Flavia Cacace is a celebrity talent known all over the country for her sensational dancing showcased in the popular TV programme, Strictly Come Dancing. Having spent nearly her entire life practising her art, Flavia is an excellent choice for an inspiring and knowledgeable guest or after dinner speaker.
Cacace was born in Naples, Italy as the youngest of six children. Her father moved the family to the U.K. when she was four years old and, after they had settled in, her mother insisted that all of the Cacace children take up an activity. For Flavia and her eldest sister, this was attending a local ballroom dancing class.
Flavia commented that she “started dancing thanks to my mother whose ambition, if she had been allowed, was to be a dancer.” She also stated that the dance school, based in Guildford, was “a very good ballroom and Latin dance studio [and] many couples travelled from all over the world to have lessons there.” It was here that Cacace began to develop her skill and passion for the much-loved dance form for couples and, incidentally, was where she met her future dance partner Vincent Simone.
Vincent has been Cacace’s partner since 1994, and together as ‘Vincent and Flavia’, they have received multiple accolades, such as becoming champions of the UK Professional Ten Dance Championships from 2002–2006, the UK Professional Showdance Championships from 2003–2006, winning the 2006 UK Argentine Tango Championships and holding the title of UK Ballroom Champions.
Flavia is perhaps best know though for her prominent role on BBC’s astronomically successful Strictly Come Dancing. Flavia and Vincent were of the professional pairs who would perform on the show as well as conducting coaching; an example being coaching contestants for the third series of the television show, Argentine Tango. Flavia has performed with many celebrities during her time on Strictly, and was officially paired with the likes of Terry Wogan, Jimi Mistry and Phil Daniels.
Perhaps one of her most memorable pairings was in the fifth series of the show, with Eastenders star Matt Di Angelo. The couple achieved the only perfect score on record, receiving four 10’s for their waltz in the final, where they eventually took second prize, just missing out to Alesha Dixon and her professional partner Matthew Cutler.Additionally, Flavia and her partner Vincent also participated in the Christmas specials and popular live tours of the show, including the UK tour of Strictly Come Dancing – The Professionals at the beginning of 2010.
While still appearing on Strictly Come Dancing, Flavia and Vincent embarked on ventures that would make their art form more readily accessible to the public. This included creating several video volumes of teaching dance, covering such styles as their trademark Argentine tango, as well as others including the Tango Waltz and Milonga. In conjunction with this, the pair also released a free dance tutorial app currently available on iTunes entitled Dance with Vincent and Flavia which deals with both basic ballroom dancing steps and progressively more advanced moves.
In 2013, Cacace departed from Strictly Come Dancing with Vincent, stating that it had been ‘incredible and unforgettable’, but that they had decided to focus on new projects. Before leaving the show, the pair had appeared in the sell-out show Midnight Tango, produced by ex-Strictly judge Arlene Philips. The showcase was described as combined “dazzling choreography with intoxicating Tango rhythms” and was pronounced “a triumph” by the Daily Telegraph.
Dance Til’ Dawn premiered in 2014 at the Aldwych Theatre and was inspired by the glitzy opulence of the Golden Age of Hollywood. It was met with great acclaim, with What’s on Stage claiming that “It…take[s] your breath away.” Flavia’s most recent venture is again taken alongside Vincent in the show The Last Tango, which will see them tour throughout 2015 and 2016 on their final ever theatre tour. However, even though her ballroom dancing days may soon be behind her, the future remains bright for this exceptional star.
Enquire about Flavia Cacace here through the MN2S Talent Agency.