www.glos.info Interviews Flawless

Gloucestershire

When dance group Flawless were preparing for their first tour of 60 shows, they joked whether they would make it to the end alive, such are the physical demands of their discipline.

In the event, they extended the tour by another 55 shows and came out the other end just as inspired and energetic as when they went in.

It was their success on Britain’s Got Talent that introduced the public to Flawless and, although they didn’t win – they were in the same final as Susan Boyle and fellow dancers Diversity – it was enough to propel them into the spotlight and ensure their future success.

And 10 years later they are still going strong, with founder member Marlon Wallen still at the helm, a new tour ahead of them and a dance school up and running.

“Two hours of dancing isn’t easy but with experience over the years of doing tours we know what it takes, we have to be mentally and physically ready, be eating right, training every day.

“That first time we were looking at each other and saying, oh my god, are we even going to be alive at the end of it, but we did it and the tour extended to 115 days, so we get a real buzz out of it. It carries you along.”

Chase the Dream is back for a second run, following sold out shows first time round, and Flawless will be bringing this high energy, acrobatic show to Cheltenham Town Hall in September.

The story follows the journey of 10 Big Dreamers, seeking the opportunity to live their ultimate dance fantasy on board the "Intergalactic Dream Ship". But they soon realise that with every dream comes a dark reality, turning their dreams into nightmares and must now battle their way back to reality to complete the journey home.

“We’re bringing it back bigger and better,” said Marlon. “It’s a roller coaster journey and musically it’s from all different genres; throwbacks from back in the day all the way through to current dance styles.”

Of course, the title of the show also reflects the journey the group has been on. “Our motto has always been to chase the dream not the competition, and to inspire people. Not just for dance but anything they want to do in their lives.

“We want to give people the courage to chase their dream, whatever it is, and don’t get distracted by the competition around you. We love to create new ideas and touch people in different ways.

“We are living proof of that. We didn’t win but we’re still here today doing what we’re doing and we want to inspire the new generation.”

Despite not winning BGT, life for Flawless after the show was, as Marlon says, “absolutely insane”.

“We had no idea. When you got on the show you are trapped in that BGT world. They keep you away from the public, you’re constantly focused on the next challenge, rehearsals, interviews.

“Once you go out on tour it’s the first time we were able to engage with the public, and that’s when we realized that we actually had a fan base. That was so humbling, you wouldn’t necessarily get a dance group having a fan base.”

Marlon has been into dance since he was a youngster, dancing along in front of the TV to the likes of Michael Jackson. He studied ballet, contemporary dance and jazz before setting up his own group.

Now they rehearse for four or five hours every day and have recently set up their own dance school in London, which they run every Sunday, developing the next generation with the same ethos to chase their dreams.

Flawless will perform at Cheltenham Town Hall on September 14th 2018. Tickets cost £27.00. Click the link below for more information.

Interview taken and written by Helen Gadd on behalf of www.glos.info

 

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