Lincolnshire in Focus 14.5

KEVIN CLIFTON | LINCOLNSHIRE PERSONALITY
Kevin trained in all styles of
ballroom dance competing
nationally and internationally
as a child initially partnering
with his sister Joanne Clifton.
As Kevin got older he chose Latin as his
primary dance and won numerous
International Open titles in Italy, Spain,
Singapore, Sweden, Japan and France to
name a few. In 2008 Kevin joined Burn
The Floor Dance Company where he met
his fiancé Karen Hauer. Kevin and Karen
have been principal dancers of Burn The
Floor Dance Company for several years,
performing in the show's record breaking
Broadway run as well as in London's West
End. Kevin also toured the world with the
show performing in countries including
Japan, Australia, South Africa and the USA
as well as making guest appearances on
Dancing With The Stars in USA and So
You Think You Can Dance in Holland.
Kevin's talents are not only reserved for the
Ballroom as 2010 marked his musical
theatre debut where he performed in Dirty
Dancing The Musical at the Aldwych
Theatre in London's West End.
2012 marked a turning point in Kevin's
career as he was given the opportunity to
perform in some of the group dance
routines on the 2012 series of BBC1′s
Strictly Come Dancing and also worked on
some of the ensemble choreography. Kevin
impressed the BBC producers with his
talent, enthusiasm and undeniable passion
and was invited to join the professional
dancer line up on Strictly Come Dancing in
2013 alongside Karen. Kevin's debut has
been a remarkable success, partnering with
Good Morning Britain presenter Susanna
Reid and reaching the final in his first year.
Kevin has definitely made his mark on the
programme and is excited to be part of the
next series.
Outside of dancing Kevin is a huge fan of
football supporting Scunthorpe United and
Chelsea and tries to go to as many matches
as he can in his spare time.
What inspired you to start dancing?
I don't remember my first dance class but
as my parents are dancers, I apparently just
started joining in at the back of classes at
their school. I've always danced as far back
as I can remember. My first major influence
as a dancer was Michael Jackson. I would
spend hours watching tapes of him dancing
and try to copy him.
How did you start working on
Strictly?
Whilst touring with the broadway dance
show Burn The Floor, my wife Karen and I
decided we wanted a new challenge and
being big fans of the show we thought it
would be great to be a part of it. We
managed to get in touch with the
producers and secured an interview and
audition, in which I had 45 minutes to
teach a celebrity some Cha Cha Cha and
Waltz and then talk about it to the camera.
That first year, Karen got a place on the
Photograph: Chris Mann
show but there was no room for me. I
helped out on some of the group
choreography behind the scenes and tried
again the next year. A little known fact is
that I still initially didn't get the job until
at the last minute they extended the
number of celebrities from 14 to 15. A
week before the show started I was offered
the 15th pro slot. I feel very lucky to have
been asked back ever since.
Is it difficult to teach your celebrity
partners how to dance on the show?
How much training is required?
We train our partners on average 8 hours a
day from Monday to Thursday. It is very
full on as that it not very much time to put
a good quality dance together that will
entertain the audience and impress the
judges. Different celebrities come with
different challenges. Some maybe struggle
to pick up the steps quickly or retain the
steps. Others may get the steps easy
enough but struggle to have the
confidence to perform them. Trying to get
the best out of your partner is all part of
the fun.
Who has been your favourite
celebrity dance partner whilst on
Strictly?
So far I have been very lucky with my
partners. Susanna Reid was a fantastic
first partner for me as we clicked straight
away as friends. She was a ridiculously
hard worker but more importantly a lot of
fun and gave it everything. My 2nd year I
was partnered with Frankie Bridge who
was a godsend of a partner. It's vital that
you enjoy working with whoever you are
dancing with and Frankie was such a nice
girl. She really applied herself and listened
to everything I was teaching her which
meant she improved week after week. She
was a beautiful dancer.
I'm already enjoying dancing with Kellie
Bright this year. She is such a
good laugh but also a bit of a
perfectionist. Great combination.
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When you're not appearing on
the show, what do you enjoy
doing in your spare time?
Whilst not on the show me and Karen are
still always dancing, whether with dance
companies or doing our own shows. We
try to keep learning all the time so we
never stay still in our own dancing. In our
downtime we like to sit on the sofa with a
cup of tea watching Match of the Day or
Great British Bake Off depending whose
turn it is with the remote.
You are originally from North East
Lincolnshire...how often do you
return to your home town and what
do you love about this region?
I don't often get back to Grimsby but I
always love it when I do. It's just home for
me. I love the people. Love seeing friends
from the area. Seeing my family. But most
of all the fish and chips!
For news and updates on Kevin's
projects check out his twitter
@keviclifton
@lincsinfocus
lincolnshireinfocus.co.uk