Pasha - Get In Line
Since learning to dance at the age of eight, Pasha Kovalev has blazed a trail from the cold of Siberia to the scorching ballroom of Strictly. Ahead of tour dates in Richmond, he talks to Jane McGowan about glitz, glamour, and the glitterball trophy
When speaking to Pasha Kovalev, movie-star handsome winner of last year’s Strictly Come Dancing final, you could be forgiven for thinking that ‘Pasha’ was short for ‘Passionate’. His enthusiasm for the hit BBC show, his current UK tour – and all things dance – is certainly infectious.
“I love dance!” he exclaims. “I am a dancer and I have been a dancer all my life. It’s something I can do – it’s something I enjoy doing.”
Just as well, as the 35-year-old Russian is now in the middle of a 71-date tour of his Life Through Dance production, which visits theatres up and down the country from Arbroath to Weymouth.
“It’s a big commitment,” he admits. “But once we were rolling, I wouldn’t say it came easier, but you get into a groove. What keeps me going is seeing the reaction of the audience to what we do on stage. Involving the audience emotionally and receiving their energy back is what recharges you and gives you strength to go on to the next show and the next show...”
Although most of Pasha’s fans must be of the female variety, the production, he insists, aims to provide something for everyone, incorporating everything from torrid tangos to cheeky Charlestons.
“I have tried to build a storyline. The show is entitled Life Through Dance and, just as life has its stories, so the dances have their own tales and characteristics, which
I am trying to build into my story to complete how we human beings do it... which is a weird way of finishing off the sentence!” he laughs.
Grammatical conundrums aside, Pasha is keen to make the show as accessible as possible. With this in mind he has asked local dancing schools to be part of each show to perform alongside his cast of professional dancers. At Richmond Theatre the honour goes to the Esher’s Chadsworth Stage School which will provide 38 dancers, aged from eight to 18.
“I want to get young people involved in dance and show audiences how great dance is. This show is for the whole family. I want them to have a fantastic time and find something special for each age group, music-wise, choreography-wise and costume-wise,” he says, finally adding, “And don’t worry, there will be a lot of sparkles!”
Indeed it was the glitz and glamour of the ballroom, along with the “many pretty girls”, that first attracted the Siberian-born youngster to the world of dance. He remembers going with his mum to watch a local competition.
“I was hooked,” he says. “I was only eight years old but my decision to be a dancer was made there and then.”
In this country, certainly pre-Strictly, ballroom and Latin dance would not have been popular hobbies for boys. But Pasha is keen to point out that this is not the case in his homeland.
“Dancing is a big part of my culture,” he says. “In Russia, if people are happy, they eat, they sing and then they dance. But when they are sad, they just eat!” he laughs. “If you are a good dancer it is seen by your peers as being just as impressive as being good at football or any sport.”
And being “good” in Russia meant attending more than just one class a week. Real dedication – and a hefty amount of passion – were required.
We spent several hours a day, every day, dancing,” he recalls. “Even though we were young, we did a lot of travelling to competitions and practice sessions. But it is what we dancers wanted to do and we were supported by our family, school teachers and classmates.”
In 2001 Pasha, along with his professional dance partner Anya Garnis (who dances with Pasha in his current show), decided to leave Russia and head for the bright lights of the US. He performed on several hit shows over the pond, including So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing with the Stars, before being invited to the UK in 2011 to join Strictly.
“Strictly is the best show on TV,” he enthuses. “I am so proud to be a part of it. It has done so much to educate people about dance and to change people’s attitudes.”
He was an immediate hit and has been in the final three times, winning the coveted glitterball trophy in 2014 with TV presenter Caroline Flack. Ironically, the only year Pasha didn’t reach the last show was in 2013 when he partnered his now girlfriend Rachel Riley and their relationship is the only subject on which he is tight-lipped. The pair went public last September, and he will say only that he “is very happy”.
He is, however, more eager to talk about last year’s win and what it meant to him and his celebrity partner.
“Caroline worked extremely hard and by the final she had really opened up as a dancer – it was wonderful to see,” he says. “It is so unbelievable when you win the whole show. You have been working so much. Trying so hard every week and when it’s the final and they say your name it is surreal. It doesn’t really sink in, and then they thrust the glitterball in your hand and you think, ‘Wow’. But then you think, ‘My goodness, this is really heavy!’”.
The effort that goes into the Saturday-night show is major and the professional dancers work round the clock to make sure their partners and routines are ready.
“It’s a lot of fun. But what comes on to your screens is the result of some very, very hard work. The choreography, music, production and performance all has to come together. Then as soon as the show is over and you know you are in the next week, the work starts immediately again. No days off. But it’s great and we get a lot of input in terms of music and choreography.”
Despite the punishing schedule, the Strictly experience is one that Pasha is keen to repeat, but reveals that the professional dancers must wait until summer before they’re asked to take part in the next series.
“No one believes that!” insists Pasha, “Just because I won is no guarantee, but I would love to be back.” For the sake of all his fans, let’s hope the BBC sees sense and invites him to return.
Pasha will be performing Life Through Dance at Dorking Halls on April 22, Richmond Theatre on April 23, Wimbledon Theatre on April 28 and New Victoria Theatre on June 1. For tickets, book here
You can visit Pasha's website here
