We follow the once-in-a-lifetime journey of three inspiring women, as they learn how to dance ballroom and latin in a Strictly Come Dancing style competition.
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00:00Every year, millions of people tune in to watch Strictly Come Dancing and see celebs
00:09take their first awkward steps into the glitzy world of ballroom dance.
00:14Maybe it's inspired you to learn the quick step, or join a salsa class.
00:20But what if you could live the full Strictly experience?
00:24Over the last few weeks, Shorts TV have followed a group of ordinary women who have all shared
00:33their once-in-a-lifetime journey to live out their dancefloor dream.
00:37I've always thought it was a crying shame that it was only for celebrities.
00:42Following a month of intensive training, they took to the world-famous Empress Ballroom
00:47at Blackpool's Winter Gardens, where they each had one shot to impress an A-list panel
00:54of Strictly professionals and a packed audience.
01:00With exclusive, unlimited access, Shorts TV will take you behind the scenes and follow the tiers.
01:07Let's do this, Claire. Whatever you think you can do in this competition.
01:11The drama.
01:12I did ask them, I said, who are you going to vote for? Please vote for Mummy.
01:16And this one we'll see on the night who will be like Mummy.
01:18So they're very strong-minded, won't be influenced, which is great.
01:21And of course, the sequins of our three dancefloor heroes.
01:26I'll be honest, I do want to win that bit of all.
01:42Twelve finalists were whittled down from thousands of applicants across the UK.
01:48Each hopeful has spent the last few weeks polishing a Strictly-style routine,
01:53with expert tuition from a professional ballroom dance partner.
01:57They have had to overcome hurdles along the way,
02:01all while raising funds for mental health charity Tears Crown.
02:06But along with all the hard work, they have had all the excitement and glamour
02:11associated with the famous BBC show.
02:15I can't wait to find out what dress I'm wearing.
02:17I know that's a girl thing.
02:19Ballroom is getting dolled up, putting your sparkle and glitter on,
02:24and shaking your stuff.
02:26I just hope it's very well fitted and looks sexy.
02:36Absolutely the most magical bit of Dancefloor Heroes,
02:40seeing everybody dance in their wonderful costumes.
02:45Over the next half an hour, we find out what dance means to these inspiring women,
02:51who each have their own reasons for taking part.
02:55I was diagnosed with breast cancer,
02:58and I didn't know what was going to happen with my treatment at the time.
03:04And I just thought, you know what, just go for it.
03:06What is there to stop you now?
03:08Now you're going through this.
03:09So I put my name in the hat, thinking I wouldn't hear anything again.
03:13And then next thing I heard, I had an audition for The Heats.
03:16So I was actually going through all of the diagnosis process.
03:20I think I still hadn't learned whether my cancer had spread,
03:25but I found having something to focus on
03:29and keeping dance as something that kept me positive.
03:33Dance for me just completely clears my mind.
03:36You can't think about anything else but your feet and the music and the atmosphere,
03:40and I think having that really, really helped me get through
03:45and just stay motivated and positive about the whole thing.
03:48Going through treatment is the most challenging,
03:52you know, it's as challenging as people could imagine.
03:55But, and there are ups and downs, there's big ups and downs.
03:59I'm not saying that I was, you know, positive the whole time.
04:03I allowed myself my really hard days,
04:05but on the good days where I felt like getting up and dancing, I did.
04:08And having something to kind of keep you going is so important.
04:12So just being able to look forward to things
04:16and looking forward to going dancing with my friends
04:18and looking forward to, you know, this process as well
04:21has just been what's kept me going.
04:29I was a civil servant for 37 and a half years, not that I was counting.
04:33And my dream was always to have my own business, and I love gifts.
04:37Whenever I go to a gift shop, particularly the quirky ones.
04:40So yeah, I opened one. I was, I loved it.
04:44I had it for seven years. I absolutely loved it.
04:47And then COVID struck.
04:49And I just thought afterwards, maybe this is the time now to slow down.
04:54I would have people come in because they were lonely or needed to talk.
04:58And I always had a chair, a visitor's chair, and it was used so much.
05:02And it used to gladden my heart that people would come in and talk to me.
05:08For a while, you just don't think about anything else
05:11apart from dancing and smiling and the music
05:15and being with people and being out.
05:18Yeah.
05:20I'm excited. I know how much it means to Linda.
05:23She's got my full support in doing this.
05:26It's a wonderful event.
05:28I mean, it's the only officially licensed event by the BBC.
05:34Linda's head's glued to Strictly every week when it's on.
05:38Just love watching that.
05:40And we decided to give that a go, didn't we, a while back?
05:47I'm doing the jive.
05:49Now, after I got over the shock of thinking, the jive, that's very fast, isn't it?
05:53I'm absolutely delighted because it's a great dance, isn't it?
05:57And I'd love to learn a few quirky moves and things.
06:01So, yeah, I'm delighted to be doing the jive.
06:06I've thrown the kitchen sink at it a little bit.
06:08She's getting thrown around a little bit as well in a few lifts,
06:12which are a little bit daring for a complete beginner.
06:15And she's done really well to take it on and just go for it, pretty much.
06:20But, yeah, there's no holding back because it's quite a fast dance
06:24and the steps do come at you very, very quickly.
06:27So I think that would be the main thing, really, is the speed of it.
06:31Now, as long as Linda goes out there and smashes it like I know she'll be able to,
06:35that's all that matters.
06:37And raising the money for the charity as well, that's the main thing.
06:43I'm getting near to 50. I'm 47.
06:46And I've spent the last nine years
06:49dedicating my life to bringing my little boy up and working.
06:54He has special needs, a long-term heart condition,
06:59and now he's settled and stable.
07:02I've just thought, I need to find me.
07:04I've got a little bit lost in the last nine years.
07:07My little boy's had three lots of open-heart surgery,
07:11so it's quite a massive thing to take on board.
07:16But because he's got such a happy disposition,
07:20if I ever feel a little bit down or sorry for myself,
07:23I just look at him and go,
07:25he's had three lots of open-heart surgery.
07:27What have you got to feel sorry for?
07:31Then when you have a very poorly child,
07:33it takes over your life because their needs come before you,
07:37which, you know, has been challenging,
07:41but also I've embraced the challenges.
07:45So he is my dance floor hero
07:48because he just gets on with it and he's not fazed by it.
07:52He's just... He's amazing.
07:59We're doing the Paso Doble.
08:01When it was revealed, I was very happy.
08:05Cos when we go to a dance class on a Thursday
08:09and we practise that, it's always the dance I really enjoy doing.
08:13Paso Doble is one of my favourite dances
08:16because it is the man's dance.
08:18Predominantly, so obviously we get a chance
08:22to obviously showcase the male as well as showing off the female,
08:27so I'm really excited that Paso Doble is our dance this year
08:31and that we can then obviously show Claire off.
08:36She was very much up for everything,
08:39She was very much up for everything,
08:42which is a great start.
08:44Obviously nerves, we get nerves at the beginning of anything,
08:47but that's something that seemed to go as the lesson progressed,
08:51which was great.
08:53And, yeah, she's been a great... It's been a great start today.
08:56It's something I can look back on and feel really proud
09:00because I put myself forward for it.
09:02Nobody else did.
09:05And I think it's good to have moments of feeling scared and nervous
09:09because that's what makes you grow.
09:12So like anything else that comes after this,
09:15I'd like to think we'll be walking in the park.
09:18I shouldn't be fazed by it.
09:20We're going to try and push comfort zones a little bit
09:23because sometimes people stay within that comfort zone, which is fine.
09:26Obviously sometimes for people this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience
09:31and to go out and do it in front of all those people,
09:34especially at the Winter Gardens and in front of Strictly judges.
09:37So it's going to be great. It's going to be epic.
09:40But behind the sequins is a very serious message.
09:44So back in the first lockdown, we were all stuck at home
09:48and I came up with an idea to do a Strictly fundraiser for the NHS
09:53and we launched Strictly NHS at that time.
09:56And as we came out of the pandemic, we put on a huge show.
10:00We learned a lot about the impact the pandemic
10:04and general life was having on people's mental health.
10:07Very long story short, we became a charity in our own right,
10:11which took a bit of work on our behalf
10:15and we launched Tears Crown as the charity.
10:18And instead of it being Strictly NHS, we're now Dancefloor Heroes,
10:22which meant that we opened the show up to everybody and anybody
10:26from every walk of life.
10:29People that we know will listen to the professional,
10:33will train well, work hard,
10:35and also people who have the charity at their heart.
10:38And we know because it is our biggest fundraising event,
10:41at the end of it all, we're doing it to raise funds for Tears Crown.
10:45We provide what we bill as a Let's Dance session.
10:49So we give away free dance sessions,
10:52whether that be in person, in a workplace or in one of our studios.
10:56They're built to allow people to just feel safe
11:01while enjoying the dancing and the music.
11:05And then hopefully at the end of the hour,
11:07you're left feeling a little bit lighter, a little bit better
11:11and able to face the rest of the day.
11:14We do see people that have suffered and we're there.
11:17This is why we're now trying to work with people like social prescribers.
11:21We're doing a Let's Dance session in an old people's home.
11:26So we're going out to try to reach out to the community
11:30to see where that need is and hopefully try and fill a little gap.
11:36After the break, we surprise the contestants
11:39with a VIP trip to the World Dance Championships
11:43and see how our couples perform on a big night.
11:46Will one of them take home the glitter ball?
11:49Join us after the break to find out.
12:17With only three weeks until the big day,
12:20Shorts TV organised a special treat for two of the lucky contestants.
12:25It's a Latin Dance World Championships
12:28where the very best dance couples from across the globe
12:32all come to fight it out for a top title.
12:35Held during the Blackpool Dance Festival,
12:38there is no better place for these novice twinkle toes to get inspired.
12:43We arranged for two of the contestants to watch some world-class dance
12:47from the VIP balcony, do a bit of shopping
12:51and even try on a couple of stunning dresses
12:54made by top dance designer Chrisanne Clover.
12:59It's a beautiful room and then they've got the live music
13:02and these amazing, amazing dresses and outfits and the dancing.
13:08I mean, it's just on a different level.
13:10It was spectacular to watch.
13:13I still got the vibe of the sharpness and the sass
13:17and I'm thinking, oh gosh, I've got a long way to bring that on.
13:21I mean, they're just incredible to watch.
13:23The energy.
13:26I don't want to, but I'm going to have to take it off now.
13:34I'd love to be the size of the dancers.
13:38They're tiny!
13:42If anything, it's just inspired me to definitely pursue carrying this on.
13:48I don't know whether some people enter this competition
13:51and then they leave it and they stop dancing,
13:54but I'm definitely going to take this up as a hobby now and carry on
13:58because it's been the best thing that I've ever done,
14:01taking up ballroom dancing.
14:03I mean, is it possible to get your leg up
14:06and still look elegant?
14:10I bet you're there already, aren't you?
14:14The last few weeks have flown by
14:16and it's time to head to the Winter Gardens
14:18to see how our contestants do on a night
14:21and to find out who will take home the glitter ball.
14:26I do exactly feel like I've gone back to something that was part of me
14:31when I was younger and that I'd forgotten about.
14:34It's a different me, but a me that is still there
14:39and I had forgotten her.
14:41I'm excited now.
14:43The nerves may kick in when we get an audience,
14:46but at the moment, it's just pure excitement.
14:49I'm going to do my best.
14:51The nerves may kick in when we get an audience,
14:53but at the moment, it's just pure excitement.
14:55I can't get the smile off my face.
14:57I've been grinning like a Cheshire cat all morning
15:00and it's just so lovely to have this whole experience.
15:21Every single moment has been really, really special.
15:24Obviously, it's had its challenges,
15:26learning a completely new dance style.
15:35I want to try and get as many different experiences
15:38as I can in my life as possible now,
15:40but also show my daughters that you can be courageous,
15:45take on different challenges and enjoy them at the same time.
15:52LIFE AFTER CANCER
15:58Life after cancer can be vibrant, full on,
16:02and it should be.
16:03It should be once you've gone through something like that.
16:09Oi, oi, oi, oi. I loved this.
16:13It has to be the best technical dance of the night for me.
16:19It means the amount of long steps that you've done
16:23all the time on the floor.
16:25It's a 10 for me!
16:30High five!
16:37I've never done it before.
16:41Do it!
16:49We are done!
16:58I am the oldest in the competition.
17:01I'll be 64 soon.
17:03So it was quite hilarious when I found out I'd got the jive.
17:08There are quite a few youngsters and I'm thinking,
17:11I just hope I've got the energy to keep going all day and all night tomorrow.
17:14But I'm sure I will. I think the adrenaline will kick in.
17:18I think so.
17:28I reckon I'll have butterflies the size of the moon
17:33because when you get the atmosphere and everything is full on and loud
17:38and all the people are there and you can hear them,
17:40they're actually there.
17:42And obviously all the strictly stars, the judges,
17:45everything is just going to be so full on.
17:47I think the atmosphere is going to be electric.
17:57Ladies and gentlemen, the winner is...
18:09It's a 10!
18:18And you can continue to say goodnight!
18:34Last night was really challenging because I was letting my nerves get the better of me.
18:38And I was really, really beating myself up last night.
18:42I'm like, I can't do this, I can't do this.
18:44On the way home, I was really upset and doubting myself.
18:48I'm like, I've bitten off more than I can chew and I don't want to do this.
18:52But then as soon as I got home, something to eat, I had a bath.
18:56A bit of emotional time to reflect on everything.
18:59I just snapped out of it.
19:14It's better that you got your wobbling out of the way last night.
19:17And today I've woken up and I just feel so much better.
19:30We're never going to get this chance again.
19:34Everyone's in the same boat.
19:37I think just talking to people and having a little bit of a laugh
19:41just cheers you on anyway, doesn't it?
19:45I'm now more like, you've done what you can, just go out and do your best.
19:50That's all you can do.
19:59You didn't take your eyes off of your partner, both of you.
20:03It tells me straight away how much connection is going on
20:07and how much focus you all paid attention to in preparation for this dance.
20:12Great job.
20:27All the couples have performed
20:29and the audience have been invited to take part in a group dance.
20:34After the final two couples are whittled down,
20:37it's time to reveal the winner.
20:42Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of our first award here at the U.S.A. Dance Award is...
21:04It is beyond my imagination, to be fair.
21:08I mean, in the rehearsal, the full dress rehearsal, it didn't go that brilliantly
21:13and I just thought, oh dear, and I was really nervous.
21:16So to win it, oh my God, I can't thank people enough who voted.
21:20Yes, yes, thank you to everyone who voted.
21:22Absolutely.
21:23Thank you.
21:24Thank you.
21:25Thank you.
21:26Thank you.
21:27Thank you.
21:28Thank you.
21:29Thank you.
21:30Thank you.
21:31Thank you to everyone who voted.
21:32Absolutely.
21:33Yes, definitely.
21:34I think they just admire me at my age doing something like that.
21:37And when Alex said, I'm going to run at you and you're going to go back,
21:40and then I was like, oh, OK.
21:43I mean, it was a brilliant routine.
21:46I mean, all the hard work and all the times we'd be driving her insane
21:50and saying, and again, and again, and again, and again,
21:53the hours and hours of just constantly going through it,
21:56more than well deserved.
22:02I'm always dancing.
22:05That's what Tears Crown's about as well, actually,
22:08because it just makes you feel good.
22:10I mean, that's what came over.
22:13We felt good dancing, and that's what comes over,
22:16and it does make you feel good.
22:18It doesn't solve all your problems, but for that moment, it lifts you.
22:23Definitely.
22:25Lifted everybody tonight, didn't it?
22:27It did.
22:28It lifted the ribs.
22:29Wow.
22:30And you lifted the glutes as well.
22:32And the glutes, yes, exactly.
22:34How scared were you of dropping that?
22:36I was really scared.
23:01My heart just, it's really swelling with it,
23:06because it's just so lovely.
23:08When you work hard on something and people vote for you,
23:12yeah, I didn't see it coming.
23:30♪
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24:10♪