WATCH: Strictly Come Dancing star brings ball culture to the ballroom

Johannes Radebe and his backing dancers set the ballroom floor on fire performing their voguing-inspired routine in high heels.

Entertainment . Written by Rebecca Kelly.

Johannes Radebe performing on Strictly Come Dancing

Strictly Come Dancing star Johannes Radebe set the ballroom floor alight this Sunday with a voguing-inspired dance routine which had the audience at the edge of their seats.

Radebe performed the high-energy number alongside two other male dancers who all wore black PVC high heels and used large fans with the words “werk”, “slay” and “pose”. 

The opening number introduced the rest of the dancers and the shows’ judges which saw them sashay down the ballroom floor which donned a red carpet for the number.

Paying homage to the ballroom culture, the routine not only included dips, twists and legendary struts down the makeshift runway, but also saw the cast all walk together, as though they were members of the same house.

Radebe, although not paired in a same-gender couple, is said to be performing with another man, Graziano Di Prima, in a dance number on Sunday, November 3. Although he has been with the show since 2018, this year is the first time Radebe has been assigned a celebrity partner. Radebe is partnered with former Coronation Street star Catherine Tyldesley, who took to Instagram to praise her co-star. 

Strictly fans were quick to take to social media to praise the fabulous performance and the positive message it sends to such a large reaching audience.

Radebe jumped onto Twitter himself to respond to the mountains of tweets and comments he received following the legendary routine on Sunday.

Strictly Come Dancing is keen on producing more LGBT+ content in the future with producers hoping that this opening performance will “pave the way for a same-gender couple next year”. This announcement comes after rival show ITVs Dancing On Ice announced that Steps singer Ian H Watkins will be in a same-gender pairing when the show returns in 2020. 

However, the Australian version of the popular show saw Drag Race star Courtney Act, real name Shane Janek, perform on the show in drag alongside a male dance partner, even performing one number out of drag, beating both Strictly Come Dancing and Dancing On Ice to the punch. 

Although many are excited about the announcements, former Dancing on Ice judge Jason Gardiner , spoke out with his concerns over how the same-gender pairing would be represented on the show. He said that he hopes that the move “isn’t tokenism” and that ITV doesn’t make it “camp and flamboyant and it’s a proper partnership because it has to also have that romance.”

Despite the concerns of a small few, many seem overjoyed at the announcement of same-gender couples on both shows. Radebe’s amazing performance on Sunday night is only the start in a more inclusive future for the show.

© 2019 GCN (Gay Community News). All rights reserved.

Support GCN

GCN has been a vital, free-of-charge information service for Ireland’s LGBTQ+ community since 1988.

During this global COVID pandemic, we like many other organisations have been impacted greatly in the way we can do business and produce. This means a temporary pause to our print publication and live events and so now more than ever we need your help to continue providing this community resource digitally.

GCN is a registered charity with a not-for-profit business model and we need your support. If you value having an independent LGBTQ+ media in Ireland, you can help from as little as €1.99 per month. Support Ireland’s free, independent LGBTQ+ media.

0 comments. Please sign in to comment.

Popular News

All News