Behind the Sequins: My Life

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I had no idea what I was really doing, but that I was now set on a path I couldn’t do anything about. With every dance step of our routine, I knew I was taking one more step away from everything I knew, and that I was giving up something indescribably precious. I defy anyone to read Behind the Sequins and not be moved by Shirley Ballas’ story and also be in awe of her durability in a world where everything is fast moving and trends come and go. Class – which is what Ballas oozes – lasts forever. What I found most inspiring is how she has uprooted and restarted her life so many times, beginning at aged just 14 when she moved out to pursue dance. It is clearly her life long motivation and she has been willing to give up homes and relationships to chase it. She has been both the heartbreaker and the heartbroken, but it’s admirable to see how she has stayed connected to those from the beginning of her journey. Speaking from the heart, Shirley leaves her dancing shoes at the door to tell you the story of a fiery, strong-willed grafter, who danced through everything life threw at her and was never afraid to leave it all on the floor." Shirley Ballas Behind the Sequins: When's it out?

Shirley Ballas further won my approval when a family friend – an elderly lady in her 80s – was struggling to climb down some steps at Lime Street Station. Shirley Ballas saw her and helped her, linked her arm and made sure that my friend got to the place she needed to get to safely. So besides being a great judge, dancer, choreographer and teacher she also proved herself to be a pretty decent human being too. It is for this and many other reasons that I will forever be a fan.The life of professional ballroom can seem like a whole other world to outsiders, but Shirley has lifted the red rope to allow her readers and insight into this both dazzling and incredibly tough life.

Although Shirley is incredibly proud and confident in her ability as a dancer, teacher and judge, she seems far more insecure about decisions she made in her personal life. I thought at times that Shirley was too critical of herself. She had an extremely successful career and was happy to pass on her knowledge and skills to anyone who shared her love of dancing. Her home was always open to aspiring dancers and although she worked away for weeks at a time, she managed to maintain a close relationship with her mother, brother and son. There’s no doubting the talent of this lady and what must have been a certain bloody mindedness to achieve all that she has, staying seemingly grounded and that must be applauded! My admiration has peaked at a time when her stardom is opening even more “celebrity” doors. I only hope she remains the kind hearted, loving woman she’s been allowed to become as life blossoms for her. In her book Behind the Sequins we get to read a real rags to riches story about a young working class girl growing up on a rough council estate and manages to change her life through dance.Shirley Ballas is the head judge on Strictly Come Dancing, but was little known before her debut. However, she has been a professional dance champion, specialising in Latin, since her early 20’s, having started dance as just a child. It goes on to explain how the book charts Shirley's career spanning more than 40 years, which has seen her go from a travelling competitive dancer to a coach and teacher. I won’t spend this review commenting on the writing style or skill, as we all know what to expect from a celebrity autobiography and truly, we aren’t here for the syntax or poetry! When it comes to ballroom, she really knows it inside and out. I loved that each chapter began with a description of the different dance styles and the stories behind them. It’s incredible to learn she is both a skilled dancer and teacher too and that she can be both male and female roles in dance.