RAIL LIVES – FROM CHOO-CHOO TO CHA-CHA!

I’ve been dancing since I was 13. My mum is from the Philippines so I joined a traditional dance troupe in the UK to connect with that community. We toured the UK and Europe and even performed on TV with Paul O’Grady.

Ballroom and Latin were always things I’d wanted to try. But I only took them up in 2019, a few years after I started with London Overground. I take it quite seriously now and have done competitions in Spain and Lithuania, and in Sweden where we won! I have also danced at the iconic Blackpool Tower Ballroom.

There used to be a perception that ballroom was for older people. Programmes like Strictly helped change that. In reality, there are kids who start aged three or four and dance to a high standard as teenagers.

I joke that ballroom is uncomfortable, unnatural and illogical! You want it to look beautiful and effortless but it’s incredibly hard work. I practise with my dance partner two or three times a week and I have a personal trainer to keep my fitness up. I think it’s important to balance your work with something else that you enjoy, even something as simple as cooking or walking.

My favourite dance is the Viennese waltz. The technique is complex and intricate. So, I get fulfilment from dancing to the best of my ability and executing the technique as best as I can. If I get a trophy at the end, then all the better!