Strictly Colin

Thursday, 17 December 2009

With the final of this year’s Strictly Come Dancing just days away, the Youth Sport Trust chats to Welsh former sprint and hurdling athlete, Colin Jackson who took part in the show in 2005.

YST: Why do you think dance is so important for young people?
CJ: It’s vital nowadays; it’s something that we can truly engage young people in. They’ve seen it on the television from Strictly Come Dancing to Britain’s Got Talent. When you have programmes like that, which have created a positive aura around dance that’s what makes it really magic and kids want to do it.

YST: What skills do you think top athletes and top dancers share?
CJ: The skills you need are obviously discipline, which is vital, a sense of timing and a sense of rhythm, which are necessary in all sports. Those are the key elements really and of course, if you are used to working with those sign posts then it’s easy to transfer that over to anything you do. Most sports people are pretty good at anything that requires those skills and that methodology of creating the ultimate goal, whatever that may be, so I think yes, there are massive crossovers in sport and dance.

YST: You took part in the 2005 series of Strictly Come Dancing, what was your favourite dance in the show and why?
CJ: I loved the foxtrot and the quick step in the ballroom style. It’s funny I always wanted to learn how to do a tango because it’s technically quite a difficult dance to actually learn as it’s not like any of the other ball room dance styles. A lot of the others connect together, the tango has dynamic movement, a bit of passion and it’s quite aggressive. I also loved doing the cha cha cha. It’s a bit of a cheeky dance and I’m a bit cheeky!

YST: If you were judging a dance performance, who would you be more similar to out of the Strictly judges?
CJ: Craig (laugh) – honesty is the best policy and I do believe that Craig is sometimes slightly harsh but he is also honest. I think Craig could pick his words slightly better and get the same thought pattern into the celebrities mind. You know if a dance is boring then you know you don’t have to say it’s boring, you could say ‘it needs to be jazzed up a little bit’ or ‘put a bit of your personality into it because I know you’re not a boring person.’

YST: What’s your advice and tips for any aspiring young dancers out there?
CJ: Just enjoy it, find the dance style that you prefer but try it all. Don’t just try one type like street dancing, you might actually love rock n’ roll, jitter bug or any other style, but just have a go.