Finalist in Strictly Come Dancing Hamza Yassin previously stated that he had “never” danced professionally prior to the start of the competition and is the favorite to win the Glitterball.
A video of Hamza Yassin’s flawless dancing performance on stage at university today shatters the perception of him as a newcomer on Strictly.
The wildlife presenter, who placed first in the semifinal, is seen on camera dancing a paso doble and a salsa in the 2010 end-of-term performance of the Bangor University Dance Club.
A compere presents two dances in the video and remarks that all the students had been instructed by teachers, some for months.
For the show, he claims that both Latin dances have been divided into categories for beginners and experts.
Many of the dancers in this piece had only been learning salsa for a year, if not less, the compere remarks.
In the beginner area, Yassin performed a salsa dance. But he was in the “advanced” portion of the performance that included the paso doble, which further undermined his reputation as the underdog on Strictly.
In the Strictly final on Saturday, Hamza will compete against Fleur East, Helen Skelton, and Molly Rainford.
Before the presentation, he vehemently denied having any prior dance training.
His involvement in Strictly Come Dancing was officially announced by the BBC in a press release from September, and a specific question regarding his “prior dance experience” was raised.
In his own time, he said, “I adore dancing in the shower, just like I like singing in the shower; I think I sound amazing and my dance skills look cool.
Professionally, though, no, never. We’ll soon discover whether I have two left feet or two right feet.
In addition, he asserted in October that, other from occasional Gaelic dancing, he had never danced with a partner.
Hamza, who was born and spent his first eight years of life in Sudan before moving to England, admitted that he has a sense of rhythm that comes from his African heritage. However, the only partner dancing that he has done is during ceilidhs.
Given his alleged lack of experience, judges and presenters alike have been astounded by how well Hamza is performing in the tournament.
“Coming from the realm of animals, our next star entered this series as a complete dance newbie,” said 53-year-old host Tess Daly on Sunday’s episode. He’s come a long way!
Claudia Winkleman, the co-host, who is 50, continued, “Craig replied, ‘He is naturally gifted. Who has never danced before you—how do you find that?
The wildlife cameraman graduated in 2011 from Bangor after majoring in zoology and conservation. An ex-member of the Bangor University Dance Club is perplexed by Hamza’s reluctance to discuss his dance background.
He has continually played up the idea that he has never done anything like this before, according to the former pupil who performed in the same end-of-year presentation as Hamza.
“I don’t see why he would want to hide his dance background from those who voted for him, but I do not think this is fair.”
When contacted by the Mirror over the video of his university dancing antics, the BBC declined to comment.
Hamza only “took part in two performances to aid out a buddy whose dancing partner could no longer participate,” according to a BBC insider, at Bangor.