Pictues: Strictly’s Shirley Ballas charms The Watermill with Dance of Death
Strictly’s very own Queen of Latin, Shirley Ballas, was an absolute delight as she lit up the stage of The Watermill theatre yesterday (Wednesday) when she was interviewed about her crime novel, Dance to the Death.
The first collaboration between The Hungerford Bookshop and The Watermill theatre, the ‘In Conversation’ event was hosted by the brilliant AJ West. It was a lively affair with more than 100 fans hanging on Shirley’s every word, no holds barred.
Honest, heart-warming and funny, she regaled the audience with tales of her working-class Liverpool upbringing, her fight to get to the top of the dance world, what Strictly means to her and, of course, the fun she has had writing her first two books.
“We were thrilled to find out that when Shirley wrote her autobiography, Behind the Sequins, she had to remove many stories that were too risqué or potentially libellous so she had the brilliant idea to write those stories as fiction,” said Janine Giovanni from Hungerford Bookshop.
“Her main character, Lily Richmond is very much based on Shirley and appears in both Murder on the Dancefloor and Dance to the Death. As Shirley teased the rapt audience when talking about the two stories – ‘did I witness it, did I partake in it or is it fiction?’ Judging by the long queue to get books signed at the end of the afternoon, we all wanted to find out!”
The event was organised as a fundraiser for the theatre.
Watermill development director Steph Dewar said: “It was a wonderful afternoon, hearing Shirley talk about her inspirational and turbulent rise to success, and about her new murder mystery book Dance to the Death.
“This is the second of Shirley’s novels, and is full of scandal, secrets and sparkle! With no question off-limits, Shirley delighted the audience by sharing some insights behind the Strictly glitter curtain, as well as talking frankly about her childhood and early career.
“This event was our first working in collaboration with Hungerford bookshop, and we hope this partnership will continue to grow. Fundraising events such as this are incredibly important to us as we continue to navigate a future with no statutory funding.
“Collaborating with independent creative organisations at the heart of the community is a great way for us to support each other and continue to deliver work that welcomes everyone to enjoy the magic of storytelling."
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30 Sep 2024 fundraising event with head judge and world Latin champion Shirley Ballas.Shirley Ballas (C) Blake Ezra…
