With twenty years professional dance experience under his belt, choreographer and director, Louie Spence (37) has trained at the best dance centres, and appeared in the West End’s most eminent musicals.
Louie made his professional dance foray when training at Italia Conti, the Bodyworks Studios and the London Studio Centre, leaving no dance discipline unturned. Since then he has appeared in the hit musicals Cats (as dance lead, Mister Mistoffelees), Miss Saigon (original cast), Bugsy Malone and the Pet Shop Boys' Closer To Heaven. Other pop ventures include concert appearances with Take That, E17, Boyzone, Bjork, and The Spice Girls. He now works as artistic director of London's world-famous Edit Agency, providing dancers for a raft of celebrities, including Kylie, Ja Rule, Mary J Blige, Emma Bunton, Will Young, Jamelia, and Rachel Stevens.
"After dancing professionally for almost 20 years it was time for me to give up, not quite knowing what I was going to do. I started working at the world famous Pineapple Dance Studios. Every day, I would see amazing young dancers who could not get work. This is when I decided to open Edit Agency. I had made many great contacts over the years, I knew I could help."
He is also currently involved in the third series of “Bump n' Grind”, the hugely successful teenage reality TV show on Sky’s Trouble channel. The show plucks the country’s finest new dance talent for a life-changing prize of a year’s contract with dance agency, AMCK.
Louie is passionate about his dance career and even as a choreographer, is strict about keeping himself in shape:
“Your body is your tool – you have to be in top physical shape. You just can’t let yourself go and obviously as a dancer people actually judge you on your physicality.”
Not only is Louie still flexible through dance training, but he was also a contortionist in his youth. He later developed his contortion skills and progressed to Circus Tumbling (floor gymnastics). Armed with a dance and gymnastic background, Louie feels that he can confidently critique our celebrities’ performances. With a sharp eye for detail as well as a hunger for showmanship in a performance, Louie is ready and waiting to be entertained.
Click here for next judge profile
|