I love the North East says Flavia Cacace ahead of show with Oti Mabuse

The Strictly Come Dancing champion and international dance sensation Oti Mabuse brings her explosive new show Viva Carnival to The Glkasshouse in Gateshead on Friday, June 13.

Joining the I’m A Celebrity star for all nine dates on the tour is also special guest Flavia Cacace, another legendary Strictly champion.

The Queen of the Argentine Tango is joining the Queen of the Samba for what marks her first return to the professional dancing stage for over 6 years.

In the below interview, Flavia shared with us how excited she is to be back in front of a live audience, as well as what we can expect from the show, why shows is the North are always the best and why you should all get tickets…

How are you feeling ahead of the tour starting?

“I’m obviously really excited about choreographing my numbers and mostly really getting back on stage, because I've had a break for about six years, so I'm super excited this is going to be my stepping stone back into hopefully a long career of performing again.

“It's kind of like my second chance so it's a really good, fun way to start, and especially because it's not my own show, it's really nice to start as a guest appearance and of course, working with Oti is super exciting. So yeah, I'm really looking forward to it.”

What's the concept of the show?

“Well, Viva Carnival is, as kind of the name suggests, it's going to be one big party, that's what I know. And I guess I'm there to bring a slightly different element to the show, with maybe an essence of tango so it's a little bit more moody.

“Of course, whenever you choreograph a show and you create a show, you want it to have light and shade So as much as it's going to be an overall party, I'm sure we're going to want to have moments where it's a little bit calmer, so that we can, you know, make the most of the high moments.

“That's kind of, I think, what I'll be bringing to the show but in essence, you're going to come and have an amazing time. It's going to be incredible music. The atmosphere is going to be electric and, yeah, overall, it's going to be a fab night out!”

You mentioned it's also a return to the stage for yourself, can I ask you why now?

“I'm returning now because I guess I'm ready. I've sort of had a second wind. So back in 2018 I was pretty burnt out after a really long and successful career. I started with competing, then I ended up on the TV show, and then I toured for eight years so my career was pretty consistent and relentless with no real breaks. I got to 2018 and I definitely needed a break at that point, so I had to take a little bit of a step away.

“We moved to Devon and we've lived on a small holding now for nearly five years, and kind of reconnected with nature. I have a real passion for animals, so we have rare breed sheep and chickens, and I've spent the last four and a half years pretty much living outdoors in all elements, wind, snow storms. I just felt like that's what I needed.

“Then I just kind of woke up one day last year and I just had this massive, massive urge, this feeling that I needed to go back and I wanted to perform again, and that's kind of how it happened. From then, I took some time to really think about it, because it's obviously quite a big decision, and I contacted a couple of dancers, some past colleagues, people that I'd worked with, I did a couple of trips down to London just to try out my shoes and see how it felt. And it was amazing. I loved it. It was almost like when you return home. It just felt really comfortable and natural. So I tested it out a little bit, and I thought ‘yeah, I've got a second a second go [in me], if the opportunities come up, then I'm going to go for it’. So I'm grabbing everything with both hands, and I'm not going to get a third try, I'm 46 now, so I'm going to just make the most of the years I have left where I still feel physically and mentally ready and able to perform.”

You are the special guest in Oti’s show, so why did you want to get involved in this particular show?

“Sometimes when you put things out into the universe, just the right things line up and people's paths cross at the same time, and that's kind of what happened. So after I contacted a few people and started to put the word out there that I wanted to come back, obviously, after six years, it's quite difficult to reconnect with people that you haven't seen for a while, but I had really good feedback and and actually it was Oti’s producer who contacted me pretty much out of the blue. I think he may have seen that I was getting back out there and had my dance shoes back on, and they were obviously looking for somebody to join forces with to be a special guest star. I guess with me having been away for six years, there’s a little bit of excitement around that so it jut seemed to be a match that came together at exactly the right time, as these things often do. So it was really natural, really easy, it just kind of happened.”

Have you worked with Oti before?

“Well, we've crossed paths before but we kind of miss each other on Strictly so I'd left before Oti joined. I remember Oti coming to see myself and Vincent -I think it was in Midnight Tango, one of our other theater shows- after she'd recently joined Strictly.. So I remember meeting Oti at Stage Door and then I've crossed paths with her on It Takes Two so we've seen each other but we've never had the pleasure of working together. So this is going to be kind of a new experience and I think we're going to be very different nut that's what's kind of going to work, because we can both bring our own elements. In essence, it's Otis show, so it will be predominantly her vision, but hopefully I can add to it and aid the show and give it a different kind of sparkle.”

How are you feeling about bringing the show to the North East?

“I love it. I love the north of England. The audiences… they get so involved in the show and for us, you know, when we're on stage, that's really what we want, because the more they get involved with what we're doing, the more energy we have. So sometimes you can go and perform in a theatre, if the audience are really quiet, it's really hard work, you just can't gauge whether they're enjoying it, not enjoying it. But obviously, anywhere up north, they are just amazing. Sometimes they even start talking to you while you're on stage and shouting things out so yeah, I love all the theaters up there. And just generally, the north of England. I have a soft spot for.”

Is there anything you plan to do whilst in Gateshead or Newcastle?

“Shopping, I think it's pretty good for shopping, isn't it? So, yeah, I think have a nice wander around the shops, the town and just, you know, absorb the vibe and enjoy the beautiful theatres.”

Why should people get tickets to see you in Viva carnival?

“Well, as I said, I've not performed for six years, which is, you know, it's quite a long time, and … not everybody kind of has a break and then has a comeback as well and this is just the start. It's just the first stepping stone back into it. But I'm fortunate enough that, you know, I feel like I have the energy and the mental and physical kind of place where I can do that. And I had such great support from everybody, from audiences all over the UK for eight years when I was touring with Vincent, that I hope that they can come again and support me and enjoy, the show, and any other projects that I go on to do, really, and hopefully, if they got some enjoyment before, they'll get more enjoyment now, -this is the start of the longer term.”

Is there anything else that you'd like to mention that you've got coming up?

“Not at the moment. Lots of things in the pipeline. I'm going to get my teeth stuck into this project, because obviously it's the first project back for a while, so I want to really try and focus but I've got lots of other things bubbling up under the surface for next year, which will be exciting. So yes, watch this space. But in the meantime, I'm going to be 110% committed to Viva Carnival.”