Today we enter the world of Strictly Come Dancing. The show is a phenomenon of British television, and our guest is the longest serving professional dancer on the series – the sparky Venezuelan-American dancer Karen Hauer. Karen spoke to us just before she learned her partner for the 2025 series would be the Team GB sprinter Harry Aikines-Aryeetey (aka Nitro from Gladiators) – but Karen tells us how she forges a partnership with a non-dancing celebrity, and about the pressures and pleasures of the iconic show.

Karen Hauer is Strictly Come Dancing's longest standing professional dancer, starring in the show since 2012. Her partners have included Westlife's Nicky Byrne, The ‘Hairy Biker’ Dave Myers, Jeremy Vine, Will Young, Jayde Adams and Paul Merson. Previously, she was crowned 2008 World Mambo Champion, was a finalist on So You Think You Can Dance USA, and principal female dancer in the original Broadway cast of Burn The Floor and subsequent world tours. With Gorka Marquez, she created the successful shows Firedance and Speakeasy, on which she was Associate Choreographer and Associate Creative Producer.

Karen’s Hauer Power website https://www.hauerpower.co.uk/homepage

Strictly Come Dancing on BBC https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006m8dq

Why Dance Matters is a dance podcast featuring inspiring conversations with extraordinary people from the world of dance and beyond. Hosted by David Jays, editor of Dance Gazette, this podcast explores how dance shapes lives and why it matters to us all. Brought to you by the RAD, which inspires the world to dance, these insightful stories will surprise and delight. Tune in and discover more on our website.

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