Courtney Act the first drag performer to compete on Dancing With The Stars
Courtney Act will next month become the first drag performer to compete on any series of Dancing With The Stars in the world. She’s had huge success in reality TV and she believes she has an advantage compared to other contestant.
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Courtney Act will next month become the first drag performer to compete on any series of Dancing With The Stars in the world.
Having won Celebrity Big Brother in the UK, the drag persona of Shane Jenek will compete against 10 other celebrities on the newly revamped Australian version of the dancing show.
“It is the first time anywhere in the world,” Jenek said.
“It is funny that it has taken this long I suppose. I am just as excited for people to see the rehearsals as much as the performances because our brains are so conditioned to see a man and a woman dance.”
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Act is in the third week of training for the show that will launch on February 18 on Ten.
She rose to fame as a contestant on the first season of Australian Idol in 2004 and went on to make a name for herself internationally on Ru Paul’s Drag Race.
Her DWTS competition includes former Biggest Loser trainer Michelle Bridges, comedian Denise Scott, chef Miguel Maestre, Karl Stefanovic’s ex wife Cassandra Thorburn and actor Olympia Valance.
While she will be performing in drag, Jenek is hoping to take to the dance floor as himself during the competition. Italy was last year the first country to have a same sex dance couple on a Dancing series.
“I just think it will be fun to throw one in the mix,” he said.
“To have people at home wanting to see Shane and Josh dance together would sort of validate making this decision.”
Also competing on the show are retired cricketer Curtly Ambrose, actor Samuel Johnson, lifesaver Jett Kenny and blogger Constance Hall.
Given Jenek’s many years of experience as a singer and dancer, he concedes he may have some advantage over his competitors.
“It is a very different kind of dance though,” he said. “I do have an advantage in that I am a performer but lets cast our minds back to when Nikki Webster won and she has a dance school named after her so if it is good enough for Nikki Webster, it is good enough for me.”
Originally published as Courtney Act the first drag performer to compete on Dancing With The Stars
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