Strictly's Pasha Kovalev set to Waltz his way West on his own new tour


The professional dancer, who took home the famous glitter ball trophy dancing with TV presenter Caroline Flack in 2014, will perform an energetic show titled It's All About You at various venues.

It's his fifth tour and he's determined to continue to 'reinvent' and come up with new ideas for the tour and believes coming up with the concepts are a 'lifelong process'.

"I don't like repeating them, it's important to come up with new dances and themes," he said.

"There will be lots of dancing, great music and it will be entertaining for all generations. That's important to me.

"There will be all styles of dance from the waltz to the pasodoble. It will be a really positive show with plenty of glitter and sparkle."

"I get an idea and I want each dance to tell a story and then I find the music to express the dance.

"When the show is finished, I just see people smiling and even if they don't like dance they are converted. I'd say come along and give the show a chance."

The Siberian born dancer has enjoyed a good run on Strictly Come Dancing.

He joined the hit series in 2011 and was partnered with Chelsea Healey and was runner up.

In 2012 he danced with Girls Aloud star Kimberley Walsh and once again was second place.

The following year Pasha danced with Countdown presenter Rachel Riley and love blossomed off screen.

"I never look for anything in life, you've no control over who you fall for," he said.

Pasha finally won the show in 2014 and was on a high, but in the last series, he didn't stay in the competition quite as long.

He was paired with BBC weather presenter Carol Kirkwood.

Although the couple regularly landed at the bottom of the leaderboard, they successfully made it to seven weeks without ever being in the bottom two.

On their seventh and final week, they were eliminated by EastEnders's Kellie Bright and Kevin Clifton in the dance off.

"Wining the show seems so long ago now," he said.

"It was a great moment. I never aim to win, every season I just try to make the person I am dancing with look their best.

"When you tune in you see a little bit of rehearsals, but you don't see how hard the contestants work, we train long hours."

He wouldn't be drawn on which contestant has been his best to work with.

"Each celebrity is different and we go on a special dance journey together and they dance through their insecurities," he said.

"Carol was amazing and had so much determination and energy.

"She had a gruelling schedule. She was doing the weather for BBC from 3am and did a days work and then went on to dance rehearsals."

"I'm bias, but it was well deserved," he said.

"Strictly makes people forget reality for a couple of hours. I think people like the progress and self development that the contestants make.

"They are thrown into the situation and they do their best. It's inspired so many other people to start dancing as beginners or put on their dancing shoes again."

The Latin and ballroom dancer started dancing at the age of eight, and in 2001, moved to the United States with his professional dance partner Anya Garnis.

In 2007, the couple competed on the third season of the American version of So You Think You Can Dance and have since gone on to be choreographers or All-Star partners to the contestants.

In 2011, he moved to the United Kingdom to take part in the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing as a professional dancer and the rest is history.

"I'm quite interested in computers," he said.

"I've had 28 years in dance now and started as a hobby and then became competitive and then a career. To me it's a lifestyle now."

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