Matt Flint is the UKโs favourite dancer. He won the second and last series of the BBCโs So You Think You Can Dance programme, wowing millions of viewers and the judges with his Billy Elliot inspired story.
This month, Matt will be hosting at the ‘Move It’ event at London Olympia between the 8th and 10th of March, so you had better get your ballet pumps on now if you want to meet him in person.
TGUK: So! Where are you from, Matt?
Matt: Iโm from Scarborough in Yorkshire (laughing) but it feels like Iโm from London. Iโve lived here more than I lived in Scarborough now. I moved to London when I was 16, Iโm 31 now so Iโm getting to the halfway point
TGUK: Oh my goodness me! So where did you train?
Matt: I went to a college called Lane Theatre Arts. Itโs a theatre college and I went there at 16 getting ready to face the Big Bad World.
TGUK: So what was your first dance job?
Matt: Well whilst at Lanes I dabbled in some things, but my biggest gig when I left was when I went on tour with โDisneyโs Beauty and the Beastโ. For their UK tour. I was a spatula in that.
TGUK: Thatโs terribly camp! Undoubtedly thatโs a defining moment in your career?
Matt: (laughs) Yes! Oh God, some of them you try and forget about. Iโve had more than a few of them in my life, definitely. Well you just find yourself in a costume, youโre like โWhat am I doing?โ I mean I remember once about 8 years ago I was out of work and I was doing a little promotion gig as a banana, I thought what the f**k am I doing (laughing)
Being dressed as a banana was a low point, but luckily a lot of my jobs have been quite high profile. Iโve been lucky
TGUK: Yeah, any major choreographers that youโd like to work with, or any individuals or troops in particular?
Matt: Iโve worked with most of them, actually one who Iโve not worked with Wade Robson, Heโs an American, heโs based in L.A and heโs brilliant! Iโve worked a lot with Matthew Born quite a lot; we worked on โThe Nutcrackerโ and a couple of other shows. I toured America, Asia and Australia with him for a year and a half
TGUK: How does it feel to be Britainโs favourite dancer? Itโs a bit of a mantle isnโt it?
Matt: Itโs a funny feeling actually. Iโm gutted that itโs over. But then having the titles to keep forever is kind of cool.
TGUK: Nobody is going to steal your crown! Was it a good experience though
Matt: That process was just phenomenal to be honest as a dancer thereโs no other thing in the world where you get challenged, quite as much. The pressure is really on. To be put on that kind of platform, to be tested like that you canโt beat it really. I mean itโs a bit of a phenomenon really when youโve got these reality TV shows because itโs an instant gauge. You can see what the audience are thinking of you instantly, not only are they voting for you but like if you go onto Twitter or something like that immediately after you can see what they were saying.
TGUK – Did that kind of surprise you, or shock you? Or were you kind of prepared for that?
Matt: Well what I will say, is I did the competition when I was 29. I think if Iโd have done it a 19 Iโd have handled things very differently. I think I was wise to it to know that if youโre going to be on a reality show and take the good stuff, youโre going to take the bad stuff as well. Because thereโs always going to be people sat at home on their computer saying โHe was really sh**โ.
TGUK: Tell me, thereโs a whole host of reality TV shows your doors could be opened to. If you had your pick of them, which one would you like to do next?
Matt: I choreograph for Strictly Come Dancing, and thatโs probably the one Iโd have picked anyway! I got asked to do Britainโs Got Talent to start submitting troops and stuff. They donโt really appeal to me too much. I donโt think thereโs room in the market for them.
Matt: No Iโm straight. But the dance world has always been very gay. I think itโs changed a little bit in recent years. I mean I think first of all itโs not acceptable really for a young lad. Well it wasnโt anyway a few years ago. Because itโs quite a feminine thing really. Dance is just a massive way of expressing yourself. Gay people love to express themselves (laughing) although if you go into musical theater’s nowadays itโs kind of like 50/50 I reckon
TGUK: Do you think that something like Billy Elliot has kind of helped that because heโs not gay. Do you think something like that kind of paved the way for kind of 12 year old boys to think actually I could do this?
Matt: Yeah I think so. I also think that shows like So You Think You Can Dance help. For example the amount of messages I got when I was on it from young lads saying โYouโve really given me confidence!โ says a lot about the industry now.
TGUK: So tell us a little bit about โMove Itโ and what it entails for you. What are you going to be doing?
Matt: Iโve been involved in move it every year for the last 8 years and this year Iโm going to be presenting the main stage. Itโs going to be hosting the event basically. Iโve presented the Olympics; I worked on the gymnastics so Iโve had a bit of experience with it
TGUK: How do you find the presenting? Are you comfortable presenting or do you prefer keeping the dance shoes on?
Matt: I find it like harder. The dancing is second nature becomes naturally. I have to work to get a result in presenting, for example, The Olympics, I had to really research everything about the sport and what was going on elsewhere. Whereas I think Move It will be a lot easier because Iโm introducing acts, and know about already its installed in me itโs going to be a lot more easier than the Olympics I think
TGUK: Thereโs some good names on the bill for the Move It. Is there any particular one that youโre really looking forward to kind of getting to know a bit better or watch?
Matt: Yeah Darcy Bussellโs there itโs going to be great for the classic world.
I love Move It. For me itโs a fantastic kind of 2 days where everyone comes together. Like 22,000 people come. Like every genre, every age. If youโre a dancer you kind of have to be there.
There you have it! Catch Matt, Kimberley Wyatt and Darcey Bussell at MOVE IT 2013, search google for MOVE IT 2013