10s across the board as Strictly star shines in show

Strictly Come Dancing professional Giovanni Pernice dazzled a packed-out crowd with his Born to Win tour in Bury St Edmunds on Tuesday.

The Italian dancer, accompanied by his professional partner Luba Mushtuk and his dancing crew, took the audience on a whirlwind trip through his life with a stunning display of Latin and Ballroom numbers.

The show at The Apex comes ahead of Pernice’s King’s Lynn Festival performance at the Alive Corn Exchange on Wednesday, July 18 – the final date in his tour.

Prior to the show, what I had not anticipated was the comical side. While Pernice was a charismatic host, his natural comedic ability was also impressive. The scenes with ‘14-year-old’ Giovanni and his friends were certainly memorable.

There was also a nice moment when audience members were chosen to go on stage for a ‘family’ scene.

The storytelling acted as the foundation of the show, which guided the audience through the various numbers.

A special mention should go to the costume department, who brought the glitz and glamour to the show with a number of eye-catching outfits and glitter galore.

The dance crew, which was also made up of Giulia Dotta, Emily Barker, Kylee Brown, Kai Widdrington, Curtis Pritchard and Stephen Vincent, were phenomenal.

Whether in a group piece or a single pairing, Latin or Ballroom, they were seamless and spectacular.

I can’t claim to be a dance expert, but the sheer number of pieces they completed over the space of a couple of hours was phenomenal and despite the effort they must have exerted during that time, it seemed effortless.

At one stage Pernice said that dance is his real love, and if this wasn’t obvious before the show, it was certainly clear by the end of the evening.

His ability to take on the many routines with both ease and passion is incredible, and backs up his status as one of the Strictly favourites.