Nancy Xu Explained

Nancy Xu YouJie
Native Name:许茜
Native Name Lang:zh
Nickname:Nancy Shoes
Birth Name:Xu Qian
Birth Date:1991 7, df=yes
Birth Place:Huaihua, China
Height:[1]
Known For:Strictly Come Dancing
Occupation:Dancer
Choreographer
Module:
Child:yes
S:许茜
P:Xǔ Qiàn

Nancy Xu YouJie (;[2] [3] born 30 July 1991) is a Chinese dancer and choreographer. She is best known for being a professional dancer on Strictly Come Dancing since 2019.[4]

Early and personal life

Xu was born on 30 July 1991 in Huaihua, China.[5] She began dancing at the age of 8 and attended the Guangzhou Dancing School.[6] [7]

Xu is dating bodyguard Mikee Michele, who is also a martial arts expert and choreographer.[8]

Career

Xu specialises in Latin dance and was a finalist in the U21 World Championships in 2010, she finished in third place in the 2010-2012 CBDF National Amateur Latin Championships and was runner-up at the 2013 International Singapore Championship.[9]

Xu appeared on the Chinese version of So You Think You Can Dance in 2014, where she reached the finals. In 2015, she joined the dance company Burn the Floor and performed around the world.[10] [11]

Strictly Come Dancing

On 30 July 2019, her 28th birthday, Xu was announced as a new professional dancer joining the seventeenth series of Strictly Come Dancing.[4] Xu did not partner a celebrity and instead appeared in the professional group dances throughout the series.[12] [13] Xu was however partnered with EastEnders actor Rudolph Walker for the 2019 Children in Need special where they danced a group Cha-Cha-Cha.[14] Xu returned as a professional for the eighteenth series however was not paired up with a celebrity for the second time and remained part of the dance troupe.[15]

Xu was given a partner for the first time in the nineteenth series when she was paired up with CBBC presenter Rhys Stephenson.[16] The couple were eliminated in the semi-final, coming 4th in the competition. The couple had topped the leader-board twice, once with the Charleston and once with the Argentine tango, but were also in the dance-off four times.[17]

For the twentieth series she was partnered with actor Will Mellor. The couple made it to the semi-final, topping the leaderboard three times in the process, but were eliminated and finished in 5th place.

For the twenty-first series she was partnered with comedian and actor Les Dennis. They were the first couple to be eliminated, after losing the first dance-off of the series to Nikita Kanda and Gorka Márquez.

For the twenty-second series she was partnered with singer and actor Shayne Ward. They were the seventh couple to be eliminated, after losing the dance-off to Wynne Evans and Katya Jones.

SeriesPartnerPlaceAverage Score
19Rhys Stephenson4th34.2
20Will Mellor5th33.3
21Les Dennis15th15.5
22Shayne Ward9th30.3

Highest and Lowest Scoring Per Dance

Series 19: with celebrity partner Rhys Stephenson

Series 20: with celebrity partner Will Mellor

Series 21: with celebrity partner Les Dennis

Series 22: with celebrity partner Shayne Ward

Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special

Xu danced a Quickstep with Jamie Borthwick for the 2023 Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special, achieving the maximum 40 points from the judges and winning the competition.[18]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Strictly professional dancer heights: How tall are the pros?. Charlie. Milward. October 13, 2021. Express.co.uk.
  2. Web site: How to Pronounce Chinese Names | Services for International Students and Scholars. Jana M. Sanders. Perry. September 20, 2022. siss.ucdavis.edu.
  3. Web site: 中国美女参加英国大赛倒数第二：不重要，我是来撒狗粮的（组图） | 今日悉尼. www.sydneytoday.com.
  4. News: Strictly Come Dancing: Nancy Xu named new professional dancer. BBC News. 30 July 2019.
  5. Web site: Instagram post by nancy_xuxi .
  6. Web site: Nancy Xu. 30 July 2021.
  7. Web site: Strictly Come Dancing unveil new professional dancer meet the new star here!. 30 July 2019. Hello. 30 July 2021.
  8. Web site: Strictly Come Dancing Nancy Xu: Professional dancer's age, background and boyfriend revealed. Smooth Radio. 30 July 2021.
  9. Web site: Nancy Xu - BBC Strictly. 30 July 2021.
  10. Web site: Strictly Come Dancing 2019: Dancer Nancy Xu announced as new pro and she's already part of the family. Metro. 30 July 2019. 30 July 2021.
  11. Web site: Burn the Floor - Current Cast. 30 July 2021.
  12. Web site: Strictly Come Dancing new dancer Nancy Xu snubbed and left without partner. Daily Express. 7 September 2019. 30 July 2021.
  13. Web site: Who is Nancy Xu? Strictly Come Dancing 2019 professional dancer guide. Radio Times. 30 July 2021.
  14. Web site: EastEnders star 'won't do splits' on charity Strictly. RTE. 30 October 2019.
  15. Web site: Strictly pro line-up reshuffle means it's high time to give Nancy a partner. 24 June 2021. Radio Times.
  16. Web site: Strictly coupling complete!. BBC. 18 September 2021. 18 September 2021.
  17. Web site: Strictly's Rhys Stephenson breaks down after semi-final routine for heartwarming reason . 11 December 2021. HELLO! n. 11 December 2021.
  18. Web site: Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special 2023 winner revealed . 2024-01-25 . www.bbc.co.uk . en.

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