Strictly: Layton Williams and Nikita Kuzmin perform Argentine Tango
Strictly Come Dancing hopeful Layton Williams has expressed his frustrations over constantly having to defend himself about his dance experience, as he continues to impress with his moves on the dance floor.
Theatre star Layton once again topped the leaderboard last weekend with his professional partner Nikita Kuzmin, with an almost perfect score for their Argentine Tango.
Since joining the show, the 29-year-old has been hit with criticism about his already known dance knowledge from his 16 years in the West End, as many have claimed he’s at an advantage.
In a new podcast, Layton said he wished viewers could see just how much he actually struggles with basic moves in rehearsals.
He spilled: “I know the cameras are in the room when we’re doing the training, but I wish people could sit there and watch how hard it is for me just to grasp even the basics, especially because Niki is not exactly holding back.
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“He’s giving me the hardest choreography. This stuff is not easy. And it doesn’t come to me like that, and people roll their eyes going ‘yeah, yeah’, but I’m really just working my a**e off like everybody else.
“So it is a little bit frustrating to hear that, but I’m trying to think about the bigger picture as to what else can I give to people.”
Where There’s a Will, There’s a Wake Podcast host Kathy Burke went on to discuss the importance of representation on the show after Layton made history as the first male contestant to wear a skirt.
He went on to say: “It’s just so tiresome and if you loved your people with not as much dance experience, vote for them.”
Layton has performed in shows such as Billy Elliot the Musical, Hairspray, Rent, and Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, and he has also trained in jazz, tap, and ballet.
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While he’s no stranger to dancing, Layton said it was hard to adjust to Ballroom and Latin, a completely different style he’s not used to.
One of the struggles, he admits, is to do with not being able to turn out his feet for certain moves.
“I mean I’ve never been able to, to be fair,” he told Kathy. “I think I’ve always been a bit clanky. My hips don’t really turn out. My body’s not really made to dance, I don’t think, but I’ve just forced it because I love it.”
Defending Layton, former 2019 finalist Karim Zeroual explained how the Strictly hopeful’s past dance experience could actually make the competition harder for him.
He spilled: “You do get it [a dance experience row] every year.
“It’s quite hard to find someone who hasn’t had any dance training, especially if they’re an actor or singer or a TV presenter.
“A lot of people have trained at drama school and have had some sort of training.”
Karim went on to say: “If you have done something like jazz or ballet or tap or modern or whatever it is, sometimes you have to untrain certain things you’ve learned your whole life.
“For example, Ballroom is like parallel feet, but if you’ve done ballet which I did, it’s all turned out.
“It’s like untraining, so sometimes a blank canvas can be better. But of course, there are benefits with like timing and choreography and stuff.”
Strictly Come Dancing: Blackpool Special airs Saturday at 6.40pm on BBC One.
Where There’s A Will, There’s A Wake is available on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
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