Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

Lene James Mikkelsen left university in Aarhus at 19 for London, where everyone told her that she and Colin James did not fit together. He was far too tall for her. Together they became world champions. She tells Marius Iepure what really happens when you coach your own world-class daughter, why she has tried more than once to hand Zia over to other teachers, and why she warns every dancing parent: "be careful what you wish for."

She opens up about losing her mum and pouring the grief into her dancing, why a man in DanceSport is "made for life" while a woman must keep proving herself, and what solo girls miss out on without a partner. Plus judging on instinct and questioning yourself afterwards, the ETC camp with a live band, the Skills and Drills book that was never printed, judging Vild med Dans, and why she is not sure democracy is always the best way to run DanceSport.

An honest conversation about sacrifice, high standards and what dance asks of you when it becomes your whole life.

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

Hannah Trever started dancing at four, joined the Dance Promotions Association as treasurer, and was told by her own committee, without warning, that she would be its next chair. Now in her second year, she tells Marius Iepure why the DPA is no longer part of the BDC, what it means to stand completely alone with its own system, licences and members, and why she believes it was the right move for the dancers.

She opens up about being underestimated as a woman in a male-dominated industry, people calling her husband Duncan instead of the chairman, and leading even when the decision is not the popular one. Plus safeguarding and confidential reporting, why you keep seeing the same judging panels, the £5 membership, the national league, and what UK DanceSport governance still gets wrong about transparency.

An honest conversation about leadership, change and the courage to take the risk.

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

Who is responsible for protecting dancers when the systems around them fall short? In this episode, Leila Stewart and Marius Iepure confront the safeguarding questions DanceSport can no longer ignore: what happens when a young dancer raises a concern, who should handle it, and are studios equipped to keep dancers safe? Drawing on Leila’s experience in dance and frontline ambulance work, they discuss independent reporting, child protection, first-aid training for dance teachers, and the pressures dancers face, including harmful comments about their bodies.

This is a conversation about accountability and what meaningful protection should look like across DanceSport.

#MariusIepure #BreakTheRoutinePodcast #DanceSport #Safeguarding