Q&A with Strictly Come Dancing professional Graziano Di Prima who is about to embark on a UK tour with his fiancée

Strictly Come Dancing professional Graziano Di Prima is preparing to dazzle and delight audiences with stunning new dance show Havana Nights which tours the UK in Spring 2020 – the tour opens early March 2020.

Twenty-five-year-old Graziano will be joined by fellow Strictly professional and fiancée Giada Lini on this first solo UK tour.

Havana Nights promises an exciting mix of Latin dances with individual performances from Graziano and Giada, as well as entertaining group numbers with their supporting dancers.

You have been dancing since the age of 6, at what age did you realise dance would become your career?

I realised that dance would be my career when my dad told me to start working with him on a farm, it was a really hard job and I felt it wasn’t for me, so in that moment I decided to start teaching dance and that meant I was able to afford my private lessons, I wanted to do competitions and reach a high Latin level, to make my passion also my dream work.

You proposed on stage in Watford, was there a reason you chose this date and location, was the proposal spontaneous or planned?

It was a special day for me…my birthday (7 May) and yes, it was a detailed planned day. It was really hard to hide everything from Giada as she knows all about me and I tell her everything, so just thinking where hiding the ring was really hard!

You’re going on a national tour with your fiancé Giada, will this make your first solo tour even more special? What’s the favourite thing about touring with your fiancé?

I think that’s the best part of it, when a Dancer - dances, they play different roles, with Giada it is really easy. When I interpret the role of the romantic man, I always think about her, now she’s here alongside - so everything will be much easier!

What can fans expect from the tour, any surprises for Strictly fans?

There will be a lot of surprises. We are building the show with our friend and Strictly mate Neil Jones. He has such good ideas, everything will be set in a bar in Havana and the show is a mix of Latin dances and songs, energetic, romantic, funny and full Latin dancing moments!!

Your 2019 live final dance with Johannes Radebe will go down in history as Strictly’s first same sex partner dance, how did you feel about the reaction this performance provoked?

I was not expecting all those beautiful reactions and I’m so happy because the people really loved it, I felt everything was so natural (also because of my friendship with Johannes). I’m so glad Strictly introduced the same sex dance in the show and we were able to dance together.

Tell us about your other favourite moments from the 2019 series.

Every Saturday night was full of beautiful emotion - in particular when I danced with my favourite singer Andrea Bocelli! That was a dream. Also, the Strictly Christmas Special dancing with Chizzy. That’s was great fun.

You’ve toured the world as a dancer, do you have a favourite place?

I love so many places but one of my favourites is Brazil. I’ve been there during the Olympic games and I just loved the country and people so much! And of course, dancing in Blackpool is always special. I’m looking forward to seeing new places in the UK as well on this tour.

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