Over the festive season, Twist and Pulse will be playing the Wicked Queen’s Henchmen in Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs at the Tyne Theatre & Opera House in Newcastle, running from Friday 6th December to Sunday 5th January. Twist and Pulse will be working with a cast including Regan Gascoigne as the Prince and Grace Davison as Snow White, with Pulse (Glen) also directing the pantomime. In 2010, Twist and Pulse were contestants on Britain’s Got Talent, coming 2nd place, and they returned in 2019 for Britain’s Got Talent: The Champions, receiving Alesha Dixon’s Golden Buzzer and eventually being announced winners of the show. Currently, Twist and Pulse are working on a huge secret video and perform dance content for their popular social media platforms, and they are working on a show with Flawless Dance Group, in the hope of touring with the production in the future. Answering our questions, Twist and Pulse chat about taking on the roles of the Wicked Queen’s Henchmen in the Tyne Theatre & Opera House pantomime Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs, being announced as winners for Britain’s Got Talent: The Champions in 2019 and uploading dance content to social media.
This Christmas, you will be playing the Wicked Queen’s Henchmen in Tyne Theatre & Opera House’s pantomime of Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs, what can audiences expect from your portrayal of the characters?
Well, we’re supposed to be evil henchmen but just think of a dumb and dumber version of that. We’re way too silly to actually be evil! You’ll definitely be seeing us break into spontaneous bits of dance as well!
Have you performed in Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs previously, and what do you think this year’s show will be like to be part of?
We actually haven’t! We’ve only ever been in Aladdin, Sleeping Beauty and Peter Pan, so we’re super excited to be a part of this production for the very first time in Newcastle.
After meeting the rest of the cast, we already know it’s going to be incredible.
What are you looking forward to for performing at the Tyne Theatre & Opera House and opening in the show next month?
Being on that stage pretty much every day performing to the best of our abilities to all the families of Newcastle. We’ve heard the people of Newcastle are up for a great laugh, so we can’t wait to feel that energy!
How was it meeting the rest of the cast, which includes Grace Davison as Snow White and Regan Gascoigne as the Prince, for the first time?
They’re the best! Such lovely, genuine people that we already can’t wait to share the stage with. The cast as a whole seems so talented and strong already! Great to have an amazing local Geordie Princess as well!
Is there anything you enjoy most about performing in pantomimes?
It’s the best way to end the year! I don’t think there’s anything more joyous than a pantomime. It has a real sense of magic leading into Christmas. It will also be the very first time that some of the younger generation will see any sort of live theatre, that’s really special to potentially inspire someone to maybe start up performing arts.
How do you find the experience interacting with a pantomime audience and seeing children and families getting involved?
Sooo rewarding! It’s the best energy! Every single person in that audience are fully engaged and living their best lives. Even the people that are too cool for school end up letting loose and enjoying it.
Why would you recommend booking tickets to see Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs at Tyne Theatre & Opera House?
Because it’s going to be epic, incredible routines, magical moments and belly laughs throughout! And if you haven’t seen us live before then I feel like it’s something you don’t really see anywhere else. Also, our very own Glen (Pulse) is directing the show this year so this one is extra special for us.
How is it filming dance content for your popular social media platforms and seeing the fan response to your videos?
We love it! It’s such a lovely way to connect with our audience. Especially when our fans give us ideas of what songs to dance to.
In 2010, you finished in 2nd place on Series 4 of Britain’s Got Talent, what do you remember most from auditioning for the show and competing in the live Semi-Final and Final?
We had the best time! And we were the perfect age for doing a show like that. Young enough to not overthink any moment or let the nerves get the better of us but old enough to understand our craft and give it our all. Coming 2nd was more than we had ever imagined!
You returned in 2019 for Britain’s Got Talent: The Champions, receiving Alesha Dixon’s Golden Buzzer before going on to win the show, how was it being part of The Champions series and being announced as the winners?
It’s our greatest achievement and we still can’t believe we will have that champion of champions title for the rest of our lives. We went into this competition with 110% energy that we could get through the first heat and take the title. We hand-picked and created all of the material in our dance routines that we had built and worked on over the previous nine years and it really paid off!
What are some of your stand-out favourite highlights from your dance careers as Twist & Pulse so far?
Winning The Champions has to be number one. Followed by our Guinness World Record for the most amount of synchronised dance moves in 30 seconds (147 moves), running with the Olympic Torch in 2012 and having a sold-out Twist and Pulse LIVE tour in 2020.
How did you both originally get into dancing and was it always something you wanted to do professionally?
Twist – I got into dancing quite naturally with my initial group of friends in school. And from then I got the bug for it. I wouldn’t stop listening to music and my body instantly started moving to it. However, I didn’t know I would be able to make it a profession and have a successful career from it. I still feel so grateful we get to do this with each other.
Glen – I saw a local theatre show and it just blew me away, next thing I knew I joined my local performing arts school and the rest is history.
Were there any dancers you each particularly enjoyed watching when growing up, and how do you like to spend your time away from the industry?
Twist – Michael Jackson is the greatest dancer of all time. My dad always had his music videos on at home – Thriller, Bad, Smooth Criminal, Remember the Time, and his movie, Moonwalker. Me and my brothers watched these religiously and tried to imitate the moves.
My time away from the industry is spent with my husband and daughter, family days out or even a simple trip to the park. I’m loving being a first-time dad!
Glen – Michael Jackson and Gene Kelly were my main inspirations.
When I’m not performing, I have my own superhero comic book series called Extraman, all self-published under our company Kindred Comics with my friend Jermaine Riley, who originally created the character and asked me to join him! We have now released three books and are loving it!
What are you hoping 2025 brings for you and do you have any career plans for after Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs that you can share?
We have a huge video we are working on that we think is going to be insane but it’s a big task and still a secret! So keep an eye on our socials! Other than that, gigging and performing all over as much as we can! We are also working on creating a show with Flawless Dance Group, which we are hoping to tour the UK with! It’s going to be INSANE!
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Categories: Dance, home, Interview, Pantomimes, Reality & TV Personalities, YouTube/Online Content