Pro Dancers News from Dincwear Dancewear.

May 2026 Edition

 

TV & Competition Dance News.

Strictly Come Dancing 2026 Shake-up: Gorka Marquez has become the latest professional to leave the show, joining a series of departures behind the scenes as producers plan a reinvention of the series. Karen Hauer, the longest-serving female dancer, also confirmed her exit after 14 years.

Strictly Pros on Tour: Despite departures, many pro dancers are on the road for the Strictly: The Professionals tour, which kicked off with emotional reunions.

Dancing with the Stars Update: Judge Shirley Ballas is set to join a new spin-off, Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro, in the US, mentoring a new generation of dancers.

India’s Best Dancer: Season 5 is set to premiere in 2026 on Sony Entertainment Television, with a judging panel including Geeta Kapoor, Terence Lewis, Karishma Kapoor, and Javed Jaffrey.

Stage & Ballet News.

Candoco Dance Company: The company has launched a new initiative to support disabled choreographers, with a Commissioning Readiness Programme starting in Autumn 2026 and a tour planned for Spring 2028.

Matthew Bourne: The full cast for the 2026 tour of The Car Man has been announced, returning to UK stages this summer.

London City Ballet: A new Trainee Programme has been announced, aiming to scout talent across the UK.

Royal Ballet & Opera: The Sadler’s Wells Rose International Dance Prize nominees have been revealed, while Birmingham Royal Ballet prepares a special Gala for Sir Peter Wright’s Centenary.

Upcoming Shows & Tours (UK)

Stories – The Tap Dance Sensation: Following a successful 2024 run, the RB Dance Company returns with their hit show for a three-week UK run this autumn.

Rhythm of the Dance: A 2026 Summer Tour is bringing Irish dancing and live music to venues like the Floral Pavilion in July.

Dirty Dancing in Blackpool: The reimagined show is scheduled to perform at the Blackpool Opera House from September 8th to 11th, 2026.

Burn the Floor: Supernova: Featuring Nikita Kuzmin, this high-energy show is coming to the Blackpool Opera House in June 2026.

Strictly’s Shirley Ballas says ‘news is out’ as she teams up with famous son for new show.

The BBC One dance contest’s head judge is joining a brand new spin-off series of Dancing with the Stars

Strictly Come Dancing star Shirley Ballas has told fans the ‘news is out’ as she’s set to team up with her son for a new show across the pond.
The BBC One dance contest’s head judge is joining a brand new spin-off series of Dancing with the Stars, the American version of Strictly, called Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro.

The series will feature 12 up-and-coming dancers who move into a house together and compete through the audition process, all vying for a spot as a professional dancer on the upcoming season of Dancing with the Stars.

Shirley and her son Mark, a professional dancer known for his role on Dancing with the Stars, will both serve as judges on the reality show hosted by reigning champion Robert Irwin. Throughout the series, the dancers will be joined by a line-up of returning pros who will serve as rotating mentors and guest judges.

Sharing the news on social media alongside her and Mark’s snaps from a photoshoot for the new show, Shirley said: “The news finally is out, we’re finding The Next Pro for @dancingwiththestars … and a dream of mine to judge alongside my son @markballas has finally come true.

General News & Sighting

• Strictly has announced its line-up of returning pro dancers ahead of the new series. They are: Dianne, Amy, Katya, Neil, Johannes, Aljaz, Nikita, Jowita, Lauren, Vito, Carlos, Julian and Alexis. The BBC also revealed that some new pro dancers will be joining the existing cast.
• Equity has warned of a “summer of turbulence” in the West End due to possible industrial action. Equity and SOLT (the Society of London Theatre) have disagreements over new pay and condition contracts. Equity will ballot its members about taking strike action on Saturdays and implementing an overtime ban.
• The world’s biggest hip hop festival “Breakin’ Convention” returns to Sadler’s Wells on the 4th of May.
• Ellipsis Entertainment has gone bankrupt, leading to the closure of two shows in London – “The War of the Worlds” and “Elvis Evolution”.
• Music and Hollywood stars like Taylor Swift are trying to trademark their voice and image to prevent Ai generated imitations.
• Francesca Velicu is leaving The Royal Ballet to join London City Ballet.
• Wireless Festival, a big music and dance event in London due to happen in July, was cancelled after the UK government denied entry to its headline act Ye.
• Inclusive dance company Stopgap is among seven nominees for the second Rose International Dance Prize at Sadler’s Wells.
• Graham Watts announced the nominations for the 2025 National Dance Awards. The winners will be announced on the 15th of June.
• Fabian Aloise won the Olivier Award for Best Choreography for his work on “Evita”.
• Karen Hauer will perform in the comedy “Stepping Out” as dance teacher Mavis. The show will play at the Devonshire Park theatre in Eastbourne from the 13th to the 29th of August.
• “Sinatra The Musical” has announced its full West End cast. The choreography is by Kathleen Marshall and Lee Meadows, with dance arrangements by David Chase. The dance captain is Alexander Day with Christina Shand as assistant dance captain. The show opens on the 3rd of June.
• The complete cast has been revealed for “High Society”. The show stars Helen George, Felicity Kendall and Freddie Fox and has choreography by Anthony Van Laast. It will open on the 19th of May.
• The full cast for “Jesus Christ Superstar” at the London Palladium has been announced. The show has choreography by Drew McOnie and will run from the 20th of June until the 5th of September.

Future Dance Events News

• London City Ballet has announced the full touring details for its 2026 season, marking the company’s third year under artistic director Christopher Marney.
• 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 show “Notre Dame de Paris” is auditioning for dancers in Paris in June. For more information contact: ndpauditionsdance@outlook.com
• Stage Fever Productions are looking for dancers. For more information: stagefevercastings@gmail.com
• 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.
• 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.
• 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

Dance Classes

• Lowri Beth Evans has a commercial / latin class at the J1 Studios in Cardiff on the 19th of May from 6.30 – 7.30 pm.
• Tracey Iliffe has a Parisian Showgirl class on the 19th of May at Pineapple Dance Studios in London. You can book on the Pineapple app.
• Steven McRae and Anna Rose O’Sullivan have a masterclass at the Royal Opera House on the 6th of June from 2.30 – 6.00 pm. You can book on the Instagram page for Vanessa Fenton Masterclasses.
• Monique Jonas has a Movement and Choreography Spring Residency from the 4th – 8th of May.
• 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

• Lin-Manual Miranda’s next project will be a film adaptation of Dave Malloy’s musical “Octet”.
• We spotted Eva Francis in the new movie “Fuze”.
• We spotted Tommy Franzen dancing on “The Masked Singer” in Sweden.

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.