First let me start by saying I have immense respect for dancers and their profession and that respect extends to every profession, especially when it is represented by someone who is as dedicated, devoted and passionate about what they do as my partner, my teacher, friend and ‘security blanket’ on the dance floor ... the beautiful Robynn Soules.
I am a television producer at Red Pepper pictures and I work with a wonderful group of people on one of the longest running shows on South African television, Jam Alley. This year Jam Alley is celebrating its 15th Anniversary and it is an occasion I am proud to be a part of.
Then there’s MetroFM, a brand am proud to represent on the show, in addition to this, there’s AdLarge Multi-Media, my company, we do large scale events, television and music production.
When approached with the invitation to join the cast of celebrities – and I’ll be the last to say that I am one – of Strictly Come Dancing, I made that decision in half a heartbeat.
A decision not thought through and perhaps an impetuous one on my part ... blame that on the excitement of the possibility of being a part of such a prestigious show and maybe a measure of the blame should go to my naivety.
I say that because on paper it seemed as a venture I could accommodate in my already stacked schedule, obviously I was wrong and this lead to what most of you saw in the insert prior to our inaugural dance routine on the show.
On the contrary, Robynn and I are probably the closest of all in this season of Strictly Come Dancing.
This season of the show began as I was producing and directing a hip hop reality insert on Jam Alley called Versus and going into the regional finals, I was also preparing a number of pitches for sponsorship for AdLarge Multi-Media events as well as a long awaited presentation of the 2009 forecast to my radio show sponsor of three years.
All of these responsibilities combined lead to my occasionally arriving late for our rehearsals.
So besides the fact that I was out of my comfort zone, and had to make time for the pre production of SCD, I found it hard to focus and concentrate because as much as I was physically there, mentally I was at work.
I left the office each day with still plenty to do. In fact, the climax was when one of the episodes was almost not flighted and my commissioning editor and production manager was trying to get a hold of me to alert me to this and I couldn’t be reached since my phone had to be off during rehearsals, fortunately the issue with that particular episode was not too major for my very capable production manager to handle and it was sorted.
So aside from my not being in the office for the most part of the week due to SCD pre-production schedule, it was at that point that I felt I needed to make a decision and the decision was SCD is only three months and I just invested in new property therefore I couldn’t afford not fulfilling duties I am passionate about and a relationship I most treasure at Red Pepper.
More than anything it suddenly dawned on me that the reason my dance partner was so frustrated with me was because instead of coming to the rehearsals with a clear and concise mind to learn and absorb, I brought all that other energy that lead to many of the arguments we had when I was supposed to be learning the art of the dance floor from someone who is well vested in it like no other.
It is that knowledge that really saved us on the night ... her ability to weave a routine such as the one we performed (without the fluff of course) and the maturity to see it through (with my fluff) has given me new found respect for her.
Let me tell you, there is nothing as comforting as Robynn’s smile when you are as nervous as I was stepping on to that floor. I didn’t see that glitch coming, worse of all it took place on the one part of the routine I had not once messed up.
As matter of fact I was never more confident of our performance like I was that evening, we had rehearsed the entire Thursday and I was looking forward to it ... what happened you ask?
I have no idea ... I suspect Rob van Vuuren had something to do with it ... those hand movements he did as he took a moment to warn us about the crowd before we went on stage ... I realize now he was hypnotizing me ... it's not going to work broer!
Yes I eagerly signed for the show, and believe me when I say “I should have been wiser and did what some of my fellow contestants did and that is taking three months off or resign from work”.
I have found a solution to my circumstances -
I am doing the show, I am enjoying the show, and I am going to give it everything I have, this is a commitment I made to Robynn and I am going to see it through because I don’t do half baked, and thank you to the awesome support from my Red Pepper family.
Let me warn you, the RUMBA in the words of Lionel Richie is going to be outrageous ... maar jong! Strictly Come Dancing is damn
MOEGSOME!!!!!!!!!!