Flavia Cacace's blog by Flavia_Cacace

After about 4 weeks of rehearsals for Midnight Tango, opening night at the Aldwych is upon us. The last 2 weeks have been really hard, technical rehearsals run from 10 in the morning to 10 in the evening and are quite draining. These “tech runs” as we call them are essential, because they give everyone the necessary time to get all aspects of the show perfect for when we officially open. Everything including costume/lighting/sound and our own performances have to be perfect and you have to keep working at it so it’s the best it can be. We also have what’s called “preview week” which means that we have been performing the show to paying audiences every night but making slight changes along the way. Our director Karen Bruce watches the show and gives us notes and we keep trying new things out to get the show running smoothly.

This may mean making only minor adjustments, which can be quite hard to remember sometimes, but these changes can make a big difference. The audiences in the preview week were wonderful and we have all been looking forward to opening night and getting the show on. After opening night the work load for all of us should be a bit lighter. Intensive rehearsals should ease off and we should have more time to rest and recuperate our tired limbs! Talking of which, I had the most amazing Thai Yoga massage at the weekend. I haven’t had one before and to be honest wasn’t sure what it was, but it was one of the best things I’ve had. It’s a deep tissue massage but with a lot of manipulation and stretching, so I was being pulled all over the place.

At the end of the session they work on all your energy points which really worked. The next day I felt re-energized for the week ahead and will be definitely be booking one of these every week. Also my other half Jimi has been keeping the whole cast going on double show days with some homemade treats. We’ve had flapjacks, chocolate brownies and ginger biscuits and we’ve started to call them Mistry’s mystery bakes. I just hope he manages to keep up the good work! As well as rehearsals we’ve been doing lots of press for the show like radio and TV. We also recorded The Alan Titchmarsh Show a couple of days ago, which will be aired on the 13th March.

Also one thing I want to say is big congratulations to my Strictly dance partner Russell Grant. Yes my Mama Rose will be starring in The Wizard Of Oz in the West End from mid Feb. I am so pleased for him and he has done ever so well. His big dream was to go back to musical theatre and that’s exactly what he’s doing. He always used to say to me that one day he wanted us both to be starring together in the West End. Well now we are and just around the corner from each other, how amazing is that?! See you soon. Love FC xx

Hello and a belated Happy New Year. It’s been a while since I last blogged and so much has happened in such a short space of time. Straight after Strictly finished (big congrats to Harry and Aliona, much deserved) I went straight into rehearsals for Midnight Tango, which was a bit of a whirlwind. I managed to have some time off to enjoy Christmas, which was very chilled and saw the New Year in by watching the fireworks over London, which were amazing!! Russell and I were lucky enough to be asked to take part in the New Years Day’s parade through London. Although the weather wasn’t the best, we had a really good time and it didn’t seem to put off the thousands of people who turned up to celebrate the start of 2012.

Talking of which I honestly can’t believe 2011 is over. What with our tour and Strictly, it seemed to fly by and I’m really excited about the upcoming year. Of course everything is about Midnight Tango for me at the moment; we have all been working extra hard over the past few weeks as our first preview at the Aldwych theatre!!! Ahhhh!! What excites me so much about the show this year, is that we have all put in so much effort to make it the best possible show it can be. For those of you who managed to see it last year I think this year’s show will be even better. We also have some new faces in the cast and I don’t think you will be disappointed as they are all fabulous dancers.

I can’t quite believe Vincent and I are about to open in the West End with our own show, it’s a bit like a dream really. People always say that “you never know one day we may see your name up in lights” and now it is! I feel very proud of all the hard work that has gone into to making this dream possible. Hard work it certainly is and all of the cast are feeling it. I don’t think I’ve ever felt as exhausted as I do at the moment. The week before opening a show is full of long days, tech runs, dress runs, rehearsals and aching limbs. It’s a real workout on the body and mind and I have to be very careful about what I eat and how I conserve energy. I eat lots of fruit like bananas, apples and oranges, which are loaded with Vitamin C, as well as good carbs that give me quick energy.

In the morning I’ve found porridge or yoghurt is a must, as they are both full of minerals and have a high protein count that keeps me going for longer. Last but certainly not least, there’s my favourite, Endamane beans. They are a fantastic pick me up and are full of nutrients that not only give you a boost in energy, but help keep the spirits high. Also drinking plenty of water helps. I have managed to fit in the odd flapjack too however, which are good for sugar levels!! And another thing that I also use to supplement my diet is Maximuscle Viper/recovery energy drink and my Maxitone definity bars to snack on. Well it’s back to work for me now. If you want to check dates and performance times of the show and tour, check the website. Wishing you all a great week ahead. F x

Well as the saying goes “All good things must come to an end”, but I also feel that this is only the beginning and out of this year’s experience they’ll be a whole host of even greater opportunities. I feel very lucky that my experience on Strictly this year has been so fulfilling. Both as a dancer and choreographer, I've been able to push my imagination and boundaries to an extreme, although luckily the BBC kept some of my ideas under control, or maybe not (Lol)! What a show Wembley was!!! The biggest in Strictly history and I am so pleased to have been a part of it. As Len said I think our dance especially Russell’s entrance will never be forgotten and in some ways was the perfect exit for us.

I cannot decide which was my favourite dance. I actually think I loved them all, that's probably because Russell was such a delight as a dance partner. We were on such the same wavelength with regard to music which we loved and the ideas I came up with, were embellished by Russell in his own unique way. It's emotional to think back at our 8 unique dances, and unbelievable to think we managed to put them together in such a short number of days considering all the travelling to Wales and back. I have to say that I believe part of our success was probably the down to fact that we trained in such an inspirational place, so full of beauty and so peaceful and far from the chaos of the BBC studio.

The Memorial Hall was perfect for us and we had the most wonderful supportive and helpful people around us. I have to mention Myra who was just a delight, like a little like Mary Poppins, and any props we needed she would provide and it made such a difference. I'm normally very critical of what I do and always think that I could have done better sometimes. But I have to say and this is a first, I'm so happy at the way I tackled our partnership, it was very clear in my head from the beginning where I wanted us to go. And I feel that I managed to balance entertainment with actual dance skills, which is not always the easiest thing to do.

We even got a credit in the 'Dancing Times' which is a very credible dance magazine and which I'm very proud of. It said something along the lines of 'Russell and Flavia great entertainment without sacrificing the dance'. Russell and I never had a dull moment, so many giggles, I loved the fact he found me so funny and I often had him in stiches. Even when things were stressful and we were so tired, we never had a bad word to say to each other. We were supporting each other all the way. We did have hard times as everyone does during the show especially with Russell's knee and not knowing if we could continue. He was such a star and what got him through it in the end was his own will power and love of what he was doing. It's been a totally memorable experience I will never forget and hopefully people will look back in years to come and it will continue putting a smile on their faces. I know I’ll be smiling whenever I think back.

Russell is a very talented performer and has such a way with people. He is loveable and genuinely kind and always ready to help, and I'm so lucky because he's my friend forever. He is being inundated with offers left right and centre and rightly so. There are so many exciting projects that hopefully we will both be involved in together in the future, so watch this space. I have to say a huge thank you to all the supporters out there who have given us the confidence to continue week after week. Even those who were slightly reluctant to begin with but changed their minds as the show went on. A special thank you to those (you know who you are) who set up Team Flavant so early on and believed in us before we had even started. And of course the Flavettes for their continued love and support. It means so much to me and for each and every one of you for tweeting, emailing messages full of sweet and appreciative words. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Last but not least I could not have done it without the support of my family and Jimi who have lived the whole experience with me. The competition is hot now and we will all have to wait and see how things develop with only 4 weeks left. But I'll be back a week on Saturday with the other pros and Team Flavant will see you all again for the final in Blackpool. Midnight Tango is just around the corner and I cannot wait to get stuck in. And I'm looking forward to Mama Rose coming to watch.....I will be nervous.... Thank you all again and enjoy the rest of the series. FC xxxxxx

Hello again, what a week! Monday turned out to be another 'terrible Monday'. An early wake-up call at 6am, then 7am pick up for pro rehearsals 9 till 11.30. So far so good. Then the adventure begins.... The crew Oli and James were driving up, so they came by at 11.30 to pick me up and head to Snowdonia, we thought for a 4.30/5pm arrival for training. They had a problem with one of the microphones and so we had to head back to the BBC to exchange it for a new one. We left London at 12pm still happy we'd get there, but I’m not going to re-live the memory of that journey, but all I'll say is we arrived in Snowdonia at 9.35pm.......!

I had a sore bum and back and was feeling terrible that we had missed training on a Monday. But I was more upset for the families and loved ones and those who had been involved in the crashes along the way, so my worries seemed minimal in comparison. Tuesday was a fab day, I do so love the song we have this week. I can't seem to get enough of it. Russell, of course loves it and my main problem has been trying to stop him singing and get him to concentrate on his dancing. I've given 'Mama Rose' several names over our time on Strictly; 'arrogrant', 'Sergei' and this week it's 'Speedy Gonzales'. You won't believe it but even though it's a quickstep type American Smooth, he speeds off even faster than he needs to - LOL xxx. It's fab.

Wednesday morning was our VT recording which took about 2 hrs or so, but I think it will be quite a funny one. Then off to training until 6pm and then luckily a quicker 5 hr journey back down to London. Then up nice and early on Thursday to meet Vin to choreograph a special number we were recording today in Trafalgar Square for Silence in the Park, which was a special event for Remembrance Day. Then another rehearsal with Mama Rose, which went very well and then on to It Takes 2. The feedback for the Paso last week was amazing from you all. I have to say that I normally don't watch dances back straight away, but I did watch Saturday's and I laughed so much, even though I'd seen it up close so many times. I think when anyone is feeling low, you know what to watch to bring a smile back. Hoping you all love our American Smooth this Saturday, we've worked hard and will give it our all. Lots of love FC xxx