Flawless interview for Stage School

22 September 2017

Flawless are: Toby, Swoosh, Dom, Oddey, Gilly, Riz & Big Chris (Bounce).

 

 

So, tell me, why did you want to get involved in filming for Stage School?

Swoosh: I think one of the key things is, it’s all about reinventing yourself every year, and we always do that, tapping into a new audience, new generations out at the moment. Our last big thing with the public that people recognised was Street Dance 3D the movie, and Britain’s Got Talent. So I think now, moving forward with the times, we’re just tapping into a new audience so this is kind of a perfect opportunity to do that.

 

Did any of you go to stage school?

Gilly: Yes, I went to Italia Conti and then I attended Brit for a short amount of time.

 

How was that?

Gilly: It was good actually. I got my foundations from Italia Conti which is great and going to Brit was just a stepping stone where I kind of realised I wanted to do it. Unfortunately I didn’t finish it just because I went down the dancer’s route of booking, so I was lucky enough to start gaining work and opportunities from an early age, and I went with my gut… and now I’m here with you!

 

Tell me about today?

Swoosh: Today we have been doing a piece, a group piece, and it’s based on encouraging the students from D&B to just kind of realise what stages and levels there are out there in the industry, and just kind of giving them that preparation, that pep talk.

 

How have you found today?

Chris: It’s been challenging. Because whenever you’re filming, it’s always gonna be take after take. It’s kind brought us back to the Street Dance days - take after take, after take, and the body’s like ‘I got this, I can do this!’ I hope they’re ready because this- these are the things they’re gonna be up against when they leave school and start getting into the industry so it’s not a walk in the park, it’s going to be very hard. But rewarding at the same time.

 

Any tips for other young people wanting to audition for dance jobs in the future?

Chris: There’s this saying I was told once and it’s right there stuck in my head. It’s called D-A-C. It’s like: Decide, Act and then Commit. So, decide what it is you wanna do, act upon it and then commit - see it through. So that’s what I would say to them, if this is what you wanna do, once you’ve decided you act on it, you commit and you see it all the way through.

 

Anyone else have any tips when it comes to auditions in particular?

Gilly: Commit. When you’re auditioning, it doesn’t mean that you’re gonna get it because you’re not good enough, so commit and - going back to what he said - every setback is a setup for a comeback, so just because you don’t get an audition that you want, there might be an audition next that you don’t even know that might be perfect for you. So just commit to auditions. It’s a lifestyle. The word ‘audition’ doesn’t mean ‘ah they’re gonna like you’, just try innit. Continue and commit.

 

Can you tell me what you said about a setback?

Gilly: If an audition you attend might not be yours, you might have an audition in like two weeks that you don’t even know is suited for you. Because I’ve got turned away from auditions because I didn’t have the right hair or the right look. My dancing was amazing. I’m sure everyone here has been in the position where they didn’t get something because of something that was out of their hands. That’s a part of auditions. As soon as you get through that, you’re good.

 

Toby: I’d say, for young dancers, when you step out into the industry, you should learn to have thick skin, because at some point you’re gonna hear something that you might not appreciate but it’s constructive criticism, and as long as you can take it as just that you should be able to pursue and just persevere onto the next thing. So that’s what I would have to say.

 

You came down the Britain’s Got Talent route, would you recommend this for anyone wanting to make it into the industry or do you advise the traditional stage school route?

Swoosh: I think just be a sponge and just absorb what’s around. I mean ​we were four years running as a company prior to Britain’s Got Talent, so Britain’s Got talent was just one of the few opportunities that was out there for us. And I think it’s just a case of now where dance is, it’s in a very, very good place because it’s exposed in so many places now and you have access to different schools across the UK where you can get training and what not, so you just have to apply yourself and just get in there.

 

Chris: I think every opportunity is a prospect that can lead you to something, so never hinder yourself or stop yourself from going forward or chasing something. So we chose to go on Britain’s Got Talent, because it was a platform, not necessarily because we’re going out there to win, simply just to get ourselves out there and say ‘okay this is us’ and okay we wanna do something for ourselves as well as our scene, our industry. Street dance has a lot more to offer rather than just what people already know about it. We wanna open people’s minds really as to what it is that you can actually take it to. Yeah I always say just take every opportunity as it comes, regardless of whether it’s small or big, like Gilly said, you never know where it’s gonna lead you to.

 

Gilly: And if it don’t work on Britain’s Got Talent, it doesn’t mean it’s it…

 

Chris: It’s not the be all and end all.

 

Gilly: Yeah, exactly. Because you can make it without Britain’s Got Talent. That is a definite.

 

Swoosh: That is a very good point because at the moment now when we encounter when we do workshops across the UK or abroad, we find dancers that know us from that show or know us from the films and kind of think ‘okay well if I do that then I’m gonna be doing what you’re doing’. And really you’re laying it as your own lane, you know what I mean, and it doesn’t mean that you need to do a reality show to become successful.

 

Chris: There’s a slogan: ‘chase the dream, not the competition’ and it says it all, it’s not just about the competition, it’s about knowing what it is your dream is and this is where I’m going. You stay on your lane, your path, you don’t need to necessarily be chasing everyone else’s paths because we all have different journeys.

 

Dom: I’d say patience as well. Because a lot of people go into shows thinking everything’s gonna happen over by night, so sometimes you’ve got to be patient and wait for your time to come, because everyone’s time is different, and also have your mind set on certain things. Some people think that just going on a reality TV show, they’re gonna make it. But you have to take your time and the same thing happened with us, we was patient and then the timing was right and then we went on there and then that was a good platform for us at that time. Here we are, still here. I like that!

 

 

Piers Morgan said at the time that Flawless should’ve won and Diversity were lucky, what did you think about that?

Swoosh: Do you know what, to be honest with you, like Bounce said, chase the dream not the competition and I think we went in there and when we did our first audition, that was when we felt like we won because you know, we had been recognised in the UK from countless amount of years for being in the industry and having that experience individually, we were working with different artists, we were doing music videos, we were choreographing and directing stuff. And as a collective, that was the first time you had seen a crew had done something we had done and so I think the message behind our story on Britain’s Got Talent is so much more bigger than what the scene is now. I think we’ve had that effect on how dancers become so big, you know, and it was a pleasure to have both us and Diversity on the show because it was two different groups.

 

Chris: We saw it as a win because I was seeing it get a lot more respect than it used to have. So, the way we saw it, we all contributed, not just us, but Diversity as well. Everybody that was on that show contributed from a dance perspective. We represented our industry.

 

Swoosh: And I think that you know, for those who might go into a show, and not win, I think that we’re a testimony to say that you don’t have to go and win a competition to make success or live your dream, so to speak. So, it’s kind of like, you know, when you win Britain’s Got Talent, you win a bit of money and you get the opportunity to perform in front of the Queen. And we didn’t win Britain’s Got Talent but we are making a bit of money and we have done performances for the Queen.

 

Chris: Says it all! It’s a testimony like you said, when you stay in your lane, you never know. They went this way, we went around the long way but we still ended up in the same place, you know.

 

Have you been watching Britain’s Got Talent?

Swoosh: Not really. You might get the odd share on the instagram, you might see the odd video pop up here and there on YouTube or something like that, but not as in religiously ‘I need to see what’s going on next’ no, no, no.

 

What’s been your career highlight?

Swoosh: One I would say is doing our own shows and selling them out. That’s been incredible. Recently we wa​s in Hong Kong and doing our own show which was amazing. I think it’s being able to do what you do, and people come and appreciate and be inspired by what you do.

 

Chris: I think Street Dance definitely. To be a part of something like that, the first ever UK street dance film, like not just one but two of them!

 

Swoosh: First dance 3d movie as well!

 

Chris: I don’t think we can ever forget that one.

 

Gilly: My highlight was - we were talking about this today and I wasn’t even in the group. My highlight for this group still today is when they beat USA in the championships! And I was watching and I was like ‘yeaaaah!’ I was proud to be British then.

 

 

So, Flawless beat America in a dance competition?

Swoosh: So it was basically, there was a competition at the Wembley conference centre which is now closed down and it was USA versus UK basically and we was the UK representatives and it wasn’t an easy competition but we took the trophy home! They had to fly it from America as well! So we literally took their trophy and it’s literally as big as me when you see the trophy.

 

Chris: There was no way we were letting them go.

 

Swoosh: But yeah that was definitely a memorable moment.

 

Dom: There’s quite a few. What was it, on diamond jubilee? That was special. There were so many other parties as well. Olympics…

 

Swoosh: Paralympics.

 

Chris: That was crazy.

 

Gilly: MOBOS.

 

Dom: Stadium. Having your name lit across the stadium.

 

Swoosh: Don’t think you’ll ever forget that one.

 

That was at the paralympics?

 

Swoosh: Yeah, opening ceremony.

 

Dom: The Queen actually invited us over.

 

Swoosh: That was insane.

 

Stage School starts on Monday 25th September on E4 at 5:30pm