They're familiar to us all through their work on BBC TV's Strictly Come Dancing, and now dancers Robin Windsor and Kristina Rihanoff are inviting us all to Dance to the Music across the region. Rachel Banham spoke to them both.

Eastern Daily Press: Former Strictly Come Dancing pro-dancer Oksana Platero is also in Dance to the Music alongside her husband Jonathan. Picture Archant.Former Strictly Come Dancing pro-dancer Oksana Platero is also in Dance to the Music alongside her husband Jonathan. Picture Archant. (Image: Archant)

With its wide range of dance styles, Dance to the Music is set to appeal to all ages and tastes when it comes to East Anglia.

The show is at King's Lynn Corn Exchange on January 15 and The Apex, Bury St Edmunds, on February 4.

It sees Kristina Rihanoff once again team up with her former professional dance partner, Robin Windsor, who starred on BBC TV's Strictly Come Dancing for some years. And it offers audiences across the region something a little bit different.

Robin says: 'Most of the current Strictly shows that are on the road at the moment are just focussed on ballroom and Latin dancing, whereas this is such an array of genres of different styles of dance which make it a lot more interesting for the public to come and see.'

Theatregoers will experience the evolution of dance through musical eras, starting from the roaring 1920s, with tap and Charleston, going through every decade of dance crazes up to modern day ballroom and Latin.

Argentine tango, lindy hop, jive, rock-n-roll, funk, waltz, disco, breakdancing, street, contemporary ballet and salsa are just a few of the styles included. And Robin enjoys them all.

'I love all kinds of dance, really, as a performer,' he says.

'Since I was a little boy I've loved moving to music. I've never really minded what sort of music it was. And I will dance to anything - and I actually love all of them.'

He adds: 'It's amazing dancing with Kristina. Of course, we partnered each other for six years on Strictly and we have like a brother and sister relationship. We get on so well.

'She took a break to have her little girl and we are now dancing together again. And it's amazing. It's like riding a bicycle – as soon as we touch hands again the magic is there.

'Ballroom dancing is unique to any other form of dance because we are two people who dance as one across a ballroom floor. It's all about leading and the following between one another and we seem to have the perfect partnership for that.'

Also gracing the Dance to the Music stage is Oksana Platero, who partnered Judge Rinder on Series 14 of Strictly. Oksana's husband Jonathan Platero joins the cast too.

Singer Chris Maloney, a finalist on The X Factor, and singer/songwriter Beth Sherburn will also perform.

As a local lad, Robin is looking forward to coming back to East Anglia.

'I'm an Ipswich boy, born and bred,' he says.

'I've recently been back to Ipswich because Suffolk University made me a doctor of the university. They gave me an honorary degree, which was absolutely fantastic, so I'll be back there much more to do a lot of work with the university.

'Probably my favourite place in Suffolk is my dance school which I grew up at, which is the Ipswich School of Dancing. Any free moment that I had I was there after school. While all the other kids were going out to play with their friends, I was at dance school. I was a little bit of a Billy Elliott.'

He adds: 'We always used to go to Great Yarmouth for our holidays when I was a kid, which I absolutely loved.

'Pleasurewood Hills was one of my favourite theme parks growing up, and I've performed in Norwich a few times at the Theatre Royal. Norwich is a great, great city.'

Robin looks back fondly on his time with Strictly Come Dancing.

'It was a great show to be part of,' he says.

'People think that I only left maybe last year or the year before that – but they don't realise it's been four years now.

'I stay in contact with everybody there. When you're on that show you become part of what they call the 'Strictly family'… everybody is so wonderful on the show.'

He adds: 'If ever they offered me the opportunity to go back I'd be there like a shot. Of course, I did have a big back injury which I had an operation on, but I'm fully recovered now.

'I've been doing eight shows a week in theatres around the country for the last two years and am back to a full bill of health and can't wait to get this Dance to the Music tour on the road.'

And Robin has the following message for those who have already booked tickets to see the show: 'I can guarantee that they won't be walking out of the theatre, they'll be dancing out of the theatre. And that's the way we love it!'

• This story was originally printed in the February edition with Let's Talk which is available to buy now.