For a dance troupe, they’ve broken all the rules. Diversity were the first act of their kind to sell out an arena tour in Ireland and the UK. Since winning Britain’s Got Talent in 2009, they've continued to go from strength to strength, signing a lucrative contract with Sky TV and playing to packed rooms. They are proof that there is, indeed, life after reality television.
The unoffi cial leader of the group, Ashley Banjo, has become a household name as a judge on the hit show Got To Dance, and also created his own TV smash, Secret Street Crew.
Ashley sat down with Hot Press at the group’s London HQ, to talk about the ups and downs of fame, how they almost got to support Michael Jackson – and lets it slip that Simon Cowell is actually a nice guy...
You are still based close to where you grew up in London. Are you proud of your roots?
As they say, you can’t know where you are going unless you know where you came from. We definitely know where we came from. We teach the kids here as much as we can and help out in the community. We are part of the whole family.
Do you consider dance to be a lifestyle?
Yeah, you can’t just ‘put down’ dance. It’s not the kind of thing you pick up when you want. You’re staying fi t, and, every time a piece of music comes on, you end up dancing. I’m always coming up with ideas. You have to keep on top of training, you have to ‘live’ it.
You can’t just go to a couple of classes every week and expect to perform at a certain level. You have to go and make it your life.
How did you start dancing in the first place?
I didn’t just ‘start’ dancing. I was born into it. My mum and dad opened a dance school, so it was my life – like walking or breathing. It was second nature to me.
But I read somewhere you studied science at university?
I did natural science, biology and physics. Was there a moment you knew dance was going to be your life?
When we won Britain’s Got Talent. Before that, I was in the ‘divider’. I was coming to a point in my life, at about 19, when I was about to graduate from uni. I was either gonna get a job or dance full time. It was at this crossroads in my life that I entered Britain’s Got Talent. In fact, we were asked to put our names forward. When we won, the decision was made for me. Suddenly I was presented with all these opportunities. I didn’t have a chance to say ‘no’ (laughs).
Had you imagined you might win Britain’s Got Talent?
We felt it might be possible, if people liked what we did. I guess at some level everybody thinks, ‘Yeah we could win'. You never know for sure. There was a lot of competition. You had Diversity, Susan Boyle… all acts that are still successful today. We were happy to get down to the fi nal three. Then, it was between us and Susan Boyle. If you watch the videos we were sort of already celebrating because we were up against Susan Boyle, the most famous person in the world. Just to be there was a sort of victory in itself. When they called out our names our response wasn’t so much joy as total shock. We couldn’t believe it.
Beating a phenomenon such as Susan Boyle was a huge achievement. In any other circumstance, I can’t imagine how anyone could have fi nished ahead of her. It was meant to be, I think. It just sort of happened.
Alongside the pyrotechnics there’s always been a spiritual element to your dancing. I create shows based around beliefs and messages. This show is a superhero thing. It’s about boys firing fire and wind around. At the same time, it’s called Limitless - it’s based around the idea that everybody is born limitless. As you grow and start to mould your life, people place barriers upon themselves, and I think that we’ve broken through a few barriers in our lives. We are the only dance group doing what we do in the country. And we’re the only dance group ever to sell out the O2 Arena.
Do you feel under pressure to improve with each tour?
I am sitting here and what I see first is this
Dictaphone, and I think, ‘that’s an amazing shape’. I’ll remember that shape. In a minute, when I go into rehearsal that shape might come out as an idea. I take literally everything in.
What do you want audiences to take away from your show?
I want them to realise nothing is impossible. If you want something you can get it, as long as you keep focused, keep dedicated, and absolutely push yourself. You can do what you want!
A lot of dance groups in Ireland and the UK are ignored when it comes to government funding. Is that fair?
Growing up, I didn’t really have much. But mum and dad worked every hour of the day. They created a support system for kids who wanted to dance. They would tell them, ‘as long as we know that your heart is in the right place and that you’re trying to pay, you can come’. They gave these young people a direction in life. If governments can create schemes to help kids grow their talents, and find their passion in life, that’s going to inspire the next generation. Which is really important.
Did you see the Russell Brand outburst in his interview with Jeremy Paxman? He believes governments don’t care about real people.
I don’t think it’s true to say governments don’t care about real people. I think there is an argument that the view of a person from inside government is diff erent to that of a person walking down the street. It’s like a teacher talking about a student. The good teachers see the students as people, and the bad ones see the students as just numbers. It must be hard to govern a country. However, there are loads of things they could do better.
Do you live a glamorous lifestyle?
There are glamorous elements. There is also the pressure of staying up until 4am, the pressure of 20,000 people watching you. Plus, as a dancer, if you have a bad fall, your career might be over. On one of our early tours, I popped a ligament in my knee. Had it been a tear or rip, I would have been out a year. Every time we go on stage we are literally putting everything on the line.
The skateboarder Tony Hawk recently talked to me about the risks that come with his job…
We make it look easy, that’s the art of it. What we do on stage is the equivalent of being on a treadmill for an hour. I am throwing (fellow dancer) Perri 20 feet in the air, catching him with one arm, jumping over things, fl ipping. You make one mistake out of fatigue, it’s serious injury.
Are there drugs or groupies in your world?
Drugs are everywhere, no matter what world you are in. The diff erence is that, in the entertainment business, the subject receives more publicity. Singers, and what have you, get more money than other people, are free to have a good time. They party more than most.
We are against all that stuff . It is so not our world. Regarding groupies… well, if you are good at what you do, you are going to get fans, people who love your art. We call our fans ‘DVfem’. They support us in so many ways, on Twitter, at events. I suppose it’s similar.
Any “Dirty Dianas” waiting after the show?
(Laughs) Maybe, but I’ve got a girlfriend so not for me, I’m afraid. Just Clean Dianas (laughs).
If you had one ‘true’ idol, who would it be?
Michael Jackson.
What did you think of the rumours about his personal life?
There are two sides to every story. You don’t know what’s true, what’s not true, especially when someone is in the spotlight to the degree he was. As an artist I found him inspirational. That’s what matters at the end of the day. Will there ever be anyone to beat him? I really don’t think so. Some people are frontrunners in one or two things, Michael Jackson was a leader in about seven fields.
That’s why he was so amazing. He was world class.
You must have been shocked to hear he had died.
We were going to be a support act for him, you know. So it was the worst day ever. I thought it was a wind-up. It felt like a prank. We found out as we were doing our first ever tour with Britain’s Got Talent. I was thinking, ‘this is not real’.
Is Simon Cowell still involved in Diversity?
No.
Did you part amicably?
Well… we didn’t really ‘part’ company at all. The year before Diversity won Britain’s Got Talent, [singer and dancer] George Sampson won. He was signed to Simon Cowell’s label and released a couple of singles and dance videos. I don’t think he’s done as well as people would have hoped. We parted ways quite early. We went on to sell out five shows at Hammersmith Apollo, do two tours. We were successful.
What’s Cowell like?
Simon’s cool. He has a certain image on TV. Over the years, he has mellowed. He is not as mean and rude anymore. He is quite an honest chap.
Do people seek his approval because he’s such a ‘tough’ guy?
You know he will tell you the truth. I’ve become my own ‘inner Simon’. I look back at our performances and ask, ‘can we do better?’
Do you enjoy playing Ireland?
The audiences are really special. We shot a film of our show in Dublin because the crowd was so enthusiastic. I love hanging about the city. It’s so beautiful, with all those old buildings.
Do you hang around with other celebs much?
Over the years we have gained friends that are celebrities. People from Little Mix, JLS etc. We mostly roll with our ‘normal’ friends. I don’t drink. I will have the odd Guinness, maybe.
What is your opinion of Irish dancing?
Irish dancers must have legs like trees. It’s completely diff erent from what we do. I’m a big fan of Prodajig, who have taken the Celtic tradition somewhere different. Street dancing has fewer boundaries, I would think. Once you learn a few styles you can take it where you want. You never know what you will get.
But I am waiting for an Irish dancer to blow me away.
How are the Irish at dancing generally?
There is a lot of street dance in Ireland. They are really, really good. One of my favorite crews is from Ireland. They were in series one of Got to Dance. And obviously Prodajig won the show outright. The dance scene seems healthy in Ireland. The dancers are super passionate.
The attitude is slightly diff erent from London, a little more ‘street’.
What was your top moment in Secret Street Crew?
In the new series I did a secret street crew with a wheelchair basketball team. That was pretty inspirational. They are properly pushing the limits. They are in wheelchairs and absolutely smashed it.
Are you bringing the show to Ireland?
We have never taken it to Ireland. I don’t know why, but maybe one day. I might struggle with the Irish accent – that thick accent you get sometimes.
What does the future hold for Diversity?
There is so much. Diversity The Movie is in the pipeline. It is 3D, and full of street dancing. It is about our life from the beginning up to this point. We’ve been working on it for years.
There is a script. However, a fi lm takes an awful amount of resources, money and time. We’ve been too busy to make it but hopefully we will have time, as well as an opportunity for a residency in Vegas. We’d like to go to the Continent as well. It’s all about spreading the word.
Have you had any low points?
Success is at a price. You can’t walk down the street unrecognised. We came up with the dance community – and suddenly we were incredibly busy, touring all the time and so forth. We were separated from our families, our girlfriends. We’ve tried to move things around so we can have a more normal life.
Then you play somewhere like The O2 in London and there are 15,000 people chanting ‘Diversity, Diversity’. That makes it all worthwhile.