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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.

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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.

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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

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Oti Mabuse grew up dancing in a newly free South Africa, walked away from a civil engineering degree and crossed continents to become a two time Strictly champion.

In this episode with her husband and host Marius Iepure, she opens up about what Germany taught her, the brutal realities girls face in DanceSport, protecting her daughter from the industry, and why African dance carries a spirituality that ballroom often forgets.

A warm, honest conversation about belonging, ambition and building something of your own.

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In this episode, Marius Iepure sits down with Peter Maxwell - former World Latin champion, theatre maker, coach, adjudicator, studio builder, and one of the few people to have seen DanceSport from every possible angle - for an honest conversation about a life fully lived inside dance.

They talk about starting at a very young age, eighteen years partnering Lynn Harman, writing the foreword to the WDSF technique books, the real story behind the Blackpool cape, walking away at his peak to chase New York and the stage, building the Ballroom Dance Theatre, and why clarity matters more than confusion.

If you care about the human side of DanceSport, not just the results but the people and values behind them ; this episode is worth your time.

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In this episode, Marius Iepure sits down with Peter Nash - competitor, coach, adjudicator, examiner, academy builder, and Operations Director of the British DanceSport Association - for an honest conversation about what really happens inside the machinery of DanceSport.

They talk about judging systems, fairness, federation politics, why the sport too often looks inward, and what it would take to unify a divided ballroom world after 50 years on both sides of the table.

If you care about how DanceSport actually works, not just the results but the structures behind them ; this episode is worth your time.

In this episode:

- why Peter helped build the BDSA

- how judging and marking could be made fairer

- why hobby and competitive dancing need each other

- what the BDC, DPA and BDSA circuits really mean for dancers

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In this episode of Break the Routine, Marius Iepure speaks with Oskar Odiakosa ; dancer, coach, adjudicator, and founder of Black in the Ballroom.

Oskar shares how he entered ballroom as a child in South East London, saving lunch money for lessons and travelling across the city to train, before building a career as a competitor, teacher, judge, and advocate for greater belonging in the industry.

Together, they explore representation, access, conformity, individuality, and the future of ballroom culture - including why dancers need to play a more active role in shaping the systems they are part of.

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In this episode of Break the Routine, Marius Iepure talks with Ian Waite — former elite Latin dancer, original Strictly Come Dancing professional, teacher, choreographer, and co-creator of FitSteps.

Ian looks back on how dance entered his life during a difficult family period, how the Netherlands chapter deepened his ambition, what television changed about the public’s relationship with ballroom, and why his work today is increasingly about accessibility, joy, and connection. It’s a conversation about visibility, pressure, reinvention, and what dance is really for once the pursuit of status begins to fade.