Karen Hauer is Strictly Come Dancing's longest-standing professional, having spent 12 series on the iconic show. She has partnered with celebrities including Westlife's Nicky Byrne, The ‘Hairy Biker’ Dave Myers, Mark Wright, Jeremy Vine, Chris Ramsey, and Jamie Laing. Karen was also a finalist in So You Think You Can Dance USA and the principal female dancer in the original Broadway cast of Burn the Floor and subsequent World Tours. She was named 2008 World Mambo Champion. Following the success of Karen and Gorka's Firedance Karen is delighted to be returning to the stage in 2025 with Speakeasy, where she also takes on Associate Choreographer and Associate Creative Producer roles. We caught up with her to learn more.
Karen Hauer
Hi Karen, How are you?
I'm good. How are you?
I'm also very good. We are excited to hear you're back on the road. What's the secret to a good stage show?
Well, I guess for me it's all about the storyline and about the intentions that you have when it comes to putting the show together. You know, I feel like it's important to take the audience through a journey, you know, from the top of the show to the middle of the show to the end. There's a roller coaster of emotions that are always lovely to kind of put an audience through.
And at the same time, it has to be extremely entertaining and fun musically and visually, and the whole atmosphere of it all together, you know, should come together as a lovely package.
Firedance had amazing reviews. Was it hard to move on to a new show?
Yes, it was, because we loved it so much and it was our baby. It was the first show we had created, and we put our all into it. And, you know, we had no idea how it was going to go, and thankfully everybody received it with open arms. So it was hard to move away from that.
But now we have experience, and we know what we like to do, and we also know what it takes to make a really good show that people would love. And also what makes us tick as choreographers and also as creatives, and, you know, what our niche is. You know, we don't chat during our shows, or anything like that.
It's all about the narrative, the performance element, and our passion for dance. So taking that into consideration, all of that, you know, creating and putting Speakeasy together so far has been an absolute dream. And again, I think it's going to be one of our best shows ever.
Tell us more about Speakeasy...
Speakeasy is pretty much about all the underground clubs where all of these amazing dances, all the genres of dances that we now see, for example, the Charlestons, the Argentine Tangos, the Salsas.
We take you on a journey through various eras. We guide you through various historical periods and diverse locations where these remarkable dances emerged and flourished. And, you know, all these mysterious hidden underground places where people would go to find themselves or to enjoy themselves even more when it wasn't allowed
I'm very excited. But, you know, I think it's going to be one of those that is going to be an experience for everyone.
Karen and Gorka
How do you decide which music to feature in the show?
Gorka and I have a WhatsApp group where we share all the music. Again, it's all about the storyline and the flavor we want to incorporate. You know, we definitely want Charlestons and Argentine Tangos, as well as Paso Dobles or Salsas.
So for us, it's important to mix old and new styles of music so that everyone feels included. So, you know, if you have an older or younger audience coming in, we want everyone to feel like they know all the songs, and we like to mix things up. But yeah, I mean, it's something that we kind of put different styles together, different styles of music together.
And suddenly, everything magically comes together. However, we have a large team working alongside us. So it is really important. Music plays a crucial role, particularly when it comes to choreography. You have to be able to love the song and also be able to choreograph it, you know, almost perfectly and without having any pauses in it.
You've worked with Gorka for a long time. How would you define your professional relationship?
We're literally like Bonnie and Clyde, Ginger and Fred. We are sometimes the same person in different bodies. And we're brother and sister. You know, we are best friends. I believe that we have a great deal of trust in each other. You know, it's, and I think that's what makes this partnership work.
You know, we have a lot of respect and admiration. And I think that's what works. That's why it works so much.
We don't argue about things or anything like that. It's one of those things that sort of just flows. And if something's not working, we change it. And, you know, it's just been nice, you know, and I think it's really hard to find that in an industry where everyone's full of egos and everything in which someone like Gorka is not, you know, and myself as well. We strive to put our egos aside, particularly when it comes to creating something we are deeply passionate about. Over the years, you've had a wide range of partners on Strictly. What's been your highlight dance?
I think every year there's been a highlight dance. You know, every celebrity is unique, and I've enjoyed every one of the 12. Hopefully, I will have the opportunity to meet my 13th celebrity. But every celebrity has a special moment that I will always remember. I think I could remember every single one of them. I'm not going to tell you right now, but I think every single celebrity is special, and I will always have a special moment in my dance career on Strictly.
What do you think is the greatest challenge facing celebrity partners?
Well, I mean, it's an unknown.
The fact that, you know, you're coming into a show that, you know, you're learning how to dance, but you're putting yourself out there. They're putting themselves out there, whether they've had training or not. It's full-on. The schedule is very hectic, as well as physically and mentally challenging. However, each celebrity is unique, and it's important to understand their strengths and weaknesses. We turn those into building their confidence and building their, you know, physical and mental well-being.
It's all about enjoying the process. You know, it's an extremely challenging show to participate in and to put yourself through. So I always bow my head down to the celebrities that go on and put themselves out there because it is a very challenging thing to do, to let go of any inhibition and to put themselves into our hands and to trust us and for us to trust them as well.
It's full on, but at the same time, extremely rewarding.
Is there one celebrity partner you would dream of working with?
Not really, actually, I always get asked this question, but probably, I mean, I've gone to watch Pink in concert, and I absolutely adore her. I don't know if anybody has any contacts that could ask Pink to come and do strictly with me.
Outside of your own tours, what ambitions have you left unfulfilled?
You know what? I like to live in the moment, and I feel that as I go, I accomplish a lot of things, and I've been accomplishing a lot of things, you know, for the past couple of years. I think that things fall into my lap, especially with the platform that I'm on right now. You know, I love rescuing my dog. I love rescuing dogs. I'd love to continue rescuing dogs. I'd love to continue teaching children and adults.
I love to continue inspiring people to move their bodies, to move their minds. You know, and I think that's something that I'm already doing and that I want to continue to do. So yeah, I think I'll stick to my path.