{"id":68163,"date":"2023-10-02T23:02:09","date_gmt":"2023-10-02T23:02:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celeband.com\/?p=68163"},"modified":"2023-10-02T23:02:09","modified_gmt":"2023-10-02T23:02:09","slug":"who-cares-if-strictlys-layton-williams-has-dance-experience-hes-a-joy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celeband.com\/entertainment\/who-cares-if-strictlys-layton-williams-has-dance-experience-hes-a-joy\/","title":{"rendered":"Who cares if Strictly&#039;s Layton Williams has dance experience? He&#039;s a joy"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/SEI_172959921-0eb6.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>Alexandra Burke. Proud Mary. Jive. 2017.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ll never forget it.<\/p>\n<p>It remains one of my favourite ever Strictly Come Dancing performances.<\/p>\n<p>The atmosphere was electric. Alexandra was having the time of her life, losing all inhibitions. She was bouncing off her pro, Gorka Marquez, and the judges scored her a near-perfect 39, reducing her to tears.<\/p>\n<p>Alexandra didn\u2019t lift the glitterball trophy, of course.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But, she embodied all things Strictly and was a winner in my eyes.<\/p>\n<p>Fast forward to 2023 and I see the same happening with Layton Williams.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/themes\/metro-parent\/img\/fallback.png\"><\/p>\n<p>Partnered with Nikita Kuzmin in another ground-breaking same-sex coupling, the Bad Education star has already made it clear that he won\u2019t \u2018butch it up for anyone\u2019, and is determined to do Strictly as 100% himself.<\/p>\n<p>Alas, as we see every year, the trolls have been in full force, seemingly getting a real kick out of discovering he has past performing experience, just like Alexandra.<\/p>\n<p>But for me, I couldn\u2019t care less about whether Layton has dance experience, because he embodies everything Strictly is about.<\/p>\n<p>His first performance was sensational. A Samba to Touch by Little Mix blew the roof off the BBC studios and had my flabbers well and truly gasted from the sofa at home.<\/p>\n<p>The sequin jumpsuit, the heels, the splits, the body rolls, the sassy facial expressions, the chemistry with Nikita\u2026 as far as week one performances go, this one had it all.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Layton Williams and Nikita Kuzmin Samba to Touch by Little Mix \u2728 BBC Strictly 2023\" width=\"860\" height=\"484\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/5fcnvPR7Nr0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>However, despite Layton proving himself to not only be a true Strictly fan and one worthy of the experience, as well as a phenomenal entertainer, viewers continue to criticise him for\u2026 knowing how to move?<\/p>\n<p><em>\u2018Not fair, he\u2019s actually a dancer\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>\u2018He\u2019s a West End dancer since 12!!!\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>\u2018How is Layton Williams allowed to be on Strictly?\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n<p>First of all, the kind of \u2018dance experience\u2019 Layton has is <em>very <\/em>different to being professionally trained in ballroom and Latin on par with the actual Strictly professionals.<\/p>\n<p>Aged 29, Layton has been performing in the West End for over 16 years, starring in Billy Elliot the Musical in 2007 when he was *checks notes* 12.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/themes\/metro-parent\/img\/fallback.png\"><\/p>\n<p>He later secured a scholarship to attend the prestigious Sylvia Young Theatre School and appeared as a young Michael Jackson in the West End production of Thriller, as well as touring with Hairspray, Rent, and Everybody\u2019s Talking About Jamie.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking about his experience, Layton said, \u2018I trained in jazz, tap, and ballet to a certain degree. I\u2019m absolutely not a ballet dancer, but I\u2019ve done shows that I\u2019ve had to play characters who are.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>I, too, have danced in the past. I spent nine years of my life doing ballet, tap, jazz, and street dance, competing, winning little trophies, performing at events, and putting on shows.<\/p>\n<p>But if you asked me to do Strictly Come Dancing (hey, a girl can dream), my so-called experience would hold absolutely zero weight. Put me in a dance studio with some of the world\u2019s top professionals and I haven\u2019t got a scratch on their expertise.<\/p>\n<p>People who haven\u2019t danced often assume that all dance is the same. In reality, being able to do a pirouette is very different from mastering a Charleston and being able to kickball change doesn\u2019t mean you know how to cha cha.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/themes\/metro-parent\/img\/fallback.png\"><\/p>\n<p>So no, being a West End performer doesn\u2019t grant Layton Williams a golden pass to the Strictly final.<\/p>\n<p>By this logic, you\u2019d be saying that his partner Nikita should be able to deliver a polished performance of any role in a West End play, simply because he\u2019s been on stage before.<\/p>\n<p>It doesn\u2019t work like that. If anything, Layton has more obstacles to tackle by unlearning everything he\u2019s known about performing and changing his habits, while also overcoming expectations and judgements from viewers.<\/p>\n<p>Having said all that, I really couldn\u2019t care less about Layton\u2019s past experience because that isn\u2019t what Strictly is about.<\/p>\n<p>Layton represents everything I think of when I think of Strictly. The glitz and glam, the excitement and passion, the flamboyance, and being unapologetically yourself.<\/p>\n<h2><i class=\"icon icon-exclaim\"><\/i>More from Platform<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Platform is the home of Metro.co.uk&#8217;s first-person and opinion pieces, devoted to giving a platform to underheard and underrepresented voices in the media. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Find some of our best reads of the week below:<\/p>\n<p>Sex columnist Almara Abgarian offers these handy tips to people who have no idea how to please a woman.<\/p>\n<p>This is how to save thousands of pounds by making one small lifestyle change, according to Zara Canfield.<\/p>\n<p>What do you do if your mum thinks she&#8217;s invited to your hen do, but you don&#8217;t actually want her there? Columnist Alison Rios McCrone has the answer.<\/p>\n<p>Rape survivor Ellie Wilson recalls what it was like for jury members not to believe her \u2013 even though she&#8217;d recorded a confession on tape.<\/p>\n<p>He is everything we need to see on our TV screens on BBC primetime, especially at a time of such darkness.<\/p>\n<p>As a queer person myself, just existing is both exhausting and frightening right now, with our community, especially our trans siblings, under constant attack. So, if Layton can add a bit of sparkle to those dull moments and show people that we\u2019re brave, we\u2019re bold, and we won\u2019t be silenced, I am all for it.<\/p>\n<p>Over the years, the Strictly performances I\u2019ve remembered most or been touched by vary. Sure, sometimes it\u2019s Jake Wood shaking his samba hips to Mambo No5, or Hamza Yassin throwing his pro in the air during his fiery salsa. A personal favourite will always be Judi Love\u2019s Sean Paul samba.<\/p>\n<p>But it\u2019s also the Ashley Roberts jive in Blackpool, the Alexandra Burke cha cha, and the Debbie McGee Argentine tango.<\/p>\n<p>I don\u2019t care if a celebrity has \u2018past dance experience\u2019 when they can deliver performances like that, not only entertaining us and making us smile but reminding us of the magic of dance.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/themes\/metro-parent\/img\/fallback.png\"><\/p>\n<p>Strictly isn\u2019t supposed to be serious. It\u2019s not the Olympics where an <em>actual <\/em>unfair advantage should make national headlines.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Strictly is an escape. It\u2019s two hours a week of live music, dazzling costumes, awe-inspiring routines, and the biggest smiles from contestants as they achieve something they never thought possible.<\/p>\n<p>I watch Strictly because it warms my heart, and I have no criteria for who gets to do that or how.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Do you have a story you\u2019d like to share? Get in touch by emailing jess.austin@metro.co.uk.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Share your views in the comments below.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2023\/09\/30\/who-cares-if-strictlys-layton-williams-has-dance-experience-hes-a-joy-to-watch-19573680\/?ico=zone-widget_home_platform\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Alexandra Burke. Proud Mary. Jive. 2017. I\u2019ll never forget it. It remains one of my favourite ever Strictly Come Dancing performances. The atmosphere was electric. Alexandra was having the time of her life, losing all inhibitions. She was bouncing off her pro, Gorka Marquez, and the judges scored her a near-perfect 39, reducing her to tears. Alexandra didn\u2019t lift the [&#8230;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":68162,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Who cares if Strictly&#039;s Layton Williams has dance experience? He&#039;s a joy - CELEBAND<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/celeband.com\/entertainment\/who-cares-if-strictlys-layton-williams-has-dance-experience-hes-a-joy\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Who cares if Strictly&#039;s Layton Williams has dance experience? He&#039;s a joy - CELEBAND\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Alexandra Burke. Proud Mary. Jive. 2017. I\u2019ll never forget it. It remains one of my favourite ever Strictly Come Dancing performances. The atmosphere was electric. Alexandra was having the time of her life, losing all inhibitions. She was bouncing off her pro, Gorka Marquez, and the judges scored her a near-perfect 39, reducing her to tears. 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