He blazed a trail as the professional half of Strictly’s first all-male dance partnership. Now he’s targeting prejudice in a sizzling show based on his native South Africa
“My producers said: ‘You do what you do and just bring joy to people,’” remembers Strictly Come Dancing’s Johannes Radebe about his new tour, Freedom Unleashed. From anyone else that might sound insufferably showbiz but from Radebe it’s probably just the truth. I don’t think I’ve seen a more joyful show than his first stage outing, Freedom, in 2022. Telling the story of his life from South African township to BBC prime time, it brimmed with energy, colour and love, and had copious dancing in the aisles.
Its sequel will be “bigger and better” he says, and delve further into Radebe’s influences and South African culture.“We’re a dancing nation. Sad, happy, we dance,” he says. He’ll be exploring different styles – pantsula, gumboot, kizomba and traditional Zulu dance – as well as ballroom and Latin “with a twist”.
