Pro Dancers News from Dincwear Dancewear.

April 2026 Edition

 

Karen Hauer breaks cover hours after quitting show after 14 years.

Professional dancer Karen Hauer has “broken cover” for the first time since announcing her departure from Strictly Come Dancing after 14 years. The 43-year-old was spotted attending a wellness retreat for dogs and their owners, the LitPet Sunday Dog Social, held at 180 House on London’s Strand.

Key Details of Her Exit.

• Announcement: On 21 March 2026, Hauer shared a tearful Instagram video confirming she is leaving the BBC show to pursue new projects.
• Longest-Serving Pro: Having joined in 2012, she leaves as the longest-serving female professional dancer in the show’s history.
• Departure Context: Her exit follows weeks of rumours regarding a “purge” or mass cull of professional dancers for the 2026 series. Other pros reportedly leaving include Nadiya Bychkova, Gorka Márquez, Luba Mushtuk, and Michelle Tsiakkas.
• Personal Impact: Hauer admitted the departure has been “terribly stressful” and stated her dogs have helped her cope with the emotional transition.

Career Highlights.

During her 14-season tenure, Hauer reached the final twice—with Mark Wright in 2014 and Jamie Laing in 2020. Her final celebrity partner on the show was Gladiators star Harry Aikines-Aryeetey in 2025.

Dianne Buswell and Joe Sugg have officially welcomed their first child.

   

Dianne Buswell and Joe Sugg have officially welcomed their first child, a baby boy named Bowden Mark Richard Sugg, born on 16 March 2026.
The couple, who met on Strictly Come Dancing in 2018, shared the “magical” news via Instagram, describing a love like they’ve never felt before.

Key Details of the Announcement.

• Name & Pronunciation: They chose the unique name Bowden, with middle names Mark (after Dianne’s father) and Richard (after Joe’s late grandfather). Joe clarified the pronunciation as “Bow” like “how,” not like “row”.
• Birth Date: Bowden was born on Monday, 16 March 2026.
• Dianne recently celebrated her first week as a mum, sharing intimate photos of her recovery, skin-to-skin contact, and being brought breakfast in bed by Joe.
• Journey to Parenthood: The couple first announced the pregnancy in September 2025. Dianne made history as the first professional to compete on Strictly while pregnant during the 2025 series.

Trainspotting: The musical heading for London’s West End this summer.

The world premiere of Trainspotting: The Musical is officially arriving at London’s Theatre Royal Haymarket this summer, with performances starting on 15 July 2026.
Adapted by original author Irvine Welsh, this production is a full-scale musical that aims to be “bigger” and have a “louder beating human heart” than previous stage plays. Tickets went on sale starting 24 March 2026 at 8 am.

Key Production Details.

Venue: Theatre Royal Haymarket.
Run Dates: 15 July to 5 September 2026.
Opening Night: 22 July 2026.
Performance Schedule: Monday to Saturday at 7:30 pm; Matinees on Thursday and Saturday at 2:30 pm.
Running Time: Approximately 2 hours, including a 20-minute interval.
Age Guidance: Recommended for ages 15+.

Cast and Creative Team.

Lead Role: Scottish actor Robbie Scott will make his West End debut as Mark Renton.
Creative Team: Directed and developed by Caroline Jay Ranger (Only Fools and Horses The Musical).
Music: Features a mix of iconic tracks from the 1996 film soundtrack (expect artists like Iggy Pop and Underworld) and brand-new original songs written by Irvine Welsh and musician Stephen McGuinness.

Ticket Information.

Tickets are available through the official Trainspotting Musical website and major vendors like Ticketmaster UK. Prices start from £30 to ensure the show remains accessible, with Irvine Welsh explicitly stating he would not allow “dynamic pricing” models that drive costs up to £300.

General News & Sighting

• Strictly stars Karen, Luba, Michelle and Nadiya announced that they are leaving the show. Karen was the longest serving professional on the series with 14 years of service.
• London burlesque musical “Diamonds and Dust” has entered liquidation, with more than £3.0 million in debts across almost 100 creatives and companies.
• Akram Khan is closing his company after 26 years and refocusing his business.
• The What’s On Stage award for best choreography went to Fabian Aloise for his work on “Evita”.
• Secret Cinema has announced plans to establish a long-term flagship venue at Greenwich Peninsula near the O2.
• Nikita Kuzmin announced his “Supernova” tour which begins in June at Shrewsbury. The choreography is by Jason Gilkinson.
• Casting has been announced for the return of Sir Matt Bourne’s “The Car Man”. It will star Ashley Shaw, Cordelia Braithwaite and Serena McCall. The UK tour begins on the 15th of June.
• “Grease” will be embarking on a new UK tour which opens in Plymouth on April the 23rd. The show has choreography by Arlene Phillips.
• The Rambert has announced the early development of a new stage work inspired by the Channel 4 series “It’s A Sin”. The choreography will be by Benoit Swan Pouffer.
• Casting has been announced for the open air production of “Cats” opening this summer at Regent’s Park. The show has choreography by Drew McOnie and the dance captains are Carla Bertran and Taela Yeomans-Brown. It will run from the 25th of July until the 12th of September.
• “The Karate Kid – The Musical” announced that it will star Gina Ochello and Abigail Amin. The show has choreography by Keone and Mari Madrid and will open in Wimbledon on the 28th of April.
• The upcoming production of “High School Musical” will star Tobias Turley as Troy and Leonor Correia as Gabriella, with Caitlin Tipping as Sharpay. The choreography is by Aaron Renfree and the show will run at the Lowry in Salford from the 21st of August until the 19th of September.
• “Jesus Christ Superstar” will run at the London Palladium from the 20th of June until the 5th of September. The show will star Sam Ryder and Desmonda Cathebel and have choreography by Drew McOnie.
• New York City Centre has announced that its 2026 gala production will be “In The Heights”. The show will run from the 28th of October until the 8th of November.

Future Dance Events News

• The English National Ballet has announced its season for 2026/7 titled “A Season To Feel More”.
• “Everybody’s Talking About Jamie” will return to the UK on a 10th anniversary tour. The show will open in Leeds on the 15th of January 2027. It has choreography by Kate Prince.
• A musical stage adaptation of the film “Coyote Ugly” will come to the West End in 2027. It will be directed and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell.
• “Just For One Day; The Live Aid Musical” is to embark on a UK tour in 2027. The show has choreography by Ebony Molina.
• “Heathers the Musical” will return to the UK from Summer 2026 for a new tour. The show will have choreography by Gary Lloyd.
• A new production of “Fame” will run from the 28th of July until the 15th of August 2026 at the Theatre Royal Plymouth. It will have choreography by Tom Jackson Greaves.
• “Dirty Dancing” will be touring the UK from the summer of 2026. The show will have choreography by Austin Wilkes and open in Milton Keynes on the 27th of August 2026.
• A new revival of “Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” has been confirmed for this year as part of the new season from the Birmingham Rep.
• A musical version of “10 Things I Hate About You” is officially in the works. It will have choreography by Christopher Wheeldon.

Dance Auditions & Vacancies

• The London Cabaret is looking for dancers. See the company website for details.
• Princess Cruises is looking for dancers. Visit: http://www.princesscruiseentertainment.com/auditions
• The Moulin Rouge in Paris is looking for dancers. Visit the company website for more information.
• KMA is looking for dancers for the Cannes Film Festival. Contact: casting@kma-agency.com
• “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” is casting for dancers for its West End run. Applications close on the 7th of April. See the company website for details.
• London City Ballet is having an audition for its new professional development course. The audition is on the 17th of May. See the company website for further details.
• ATA is looking for Manchester / Stockport based models for a job on the 21st of April. Contact: info@artistictalentagency.com
• “The Phantom of the Opera” is looking for dancers. Visit the website for details.
• The Rambert school is looking for a full time ballet teacher. See the company website for further details.
• Thursford will hold its auditions this year on the 7 – 9 th of June at the Pineapple Dance Studios in London. For more information contact: http://www.thursfordjobs.com
• Burn The Floor is looking for dancers. Contact: casting@burnthefloor.com
• Live Entertainment UK is looking for dancers for an event in London on the 16th of April. See the company website for details.
• Crazy Horse in Paris is looking for dancers. Contact: casting@lecrazyhorseparis.com

Dance Classes

• Ashley Shaw, principle dancer with Sir Matt Bourne’s New Adventures Company, is teaching in Brighton on the 19th of April. Contact Ballet Night Masterclasses for more details.
• Jowita & Pasquale from Strictly have some dance workshops on the 12th of April at the Du Boisson Dance Studio in London.
• Ian Waite & Fitsteps have 2 masterclasses coming up. The first is on the 18th of April at Kings College in Guildford and the second is in Hemel Hempstead on the 2nd of May. You can book the classes via: http://www.fitsteps.co.uk
• Monique Jonas has a Movement and Choreography Spring Residency from the 4th – 8th of May.
• Natalie Twist has a 2 hour commercial latin workshop on the 5th of April at XY Studios in London from 12.00 – 2.00 pm. You can book via: Home | Natalie Twist
• Tracey Iliffe has a Parisian Showgirl technique class on the 16th of April from 4.30 – 6.00 pm at the Pineapple dance studios.
• Lucy Jane Adcock has a workshop in Nottingham on the 2nd of April from 10.00 am – 2.00 pm at the Dance Studio.
• Alina Cojocaru has a masterclass at the Royal Opera House on the 4th of April from 2.30 – 6.00 pm. You can book via the Vanessa Felton Masterclasses page on Instagram.
• Constance Devernay-Lawrence has a masterclass on the 12th of April at Sadler’s Wells from 1.45 – 5.00 pm. You can book via the International Ballet Intensives Instagram bio.
• The annual TGS Summer Intensive will take place on the 20th – 24th of July at the Hemingford Pavilion from 10.00 am – 3.00 pm daily. Collette Guitart and Michael Naylor will be among those teaching. You can book spaces on: jordiguitart1962@gmail.com
• Poppy Radford has a commercial class at Pineapple on Wednesdays from 3.45 – 4.45 pm and 7.00 – 8.00 pm.
• Christina Andrea has classes on Tuesday from 5.00 – 6.00 pm at Pineapple, Wednesday from 7.30 – 8.30 pm at Pineapple and Thursday from 5.00 – 6.00 pm at the Manor.
• Amy Ireland has a Tap Technique class for beginners on Fridays from 12.00 – 1.00 pm at Pineapple.
• Danielle Barton has classes on Wednesdays and Fridays at Pineapple and on Saturday at the Base Dance Studio.

Film & TV

• We spotted Abigail Choon performing at the What’s On Stage Awards at the London Palladium. The choreography was by Jo Goodwin.
• We spotted Summer Villiers and Rosalina Holmgaard performing with Zara Larsson on her US tour. The contract was with AMCK.
• We spotted Honor Roche dancing in “The Other Bennett Sister” on BBC1. The choreography was by Lucie Pankhurst and Bex Leung.
• We spotted Laura Dougan performing with Flo at the MOBO Awards.

Pro Dancer News Published by the Dincwear Pro Dancewear Team.

Who’s Wearing Dincwear Dancewear?

From all the news team at Dincwear Dancewear, See you all in the Next Edition!

This post has been created by the Dincwear Dancewear Team.