INTERVIEW 41
I
do like the Welsh, I find them very charming,” says Louie Spence with a sly giggle. “The girls are gorgeous too, but the men are pretty handsome.” Ever the flirt, the TV personality and choreographer extraordinaire made a name for himself in Sky 1’s Pineapple Dance Studios docu-drama in 2010 and since then has used wit, high kicks, jazz hands and that endearing lisp to win over the nation.
“I am Spirit of the Beans, it’s a fabulously outrageous character, like you wouldn’t believe”
Louie Spence
Now he’s heading to the Swansea Grand to star in the theatre’s 2015 pantomime, Jack And The Beanstalk. “I am Spirit of the Beans,” he says. “It’s a fabulously outrageous character, like you wouldn’t believe. He’ll be dancing and sparkling and he’s got twinkly toes which are magic – my toes do seem to have a bit of magic, so that’s quite well suited.” And, he adds jokingly: “I’ve got a strapping Jack, which is fantastic!” The outfits will be just as flamboyant as he is, with Spence promising they’ll be glittery, low cut and involve a lot of Lycra. “I can’t wait to get into them, absolutely, it’s the best part of it,” he says, with a soft laugh. “Pantomime is just so heightened, so camp – I think it’s something I was born for. If anyone can do panto, it’s me.”
The holidays are coming and you can’t get camper or glitzier than the one and only Louie Spence. As he gears up for panto season, Around Town catches up with the dancer to talk Spice Girls, The Jump and being “taken out” by Shane Williams.
www.aroundtownwales.co.uk • Around Town Magazine