The Journey Of A Dancer – with Tommy Franzen

This week, Kevin talks to Olivier Award-nominated performer, choreographer (and Kevin’s flatmate!) Tommy Franzen, who over the last few years has carved something of a legend for himself in the world of dance. In this fascinating conversation, Kevin talks to Tommy about the people who have inspired him the most, the origins of the dance styles that have formed his own style, his views on competitive dance, his journey into property investment, and the qualities that make him one of the country’s greatest performers.   KEY TAKEAWAYS Tommy’s dance career started at a very young age, when he was inspired by his sister, and visiting celebrity dancers in Sweden, to begin dance lessons. After some initial setbacks, and confidence issues, Tommy never looked back. “Locking" was born from social dances of the sixties, and involves locking your body tight, and is named after its inventor, dancer Don “Campbellock” Campbell. Its proponents since then have included Richard Pryor and Dick Van Dyke. “Popping” evolved when music changed in the 70s and 80s, when locking no longer fit with the contemporary music styles. It emerged as a major dance style on the West Coast. Hip hop style dancing is less regimented, and ever-evolving. People seem to be drawn to the dancing itself, instead of the formalised competitions that surround styles such as ballroom and latin. This means that it can naturally evolve without breaking the so-called “rules” set down by dance organisations. There seems to be a small pool of judges and coaches in the dance-competition world. Often this can be used to a dancer’s advantage, as they can find themselves performing for people they have been trained by, and can plan accordingly. Tommy is not attracted to the concept of using dance to compete against someone else. It affects him emotionally, and affects his performance, and so he avoids it.  Many are drawn to performing by the lure of celebrity, by the fact that they can spend their lives earning money from doing something they love. For Tommy, the attraction of dance is the sense of joy he experiences while performing.  Companies like Zoo Nation, Boy Blue and Avant Garde, have pushed dance companies from obscurity, into the mainstream. As a result, dancers can now find real employment opportunities. Hip-hop dance theatre is rising in popularity. Spearheaded by a creative generation, stories are being told by hip hop dancing, with as much narrative involvement and dramatic tension as standard theatrical productions. There were concerns when Tommy was offered a role on the BBC’s So You Think You Can Dance, as he was worried in case he was portrayed in a way that he was not comfortable with. He ended up reaching the final, and partnering several times with eventual winner, Charlie Bruce. Choreography is a tiring process, for both Kevin and Tommy. It involves a lot of thinking, mental space, and consideration. Listening to the music over and over again helps the dance to take shape in the mind. The uncertainty of regular employment as a dancer is what made Tommy investigate the world of property investment, seeing an opportunity to give himself a Plan B. It was Tommy who introduced Kevin to this way of investing, which he subsequently did. BEST MOMENTS ‘I felt so exposed’ ‘With ballroom and latin, the “endgame” is usually competition dancing’ ‘What I love about your style of dancing is that it’s not geared towards that’ ’It was my birthday party, and I was the only one not dancing’ ’The shows you do are like a story. They’re like a musical’ ‘Dance-ical? Is that a word?’ ‘I’m so glad that we’ve been given songs and concepts that have really excited us’ ‘If you judge what you do too much, that’s when you end up in the trap’ ‘A blank sheet of paper is really scary' VALUABLE LINKS   www.sadlerswells.com Tommy Franzen Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/tommythefranzen/?hl=en Tommy Franzen’s Website - http://www.tommyfranzen.com/Tommy_Franzen_Official/Tommy_Franzen.html Tommy Franzen Twitter - https://twitter.com/tommyfranzen?lang=en Rob Moore - https://robmoore.com Rich Dad Poor Dad (Amazon) - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rich-Dad-Poor-Teach-Middle/dp/1612680194/   ABOUT THE HOST Kevin Clifton is a professional dancer who has been performing & competing at the highest level for over a decade. Kevin has worked on shows like 'Burn the floor' & 'Rock of Ages' to 'Strictly Come Dancing' one of the biggest TV shows in the UK which Kevin won in 2018.    CONTACT METHOD Kevin Clifton Instagram Kevin Clifton Facebook Kevin Clifton YouTube