Glitz Glamour and Sparkle for this year’s Strictly Northampton

Strictly Northampton returns to Royal & Derngate for its twelfth year on 25^th November. The annual event will be its biggest line up to date and has already raised a staggering 18k for local charity Cynthia Spencer Hospice.

We caught up with professional dancer Andrzej Mialkowski, founder of Northampton Strictly and Step by Step dance school. Here’s what he had to say about this year’s event…

Hi Andrzej, Strictly Northampton is back for its twelfth year this year. Tell us more…

This year is going to be bigger and better than ever! We’ve got 36 couples which is the most we’ve ever had. People think I’m mad as managing 72 people is a lot – but I love it.

After missing a year due to the pandemic, I thought why not do something crazy. The event is always so successful, and I am always thrilled at the incredible response that we get.

What can we expect to see?

Obviously you can expect lots of glitz, glamour and sparkle, but along with this I’ve wanted this year to be our biggest yet. We will have more entertainment such as professional show dances, live music and lots of fun. Plus expect to see lots of money raised for Cynitha Spencer.

The contestants this year will be doing 1 ballroom and 1 Latin American dance. Then on top of this, there will be a freestyle through the decades dance where each group will be given their own decade. It’s going to be great!

How has Strictly Northampton changed since it first started back in 2010?

It has grown more than I could’ve ever imagined. We have more contestants, more audience members and even more importantly – we’ve been raising more money. We’re the biggest fundraiser for Cynthia Spencer, last year we raised 50k and I’m hoping this year to raise even more. I have a personal connection with Cynthia Spencer which is why I chose the charity –  I’ve seen first hand the incredible work that they do.

What inspired you to become a professional dancer?

I first started dancing in Poland when I was 10 years old. One day a friend asked me to join in with some dancing groups, so I said yes and it just went from there. Fast forward and I’m now a professional dancer, I get to run my own dance school, and I get to teach people to dance. I also get to judge prestigious competitions. I just love working with people and I’m so happy that I’m doing my dream job. I love it.

What’s your favourite dance and why?

I have to say that every dance is so different, so it completely depends what mood you’re in. From romantic and slow through to the jive that’s fast, each dance has its own story. I also love that you can showcase so many different countries through dance – like the samba and the salsa, it’s like you’re travelling the world.

To any aspiring dancers out there I’d say just have fun – try your best and keep going.

Tell us about your dance school Step by Step

I first set it up back in 2005. I thought I’d start lessons and see what the interest was like. Suddenly lots of enquires were coming through and I realised there was a huge gap for dance lessons. So I opened a dance school and it just grew. I now have 5 dance schools that offer a variety of dance classes 7 days a week to both adults and children. People just love to dance, and I love to see the passion that comes through.

We also run lots of Strictly events across these areas and we have raised over 2 million for charities from this.

I’m also excited to share an exclusive offer for Pulse readers. Get your first dance lesson for FREE. Simply book online at https://stepbystepdance.uk/

How can people keep up to date with the Strictly Northampton event?

We post lots of our updates on Facebook and we are also on Instagram, just search for Strictly Northampton.

If you’d like to book tickets to the live show on 25^th November please head to https://www.royalandderngate.co.uk/whats-on/strictly-northampton-4/