‘I Felt Like I Was Going To Cry’: Oti Mabuse On Isolation And Her New Online Dance Classes

The professional dancer chats to Grazia about her dance classes and how she's spending lockdown with her husband.

oti mabuse

by Bonnie McLaren |
Updated on

With the coronavirus pandemic meaning most of us are staying inside, celebrities have stepped up to provide lessons for kids who are being taught at home. Harry Judd from McFly is teaching drum lessons, Myleene Klass is teaching music, the Great British Bake Off’s Candice Brown is teaching cooking andJoe Wicks is getting everyone moving with his workout sessions at 9am every week day. It's a whole celebrity schedule. But one of the most fun lessons comes from The Greatest Dancer’s Oti Mabuse and her husband, fellow dancer Marius Lepure, who are teaching kids - and adults alike - how to dance.

However, it was TikTok which inspired the professional dancer to start her lessons. ‘I was actually at home and I was learning all these TikToks,’ Oti laughs, speaking to Grazia. ‘And I was like, “Oh my goodness, why am I learning other people's choreography? When I could actually just teach?” I'm going to teach a dance class - and I'm going to see what the response is.’

Obviously, the response was great, and Oti has been sent loads of videos of people - some who wouldn’t usually dance - trying her routines at home. ‘I've gotten so many messages from people like “Oh my goodness, we love to watch Strictly and The Greatest Dancer” but we've never had the opportunity to actually learn how to dance at home without people watching us.’

Looking on the bright side of lockdown, the dancer also says she feels very lucky to spend some quality time with her husband. ‘I feel really lucky,’ she adds. ‘It’s nice because I work so much and he works so much. We literally are excited to do things together like we cook together and we make dinner together. We've had long chats, read books, and read poems together.’

Last night, Oti stopped her dance class to clap along with the country for the NHS - before returning back to teach. ‘It was really emotional,' she said. 'I came back when I stopped the class and you know when you have like a lump in your throat. And I felt like I was going to cry, it's just incredible what they do.’

Oti’s kids dance classes are being streamed to her Facebook, Instagram and YouTube accounts at 11:30am every day until at least March 30. But she’s also teaching classes for adults on some days at a later time 7:30pm.

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