Enjoying Vegas: After Hours: Strictly legends Pasha Kovalev, left, Brendan Cole, Vincent Simone, Ian Waite and James Jordan
STRICTLY Come Dancing legends Brendan Cole, James Jordan, Pasha Kovalev, Vincent Simone and Ian Waite are on the road again, this time with Vegas: After Hours.
York Barbican awaits on November 4, after playing host to The Return Of The Legends on September 20 last year.
The terpsichorean quintet is promising “a breathtaking brand new show that captures all the glitz, glamour and excitement of Las Vegas, where the dance floor never sleeps”, bringing the spirit of Sin City to York in the company of their female dance partners.
Expect “stunning routines and non-stop entertainment, all set to a soundtrack inspired by the greatest Las Vegas performers of all time”. “Neon lights and electric nights, roulette tables spinning, glamorous showgirls, dazzling casinos, desert sunsets, lavish pool parties, whirlwind weddings, iconic hotels and world-class entertainment, Vegas: After Hours captures it all in one unforgettable evening,” promise Brendan and co.
“Anyone who saw our last two shows will tell you that a Vegas-themed show is the perfect next step for us,” says Brendan of the 31-date tour that runs from October 3 to November 8. “We are the Rat Pack of dance and we’re going to have a Vegas-style party. It’s going to be a riot.”
James Jordan says: “We spent the last two years proving to everyone that we’ve still got it, so as long as my body holds up, I look forward to bringing our most dazzling dance spectacular yet, with my brothers in dance, to audiences across the UK.”
Called to the bar: The Legends raise a glass to their Vegas: After Hours tour as Brendan Cole, left, James Jordan, Ian Waite, Pasha Kovalev and Vincent Simone prepare to turn York Barbican into a dancefloor. Picture: Ryan Howard
Russian Latin and ballroom dancer Pasha Kovalev exclaims: “Vegas, baby! The Legends shows have been such a blast, but I’ve got a feeling Vegas: After Hours is going to top them all!”
Vincent Simone says: “As if I haven’t got myself into enough trouble every single night of our last two tours together, our brand new show is inspired by Sin City. What could possibly go wrong? I can’t wait for everybody to find out!”
Ian Waite enthuses: “After having an absolute blast on tour with the guys, it’s now all about Vegas: After Hours for 2026. Maximum glitz, maximum glamour. I’m already there.”
One of the original professional dancers on Strictly Come Dancing in 2004, New Zealander Brendan appeared in every Strictly season until 2017, winning the coveted Glitterball trophy in the first series with celebrity partner Natasha Kaplinsky and later partnering presenter and actress Kelly Brook, supermodel Rachel Hunter and singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor, among others.
Now he feels happier than ever on the dance floor at 50. “There’s a maturity that comes with it now,” he says. “I was a better dancer 20 years ago, slicker, faster, but I prefer how I dance now. Looking back, it was bl**dy good, if I don’t mind saying so myself, but now there’s an ease and beauty that my dancing didn’t have then.”
Whether in Legends Of The Dance Floor in 2024, The Return Of The Legends last year or Vegas: After Hours now, Brendan loves the camaraderie of the Strictly five. “We try to be a bit naughty, not too naughty, well, a little bit too naughty! We’re five I’d-like-to-say grown men, but we’re more like children!” he says.
“Audiences are enjoying it, we’ve been enjoying it, and we’ve been doing it for three years now, finding our feet again in the first few days of rehearsals. “
The tour poster for The Legends in Vegas: After Hours
Did he expect The Legends concept to succeed? “I was concerned at first, especially because egos can be huge,” says Brendan. “Our producer, Stephen Howard, came to us with the idea, after my wife first suggested ten years ago that we should get together, but at that time I said it would never work, but now we’re more mature in age, if not in mind, and we no longer have those egos.
“It was like we’d never been apart, mucking about again! The camaraderie was there, the chemistry was right – and it was an intangible feeling too.”
The Legends shows are directed and choreographed by Scott Coldwell. “He was new to the five of us, but he’s been on the scene for a while and he’s a fantastic dancer with a great vision,” says Brendan. “It’s not often you get five egos like ours that get together and give the choreography to someone else, and there may be bits thrown in where you think ‘I don’t want to do this’, but there’s no ‘I’ in team.
“We get it that it’s about being a greater show for Scott wanting to make us all look as good as we can be – and in some ways the girls are the stars of the show as dancers that we’ve each worked with over the years.”
Explaining the Vegas: After Hours title, Brendan says “After Hours” does not mean “being naked or effing and blinding”: “We’re five naughty boys just wanting to make a great theatre show for Strictly fans. It’s elegant with fun numbers too with a great combination of things that you liked about the old Strictly.”
Brendan Cole, James Jordan, Pasha Kovalev, Vincent Simone and Ian Waite in The Legends in Vegas: After Hours, York Barbican, November 4, 7.30pm. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk or via legendsofthedancefloor.com.