Oti Mabuse
Oti Mabuse | |
|---|---|
| Born | Oti Mabuse [1] 8 August 1990 |
| Nationality | South African |
| Education | Tshwane University of Technology |
| Occupation | Ballroom dancer |
| Height | 5 ft 4 in (163 cm) |
| Spouse(s) | Marius Iepure (m. 2014) |
| Partner(s) | Keoikantse Motsepe[3] (2000–2013)[4][failed verification] |
| Relatives | Motsi Mabuse (sister)[5] |
Otlile "Oti" Mabuse (born 8 August 1990) is a South African talent show judge, presenter, dancer and Latin American champion currently based in the United Kingdom.[6] She is best known as a former professional dancer (a champion in most of her working years) on the British television series Strictly Come Dancing, and its German equivalent, Let's Dance.[7] She was a Dance Captain on The Greatest Dancer. Since 2021, she has been a panellist on The Masked Dancer and became a judge on Dancing on Ice in 2022.[8]
Early life and education[edit]
Mabuse was born in Pretoria, South Africa, and studied civil engineering at university[9] before embarking on a career in professional ballroom dancing. Her elder sister, Motsi Mabuse, is also a professional ballroom dancer. Oti has participated in the German series Let's Dance both as a professional dancer and as a judge, and as a professional dancer in Britain's Strictly Come Dancing.
Dancing career[edit]
Mabuse won the South African Latin American Championship eight times, after which she moved to Germany to broaden her dancing horizons. She has earned a number of titles in her dancing career; including:[2]
- third place in World Cup Freestyle Latin in 2014,
- second place European Championship Latin in 2014 and
- first place in German Championship PD Freestyle Latin.
Let's Dance[edit]
In 2015, Mabuse appeared as a professional dancer on the eighth season of Let's Dance, the German version of Strictly Come Dancing.
She was partnered with singer Daniel Küblböck. The couple were eliminated in week 9, finishing in sixth place.
In 2016, Mabuse returned as a professional dancer for the ninth season of Let's Dance. She was partnered with television presenter Niels Ruf. The couple were the first to be eliminated in week 2, leaving in 14th place.
Season 8: with celebrity partner Daniel Küblböck[edit]
| Week No. | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Total | Result | ||
| González | M Mabuse | Llambi | ||||
| 1 | Quickstep / "You're The One That I Want" | 6 | 6 | 3 | 15 | Safe |
| 2 | Rumba / "Mad World" | 6 | 6 | 4 | 16 | Safe |
| 3 | Contemporary / "Jeanny" | 6 | 8 | 6 | 20 | Safe |
| 4 | Cha-Cha-Cha / "Tragedy" | 5 | 5 | 2 | 12 | Safe |
| 5 | Waltz / "Yesterday" | 6 | 6 | 2 | 14 | Bottom two |
| 6 | Hip-Hop / "Sing" | 7 | 7 | 5 | 19 | Safe |
| 7 | Jazz & Paso Doble / "Born This Way" | 8 | 7 | 4 | 19 | Bottom two |
| 8 | Samba / "Livin' la Vida Loca" Disco Marathon / "Ich will immer weider...dieses Fiber spür'n" |
7 Awarded |
7 10 |
5 points |
19 29 |
Safe |
| 9 | Tango / "When Doves Cry" Rock n' Roll / "Surfin' U.S.A." |
6 6 |
6 7 |
2 4 |
14 17 |
Eliminated |
Season 9: with celebrity partner Niels Ruf[edit]
| Week No. | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Total | Result | ||
| González | Mabuse | Llambi | ||||
| 1 | Viennese Waltz / "Where the Wild Roses Grow" | 3 | 3 | 2 | 8 | Bottom three |
| 2 | Jive / "Bad Boy" | 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 | Eliminated |
Strictly Come Dancing[edit]
Highest and lowest scoring performances per dance
| Dance | Partner | Highest | Partner | Lowest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Smooth | Danny Mac Kelvin Fletcher |
39 | Graeme Swann | 15 |
| Cha Cha Cha | Kelvin Fletcher | 33 | Bill Bailey Jonnie Peacock |
20 |
| Charleston | Danny Mac | 40 | Graeme Swann | 31 |
| Couple's Choice | Bill Bailey (Street) | 39 | Ugo Monye | 31 |
| Foxtrot | Danny Mac | 30 | Jonnie Peacock | 21 |
| Argentine tango | Danny Mac | 38 | Bill Bailey | 32 |
| Jive | Kelvin Fletcher | 39 | Anthony Ogogo | 21 |
| Paso Doble | Kelvin Fletcher | 37 | Anthony Ogogo | 19 |
| Quickstep | Kelvin Fletcher | 40 | Graeme Swann | 24 |
| Rumba | Kelvin Fletcher | 39 | Ugo Monye | 20 |
| Salsa | Danny Mac | 37 | Jonnie Peacock | 27 |
| Samba | Danny Mac | 40 | Ugo Monye | 18 |
| Something-athon | Danny Mac | 5 | Graeme Swann | 2 |
| Tango | Danny Mac | 38 | Jonnie Peacock | 26 |
| Viennese Waltz | Kelvin Fletcher | 34 | Danny Mac | 32 |
| Waltz | Graeme Swann | 29 | Anthony Ogogo | 19 |
| Showdance | Bill Bailey Danny Mac Kelvin Fletcher |
40 | - | - |
In 2015, Mabuse appeared as a professional on the 13th series of Strictly Come Dancing. She was partnered with Olympic boxer Anthony Ogogo. The couple were eliminated in Week 3, finishing in 14th place. That year, she also participated in the Children in Need and Christmas specials of the show, in which she partnered with actors Jack Ashton and Tom Chambers respectively.
In 2016, Mabuse was partnered with former Hollyoaks actor Danny Mac for the show's 14th series. The couple reached the final and finished as runners-up. For the show's 15th series in 2017, she was partnered with Paralympic sprinter Jonnie Peacock, they were eliminated in Week 9 in 8th place. She was paired with England cricketer Graeme Swann for the show's 16th series, they were eliminated in Week 10 in 7th place.
In 2019, for her fifth stint on the show, she was partnered with former Emmerdale actor Kelvin Fletcher, who replaced her originally announced partner, Made in Chelsea star Jamie Laing, who had to withdraw from the show after sustaining a foot injury when dancing on the launch show. They went on to become the winners of the series. Laing was confirmed as a contestant for the eighteenth series the following year, but was re-partnered with fellow professional Karen Hauer, in which Mabuse was partnered with comedian and actor, Bill Bailey, reaching the final and became series winners, with Mabuse becoming the second pro to win the show twice (the other being Aliona Vilani who won series 9 and series 13) and the only pro to win twice in succession.
On 18 April 2021, two weeks after being unveiled as part of nineteenth series of the show, Mabuse revealed that this would most likely be her last. On 22 February 2022, Mabuse confirmed she was leaving the show after seven years.[10]
| Series | Partner | Place | Average Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | Anthony Ogogo | 14th | 19.7 |
| 14 | Danny Mac | 2nd | 36.6 |
| 15 | Jonnie Peacock | 8th | 25.8 |
| 16 | Graeme Swann | 7th | 26.0 |
| 17 | Kelvin Fletcher | 1st | 36.4 |
| 18 | Bill Bailey | 33.4 | |
| 19 | Ugo Monye | 11th | 23.5 |
Series 13: with celebrity partner Anthony Ogogo[edit]
| Week No. | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Total | Result | |||
| Craig Revel Horwood |
Darcey Bussell |
Len Goodman |
Bruno Tonioli | ||||
| 1 | Jive / "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" | 4 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 21 | No Elimination |
| 2 | Waltz / "If You Don't Know Me by Now" | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 19 | Safe |
| 3 | Paso Doble / "Eye of the Tiger" | 4 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 19 | Eliminated |
Series 14: with celebrity partner Danny Mac[edit]
| Week No. | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Total | Result | |||
| Craig Revel Horwood |
Darcey Bussell |
Len Goodman |
Bruno Tonioli | ||||
| 1 | Cha-Cha-Cha / "Cake by the Ocean" | 8 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 31 | No Elimination |
| 2 | Viennese Waltz / "Never Tear Us Apart" | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 32 | Safe |
| 3 | Paso Doble / "El Sambrero Blanco" | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 36 | Safe |
| 4 | Quickstep / "I Won't Dance" | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 36 | Safe |
| 5 | Rumba / "How Will I Know" | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 35 | Safe |
| 6 | Foxtrot / "Take Me to Church" | 7 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 30 | Safe |
| 7 | Jive / "Long Tall Sally" | 9 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 38 | Safe |
| 8 | Argentine Tango / "I Heard it Through the Grapevine" | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 38 | Safe |
| 9 | Charleston / "Puttin' On the Ritz" | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 40 | Safe |
| 10 | Samba / "Magalenha" Cha-cha-cha Challenge / "I Like It Like That" |
10 Awarded |
10 5 |
10 extra |
10 points |
40 45 |
Safe |
| 11 | Tango / "One Night Only" | 9 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 38 | Safe |
| 12 | Salsa / "Vivir Mi Vida American Smooth / "Misty Blue" |
9 10 |
9 9 |
9 10 |
10 10 |
37 39 |
Bottom two |
| 13 | Quickstep / "I Won't Dance" Showdance / "Set Fire to the Rain" Samba / "Magalenha" |
9 10 10 |
9 10 10 |
9 10 10 |
9 10 10 |
36 40 40 |
Runner-up |
Series 15: with celebrity partner Jonnie Peacock[edit]
| Week No. | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Total | Result | |||
| Revel Horwood | Bussell | Ballas | Tonioli | ||||
| 1 | Waltz / "When I Need You" | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 20 | No Elimination |
| 2 | Jive / "Johnny B. Goode" | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 29 | Safe |
| 3 | Paso Doble / "The Raider's March" | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 26 | Safe |
| 4 | American Smooth / "Cry Me a River" | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 31 | Safe |
| 5 | Quickstep / "Part-Time Lover" | 7 | 8 | 9 | –# | 24 | Safe |
| 6 | Cha-Cha-Cha / "Troublemaker" | 4 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 20 | Safe |
| 7 | Salsa / "Turn Me On" | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 27 | Safe |
| 8 | Foxtrot / "Someone like You" | 4 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 21 | Bottom two |
| 9 | Tango / "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)" | 6 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 26 | Eliminated |
# Bruno Tonioli was absent and there was no guest judge.
Series 16: with celebrity partner Graeme Swann[edit]
| Week No. | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Total | Result | |||
| Craig Revel Horwood |
Darcey Bussell |
Shirley Ballas |
Bruno Tonioli | ||||
| 1 | Samba / "Soul Limbo" | 5 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 22 | No Elimination |
| 2 | American Smooth / "Try a Little Tenderness" | 3 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 15 | Safe |
| 3 | Charleston / "Spider-Man" | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 31 | Safe |
| 4 | Jive / "Don't Stop Me Now" | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 26 | Safe |
| 5 | Tango / "Roxanne" | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8# | 29 | Safe |
| 6 | Cha-Cha-Cha / "Thriller" | 4 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 21 | Bottom two |
| 7 | Waltz / "The Last Waltz" | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 29 | Safe |
| 8 | Salsa / "Follow the Leader" | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 31 | Bottom two |
| 9 | Jazz / "The Trolley Song" | 7 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 32 | Bottom two |
| 10 | Quickstep / Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing)" Lindy Hop-a-thon / "Do Your Thing" |
6 Awarded |
6 2 |
6 Extra |
6 Points |
24 26 |
Eliminated |
# Bruno Tonioli was absent; Alfonso Ribeiro was guest judge.
Series 17: with celebrity partner Kelvin Fletcher[edit]
Mabuse was originally paired with Jamie Laing, however he had to pull out due to a foot injury whilst the recording of the launch show. Laing was replaced with Kelvin Fletcher, just before the start of the live shows.
| Week No. | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Total | Result | |||
| Craig Revel Horwood |
Motsi Mabuse |
Shirley Ballas |
Bruno Tonioli | ||||
| 1 | Samba / "La Vida Es Un Carnaval" | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 32 | No Elimination |
| 2 | Waltz / "What the World Needs Now is Love" | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 | Safe |
| 3 | Charleston / "Trip a Little Light Fantastic" | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 38 | Safe |
| 4 | Rumba / "Ain't No Sunshine" | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 36 | Safe |
| 5 | Cha-Cha-Cha / "Get Stupid" | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9# | 33 | Safe |
| 6 | Tango / "Bad Guy" | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 36 | Safe |
| 7 | Viennese Waltz / "Say Something" | 8 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 34 | Safe |
| 8 | Salsa / "Let's Hear It for the Boy" | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 35 | Safe |
| 9 | Jive / "Jailhouse Rock" | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 39 | Safe |
| 10 | Street / "Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)" | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 38 | Safe |
| 11 | American Smooth / "Gaston" | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 39 | Safe |
| 12 | Quickstep / "The Lady Is a Tramp" Paso Doble / "Seven Nation Army" |
10 9 |
10 10 |
10 9 |
10 9 |
40 37 |
Safe |
| 13 | Rumba / "Ain't No Sunshine" Showdance / "Shout" Samba / "La Vida Es Un Carnaval" |
9 10 9 |
10 10 10 |
10 10 10 |
10 10 10 |
39 40 39 |
Winners |
# Bruno Tonioli was absent; Alfonso Ribeiro was guest judge.
Series 18: with celebrity partner Bill Bailey[edit]
| Week No. | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Total | Result | ||
| Revel Horwood | Ballas | Mabuse | ||||
| 1 | Cha Cha Cha / "Pata Pata" | 3 | 6 | 6 | 15 | No Elimination |
| 2 | Quickstep / "Talk to the Animals" | 8 | 8 | 8 | 24 | Safe |
| 3 | Paso Doble / "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" | 8 | 9 | 9 | 26 | Safe |
| 4 | Street / "Rapper's Delight" | 8 | 10 | 9# | 27 | Safe |
| 5 | American Smooth / "I've Got You Under My Skin" | 8 | 9 | 8# | 25 | Safe |
| 6 | Jive / "One Way or Another" | 8 | 8 | 8 | 24 | Safe |
| 7 | Argentine Tango / "The Phantom of the Opera" | 8 | 8 | 8 | 24 | Safe |
| 8 | Charleston / "Won't You Come Home Bill Bailey" Tango / "Enter Sandman" |
8 8 |
8 7 |
9 8 |
25 23 |
Safe |
| 9 | Quickstep / "Talk to the Animals" Showdance / "The Show Must Go On" Street / "Rapper's Delight" |
9 10 9 |
10 10 10 |
10 10 10 |
29 30 29 |
Winners |
# Motsi Mabuse was absent; Anton du Beke was guest judge.
Series 19: with celebrity partner Ugo Monye[edit]
| Week No. | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Total | Result | |||
| Revel Horwood | Mabuse | Ballas | Du Beke | ||||
| 1 | Samba / "Iko Iko (My Bestie)" | 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 18 | No Elimination |
| 2 | Quickstep / "Bring Me Sunshine" | 5 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 25 | Safe |
| 3 | Couple's Choice / "You're Welcome" | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 31 | Safe |
| 4 | Viennese Waltz / "I've Been Loving You Too Long | - | - | - | - | - | Given bye |
| 5 | Rumba / "Leave the Door Open" | 3 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 20 | Eliminated |
Dance tours and other professional engagements[edit]
 | This section needs additional citations for verification. (June 2020) |
Mabuse took part in the national Strictly Come Dancing - The Live Tour in 2017 with her celebrity partner Danny Mac. They were voted the winners of more individual shows than any other couple by the audience.
In August 2017, Mabuse and Ian Waite announced a 60-date 2018 UK tour An Audience With.[11][12] She was a contestant on an episode of Tipping Point: Lucky Stars in 2017.
In October 2018, Mabuse announced she would be teaching at Donahey's Dancing with The Stars Weekends in 2019.[13]
In 2019, Mabuse became a dance captain on The Greatest Dancer, alongside Cheryl, Matthew Morrison and later Todrick Hall.
In 2019, Mabuse was a contestant on Celebrity MasterChef 2019.
In 2020, Mabuse became the new host of Boogie Beebies.[14]
In 2020, Mabuse was a contestant on the Christmas Special of Michael McIntyre's The Wheel.
On 4 March 2021, it was announced that Mabuse would be a panelist on a brand new ITV show, The Masked Dancer UK, a spin off of The Masked Singer UK, replacing Rita Ora's position in the original show.[8]
Mabuse worked as the choreographer of the UK and Ireland production of The Cher Show, which will tour the country from April 2022 until April 2023.[15]
On 22 December 2021, it was confirmed that Mabuse will replace John Barrowman on the judging panel of the 14th series of Dancing On Ice.
In February 2022, Mabuse announced that she was leaving Strictly after seven series.
Filmography[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015–2016 | Let's Dance | Herself | Professional dancer (Seasons 8–9) | |
| 2015–2021 | Strictly Come Dancing | Professional dancer (Series 13–19) | ||
| 2019–2020 | The Greatest Dancer | Judge | ||
| 2019–2021 | Lorraine | 7 episodes | ||
| 2019–2020 | This Morning | 4 episodes | ||
| 2019 | Celebrity MasterChef | Contestant | ||
| 2020 | Boogie Beebies | Host (Series 3) | ||
| 2020–2021 | Morning Live | Presenter (10 episodes) | ||
| 2020 | Michael McIntyre's The Wheel | Contestant (Christmas Special) | ||
| 2021 | Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway | 3 episodes | ||
| 2021 | The Masked Dancer UK | Panelist | [8] | |
| 2021 | RuPaul's Drag Race UK: "Dragoton" | Choreographer, guest judge | [16] | |
| 2022–present | Dancing on Ice | Judge | [8] | |
| 2022- | Romeo & Duet | Presenter | [17] | |
| 2022 | Oti’s South African Odyssey | Upcoming BBC One special | [18] | |
| 2022 | Olivier Awards | Guest Presenter | 2022 Ceremony |
Personal life[edit]
In 2014, Mabuse married Romanian dancer Marius Iepure, whom she met in Germany.[19] They currently live in London after moving there from Germany in 2015.[6]
References[edit]
- ^ "Otile Mabuse : Client Portfolios : Olivia Belle". Olivia Belle Management. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
- ^ a b "BBC One - Strictly Come Dancing - Oti Mabuse". BBC. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
- ^ "Keoikantse Motsepe (South Africa) & Otile Mabuse (South Africa)". DancesportInfo. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
- ^ "Marius Iepure (Germany) & Otile Mabuse (South Africa)". DancesportInfo. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
- ^ "Oti Mabuse and her sisters (Instagram)". Archived from the original on 2021-12-23. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
- ^ a b Winship, Lyndsey (March 12, 2019). "Strictly's Oti Mabuse: 'I still wear £5 leggings – I work for the BBC!'". TheGuardian.com. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
- ^ "Who is Oti Mabuse? Strictly Come Dancing 2016 professional dancers guide". Radio Times. 26 November 2016. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
- ^ a b c d "ITV commissions The Masked Dancer". Press Centre. 4 March 2021. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
- ^ "Dream Comes True as BBC Welcomes 'Hot' South African Dancer to 'Strictly' Show". SAPeople.com. 7 September 2015. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
- ^ Lawler, Danielle (19 April 2021). "Who Oti Mabuse: 'The next Strictly will be my last'". The Telegraph. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
- ^ "An Audience with website". Retrieved 4 August 2017.
- ^ "New UK Tour Announced For STRICTLY COME DANCING Stars Ian Waite and Oti Mabuse". Broadway World. 4 August 2017. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
- ^ "5* Weekend Break with the Stars of BBC Strictly Come Dancing". www.donaheys.co.uk.
- ^ "Dance lessons with Oti Mabuse lead new BBC children's shows". 28 April 2020.
- ^ "The Cher Show to tour UK & Ireland".
- ^ Wehrstedt, Lisa (1 October 2021). "Strictly Come Dancing's Oti Mabuse shows off transformation as she joins Drag Race panel". Digital Spy. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
- ^ "Oti Mabuse turns musical matchmaker as host of new ITV dating show Romeo & Duet". itv.com/presscentre. 10 January 2022. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
- ^ "Two brand new entertainment programmes coming to the BBC fronted by Gordon Ramsay and Oti Mabuse". bbc.co.uk/mediacentre. 15 January 2020. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
- ^ "Oti Mabuse husband: When did Strictly star get married?". Express. 25 October 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
Further reading[edit]
- Mabuse, Motsi (2014). Chili im Blut: Mein Tanz durchs Leben (in German). Ehrenwirth Verlag. ISBN 978-3-431-03913-9.
| General | |
|---|---|
| National libraries | |
