'It feels so good to be back dancing'

By Nell Mackenzie
Business reporter, BBC News


With the first Strictly Come Dancing live show on UK screens later, Nell Mackenzie looks at how professional ballroom dancers and coaches around the world are continuing to cope with the impact of pandemic restrictions.

When Covid-19 closed the ballroom dance studio where Madis Abel and Aleksandra Galkina practised, it was their first break in eight years.

Mr Abel could finally recover from the hip injury he had sustained months earlier. "Usually, I just have to keep going and going," says the Estonian.

He and his Russian partner are highly ranked in the world of international standard ballroom dancing. This includes the waltz, tango, foxtrot, Viennese waltz and quickstep categories.

In a normal year, their 12-hour weekdays at their base in the Estonian capital of Tallinn would see them first practise for three hours, and then spend the rest of their time teaching other dancers. On weekends they would travel to competitions across Europe and around the world.

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When lockdowns darkened dance floors back in the spring, the couple separated temporarily, and Ms Galkina flew home to Russia.

But Mr Abel says they definitely were not "just chilling". Instead they moved their lessons online, teaching students via video calls.

And after his hip recovered, both logged many hours in the gym. "I like to kill my body with exercise," he says.

Last month they attended a local competition in Estonia, their first since February. "It felt so good to be back," says Ms Galkina. "Without the competitive life, it's not the same."