditions - it was quite overwhelming to see how much talent there was and specifically how much passion there was in the room to want to get those roles which was so enriching to see.
How many people came and how many got parts?
There were only 3 boys positions and 3 girls positions and there were over 800 applicants. We then narrowed that down to 100. It was really overwhelming, I was, like, where are these people coming from? It was amazing.
It really was an inspirational day to see how many auditioned. It made me think, yeah wow this is great, there’s so much dancing talent in this country.
Did it make you appreciate how it must be from the Strictly judges side of things?
[laughs] Erm..it was different being on the other side of the desk, that’s for sure. But no, it was great to see and make the decision in the end.
No, I don't think I have actually I was trying to think of this before. It is a flying visit unfortunately but I’m sure we can fit a bit in there in that time.
It must be really exciting to be doing your own show?
Honestly, to say that I’ve got a debut show - I’m like a big kid! I’ve always wanted to do my own tour but never thought that it would ever be possible. Now that it’s come to fruition and actually happening, I feel nervous but excited at the same time. I want everyone to come along, obviously.
What can audiences expect from Get on the Floor?
The great thing is that it’s all the best parts that the Strictly audience will already know plus added bonuses. So there will be all the ballroom and latin dance, but also street dance, commercial, some ballet and tap. So it’s a fusion of all the styles. We also have a female and male vocalist so you get that live feeling to the dancing and the vocals really add to the effect.
How much input have you had for the show? Is it all from you or have you collaborated with anyone?
We’ve been able to collaborate but the good thing is that I’ve been there every step of the way. It’s really exciting as I know the choreographers and I’ve got people I’ve worked with in the past, which is really nice because I know their work and I can trust them.
The real fresh feeling is that the dancers are people I’ve never worked with before which is really exciting. They’re all fantastic in their own field - one of them is a great tap dancer and one of the girls is very into commercial which allows the contemporary dances to really flow; so I’m pushing myself and all my boundaries - and they’re pushing theirs.
Is it quite unique for a show like this to have an open audition for dancers?
Yeah, for this sort of tour most people use dancers that they know or they’ve used in the past, whereas for me it was about giving other dancers an opportunity; the same way that I got given the opportunity with Strictly and obviously took it with both hands. It means that they’ll be seen in a different light and I think that's good. It’s not about how good a dancer you are sometimes, it’s about how it makes you feel, so seeing people in the open auditions - it was quite overwhelming to see how much talent there was and specifically how much passion there was in the room to want to get those roles which was so enriching to see.
How many people came and how many got parts?
There were only 3 boys positions and 3 girls positions and there were over 800 applicants. We then narrowed that down to 100. It was really overwhelming, I was, like, where are these people coming from? It was amazing.
It really was an inspirational day to see how many auditioned. It made me think, yeah wow this is great, there’s so much dancing talent in this country.
Did it make you appreciate how it must be from the Strictly judges side of things?
[laughs] Erm..it was different being on the other side of the desk, that’s for sure. But no, it was great to see and make the decision in the end.
When you first joined Strictly I wondered if there was any one of the dancers who was particularly inspirational to you or who you were perhaps a little in awe of?
I never really had that at the forefront of my brain. For me it was always about turning up, doing the job that I know I can do choreographing routines. People didn’t really know if I was good at doing that stuff, but I always loved choreographing routines, so it was like I was kind of proving my point in the first year - really putting my stamp on it and saying, hey, I’m here to stay, I can choreograph, I can teach and I’m not going anywhere any time soon. I think my worst enemy is myself because I’m always pushing myself too hard. I’m a very competitive person.
Tell us the truth, do you actually really know who your partners are going to be before they announce it on Strictly?
We have absolutely no idea, no idea. Literally to the second of the camera’s changing to our faces when they say the name - not a clue and that is God’s honest truth. So our faces are what they are telling you - happy, sad, anticipation, excitement. Whatever it may be, it’s reality! [laughs]
What have been your best and worst moments of being in Strictly?
I think the best moments are when you see the journey of a celebrity, who’s gone from day one learning to literally walk it [the dance] sometimes, all the way to producing these fantastic routines. That for me is the best part.
I think the worst part is when you’ve had a 12-14 hour day and you can’t stand up at the end of it. Sometimes, that’s not the best feeling at the end of the day - but it’s worth it because you see the progression of your partners getting to perform for millions of people every Saturday night.
The judges are very intent on looking at whether the celebrities make any mistakes but have you ever slipped up at all.
Oh we always make one or two little mistakes - but we never own up to it too much! It’s always nerve wracking when you’re doing lifts that you haven't done before and you put yourself under a lot of pressure and you just have to make it happen on the night. I always say to my partners that I’ll have enough adrenalin on the night to make it work. Sometimes, in training it doesn’t always go to plan but as long as it works on the night, which it always does, that’s the main thing.
I know a lot of the celebrities get nervous but do you?
I think the thing that makes me nervous is when your celebrity partner says just before you go on, “So what’s the first step?” And you go, “What!? We’ve done it 12 hours a day, every day!” That makes me nervous sometimes - that they could blank - that gives me a bit of a heart attack!
I never really had that at the forefront of my brain. For me it was always about turning up, doing the job that I know I can do choreographing routines. People didn’t really know if I was good at doing that stuff, but I always loved choreographing routines, so it was like I was kind of proving my point in the first year - really putting my stamp on it and saying, hey, I’m here to stay, I can choreograph, I can teach and I’m not going anywhere any time soon. I think my worst enemy is myself because I’m always pushing myself too hard. I’m a very competitive person.
Tell us the truth, do you actually really know who your partners are going to be before they announce it on Strictly?
We have absolutely no idea, no idea. Literally to the second of the camera’s changing to our faces when they say the name - not a clue and that is God’s honest truth. So our faces are what they are telling you - happy, sad, anticipation, excitement. Whatever it may be, it’s reality! [laughs]
What have been your best and worst moments of being in Strictly?
I think the best moments are when you see the journey of a celebrity, who’s gone from day one learning to literally walk it [the dance] sometimes, all the way to producing these fantastic routines. That for me is the best part.
I think the worst part is when you’ve had a 12-14 hour day and you can’t stand up at the end of it. Sometimes, that’s not the best feeling at the end of the day - but it’s worth it because you see the progression of your partners getting to perform for millions of people every Saturday night.
The judges are very intent on looking at whether the celebrities make any mistakes but have you ever slipped up at all.
Oh we always make one or two little mistakes - but we never own up to it too much! It’s always nerve wracking when you’re doing lifts that you haven't done before and you put yourself under a lot of pressure and you just have to make it happen on the night. I always say to my partners that I’ll have enough adrenalin on the night to make it work. Sometimes, in training it doesn’t always go to plan but as long as it works on the night, which it always does, that’s the main thing.
I know a lot of the celebrities get nervous but do you?
I think the thing that makes me nervous is when your celebrity partner says just before you go on, “So what’s the first step?” And you go, “What!? We’ve done it 12 hours a day, every day!” That makes me nervous sometimes - that they could blank - that gives me a bit of a heart attack!
In all of those years of competing you must have so many trophies and medals, is there one that means more to you than anything else?
There is one, it’s the British Open Championships Youth Latin, it was the one competition that’s like the world championships in the dancing world really. I won that competition after I’d had keyhole surgery on my knee and it meant so much to me because it was the first competition after I came back and when I thought that my dancing career was over at the age of 18. That was a very important one for me, AND it was the one that my dad never won, so it meant a lot to me to win that one.
Bet he was really proud of you though?
He was ecstatic that’s for sure.
Both of your parents [who own their own dance school] must be super proud of you and what you’ve achieved?
They are very, very happy. We’re a very close family and I always love to have their input.
How is your brother now? [AJ and his brother, Curtis were beaten up in a nightclub attack leaving Curtis, 22, also a dancer for Ireland’s Dancing With the Stars, needing surgery]
He’s doing really well, thank you. He’s back in Ireland now. He’s been dancing the past week and he’s going to have a fit and healthy recovery, which is the main thing in such an awful situation. But as close a family as we are, we’re fit and healthy and back at it!
There is one, it’s the British Open Championships Youth Latin, it was the one competition that’s like the world championships in the dancing world really. I won that competition after I’d had keyhole surgery on my knee and it meant so much to me because it was the first competition after I came back and when I thought that my dancing career was over at the age of 18. That was a very important one for me, AND it was the one that my dad never won, so it meant a lot to me to win that one.
Bet he was really proud of you though?
He was ecstatic that’s for sure.
Both of your parents [who own their own dance school] must be super proud of you and what you’ve achieved?
They are very, very happy. We’re a very close family and I always love to have their input.
How is your brother now? [AJ and his brother, Curtis were beaten up in a nightclub attack leaving Curtis, 22, also a dancer for Ireland’s Dancing With the Stars, needing surgery]
He’s doing really well, thank you. He’s back in Ireland now. He’s been dancing the past week and he’s going to have a fit and healthy recovery, which is the main thing in such an awful situation. But as close a family as we are, we’re fit and healthy and back at it!
There was a bit of debate with Strictly last year about having same sex couples dancing together, what’s your take on that.
I think the thing for me is that it’s movement to music so, for example, whether it’s male/female or female/female or male/male - whatever it is, it’s movement to music. So it can be more impressive to have two guys doing a tap number together or a street dance or whatever it may be; or whether it be just 2 females doing a dance, it gets highlighted much more when you say, we’re doing 2 males - it highlights that, whereas girls always dance together and that always has been the case. Sometimes too much is made of it when men dance together. We’ve always done it but sometimes it’s more highlighted, and for me it’s just empowering two bodies moving to music.
Exactly, I mean look at West Side Story that’s a good example isn’t it?
Yeah, classic you can’t beat it!
What’s the big appeal for your show compared to all the other Strictly dancers’ shows that are out there at the moment?
I think for me it’s just that feel good feeling. We’ve got the live vocalists, obviously the dancing and the whole modernisation of the way that I see Strictly is going, with more contemporary and more commercial dances. This is the way that Strictly is going to go and I’m just really trying to get ahead of the game and show what really makes me tick with the dance styles that I love.
It’s all about enjoying the dance. Technique is one thing but it can be very boring at the end of the day, we’ve all got to admit. It is there but it’s always about enjoying yourself and enjoying the time and that’s exactly how I want the audience to feel at the end of the night.
And will you be going back to Strictly this year?
I don’t know yet but obviously if that happens I would absolutely love it. We’ll find out soon.
I think the thing for me is that it’s movement to music so, for example, whether it’s male/female or female/female or male/male - whatever it is, it’s movement to music. So it can be more impressive to have two guys doing a tap number together or a street dance or whatever it may be; or whether it be just 2 females doing a dance, it gets highlighted much more when you say, we’re doing 2 males - it highlights that, whereas girls always dance together and that always has been the case. Sometimes too much is made of it when men dance together. We’ve always done it but sometimes it’s more highlighted, and for me it’s just empowering two bodies moving to music.
Exactly, I mean look at West Side Story that’s a good example isn’t it?
Yeah, classic you can’t beat it!
What’s the big appeal for your show compared to all the other Strictly dancers’ shows that are out there at the moment?
I think for me it’s just that feel good feeling. We’ve got the live vocalists, obviously the dancing and the whole modernisation of the way that I see Strictly is going, with more contemporary and more commercial dances. This is the way that Strictly is going to go and I’m just really trying to get ahead of the game and show what really makes me tick with the dance styles that I love.
It’s all about enjoying the dance. Technique is one thing but it can be very boring at the end of the day, we’ve all got to admit. It is there but it’s always about enjoying yourself and enjoying the time and that’s exactly how I want the audience to feel at the end of the night.
And will you be going back to Strictly this year?
I don’t know yet but obviously if that happens I would absolutely love it. We’ll find out soon.
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