Style: Hoofing/Tap
Members: Lee Payne, 35
Hometown: Worthing
Professional tap dancer Lee Payne has been dancing for years and wants to raise the profile of his style of tap - hoofing. He began dancing at the age of 4 after seeing a performance on the TV by the Nicholas Brothers, a famous pair of African American tap dancers.
While he didn’t like his early dancing experiences, he admits “I was the only male in the class so it made it okay”. Lee respects all of the judges, but hopes to impress Adam the most because he “will get what I’m doing”.
Lee has a black belt in Taekwondo and has even trained as a stunt man. So does this action man and hoofing hero have what it takes to win Got To Dance and the £250,000?
Question & Answer:
Q: Describe your act in three words?
A: You’ll always smile
Q: If you could dance with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be?
A: Gregory Hines – because he was one of the most amazing innovators of tap dance, crossing over from old style to new style, a genius.
Q: What would winning Got To Dance and £250,000 mean to you?
It would mean a fresh start. I could help my Mum, build a life for my two girls and open up commercial dancing opportunities.
What the Judges said at the audition:
ADAM: Gold
You’re awesome. Obviously from one hoofer to another, you sum up tap for me.
KIMBERLY: Gold
So extremely impressive, so amazing to watch. Hoofing is my favourite type of tap.
ASHLEY: Gold
When someone’s so good, you stop watching their feet and just watch.
