HISTORY
Brendan was born in Christchurch, New Zealand on the 23 April 1976.
Head strong and determined, with a mischievous and cheeky nature, he was very hands on with everything and always trying to find something to construct or at least a tree to climb. Involved in most sports from an early age, at the age of 6, with gentle persuasion from his mother (dragged kicking and screaming), began to learn Ballroom and Latin American Dance. Over the next few years Ballroom dancing would fast become his passion and he would become the Juvenile, Junior and Youth Champion of New Zealand. This enabled him to compete in Various International Competitions fuelling his passion for competing and learning dance even further.
At age 17 having left school and keen to work, he got his first job as a roof layer and then later as a Builder. Being creative in a hands on manner was very important to him, but during this time Brendan had the opportunity to travel to Europe to compete in the World Youth Ballroom Championships. Part of this trip would show him the Dance scene of London and the difference in training and teaching methods compared to back home in New Zealand. Knowing what it was going to take, he made the decision that in order to achieve his dancing goals he would have to move to London and in true Brendan style, he wanted it yesterday. When reality set in he decided that it might take a little longer than that and set his goal to be moving there within the next year.
Well exactly one year later in 1995 Brendan did just that. Just before his 19th birthday, he made the move to London to find his future partner and study with various world renowned coaches.
One more year on in 1996, he and Danish born dancer Camilla Dallerup would cross paths. Their decision to team up would be the decision that was to be their next eight private and professional years.
Like most young amateur couples who have a passion or goal, they both worked different jobs to enable their dreams to develop. Their dancing would take place around these day jobs, practicing and taking lessons in the evenings and weekends and competing wherever and whenever they could. After four years as amateur dancers, an offer to travel to Hong Kong to teach would be offered. Accepting, would mean the decision to turn Professional and the time to make dancing their professional career. So in January of 2000 the decision was made. Although a very bold one, this was definitely the right move and their career flourished. They became the New Zealand and Asian Open Professional Champions and soon settled into all four semi finals of what is considered the top four competitions throughout the world, The International, United Kingdom Open, British Open and World Championships. During this time, their career also involved choreographing and performing numerous shows throughout the world as well as choreographing stage shows and various other performances for other dancers worldwide.
In 2004, their careers took a very dramatic and exciting turn. They were invited to take part in a new reality style TV programme called ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ developed by the BBC. However, during this time their eight year partnership would end and this would also see the end of Brendan’s professional competing days. For the TV show, Brendan was paired with BBC Breakfasts Natasha Kaplinsky, and over the next three months they would train together with Brendan choreographing and teaching Natasha eleven Ballroom and Latin dancers which would be performed live to the nation over eight Saturday nights. The journey would see them become the first ever winners of this very successful Saturday night television show and the beginning of Brendan’s next chapter.
Since then the show has become a worldwide phenomenon, produced in over 20 countries where it is known as ‘Dancing with the Stars’. With the sixth series underway here in the UK Where he is partnered with the lovely Lisa Snowdon, he has been one of only four of the professional dancers to participate in all six series of the UK version, also partnering Casualty’s Sarah Manners, GMTV’s Fiona Phillips, Actress Clair King, and in series 5 partnering Model, Actress and Presenter Kelly Brook. Their chances looked good with some very good dancing from Kelly. Sadly due to a bereavement in her family Kelly was no longer able to continue in the competition and pulled out after week eight. Brendan was also lucky enough to be partnered with super model Rachel Hunter for the Christmas Special in 2005.
In a very different role, Brendan has also appeared in the New Zealand version of the show, ‘Dancing with the Stars’ http://tvnz.co.nz/dancingwiththestars Television New Zealand would invite Brendan home to be one of the judges and with his direct manor he fast become the slightly more critical and perhaps harsher of the four judges. Along with his judging role, he also performed numerous demonstrations with the co-host, Candy Lane. This show has just seen its forth and very successful series produced with over a third of the population tuning in.
In 2004 Brendan had his stage debut in a Paul Hammond pantomime, the classic ‘Cinderella’. This was infused with a Strictly Come Dancing twist, where he would take on the role as Prince Charming in what was a first for him, singing, acting and dancing in the Victoria theatre, Halifax, along side BBC’s ‘Cave Girl’ and Sky’s ‘Mile High’ Actress Stacey Cadman.
In July and August of 2006 he endured 7 weeks on a Fijian Island (tough break) which saw 11 celebrity contestants co-habit in ITV’s ‘Love Island’ (www.itv.co.uk/loveisland). During this time various other celebes were also dropped in and out at different times, all trying to live together under ‘very interesting’ conditions in the pursuit of possibly finding ‘Love’, (it wasn’t found). In an audience vote, eviction style program, Island residents would be eliminated one by one until the last man and woman were crowned as the winners. Brendan lasted the entire seven weeks and two days, finishing second, with a close 49 percent of audience vote.
In January of 2007 the BBC invited Brendan to compete in the Reality hit ‘Just The Two of US’ bbc.co.uk/justthetwoofus, where he and six other Celebrity contestants would be partnered along side legendry singers including Jocelyn Brown, Marti Pellow and Brendan’s own spectacular partner, sole singing sensation Beverley Knight. During the show, hosted by Vernon Kay and Tess Daly, the couples would be voted for by the TV audience and the four judges, Stuart Copeland (The Police), Tito Jackson (The Jackson Five), Trevor Nelson (Radio 1), world renowned singing coach Cece Sammy. It was an absolute pleasure for Brendan to be partnered with Beverley, they lasted the entire 6 nights, and eventually finished second to Marti Pellow and Hannah Waterman.
August 2007 saw the first ever Eurovision Dance contest, http://esckaz.com/edc where Brendan was reunited with Camilla for one last time to represent the UK. They danced to Barbra Streisand's 'The Way We Were' and a James Bond Medley. This was to be Brendan's last professional competitive dance and their choice to do their favourite dance to the special song they used for most of their career (The Way We Were) was in his own words 'Magical'. The result of second to last with only 18 points was not one to remember but the night certainly was. The Competition was won by their old friends and fellow competitors Jussi Vaananen and Katja Koukkula representing Finland.
The New year of 2008 saw Brendan being asked to compete in a new program for BBCTwo daytime in conjunction with BBC learning. He along with Matt Alwright, Sherrie Houston, Angela Griffin, Calvin Mackenzie and Deirmoid Gavin, would be put through a series of situations in the hope of becoming a crime writing novelist. This would all take place under the judgement of award winning novelist Minette Walters who determined who stayed and who would go.
Along with entertainment style programmes, Brendan’s work includes various Television appearances, corporate event hosting, personal appearances, product endorsement, after dinner speaking and corporate dance lessons involving team building and motivational speaking.
Brendan is also Partners in a Photographic and Image Consultancy http://img1st.com catering to all photographic and image needs and a Dance shoe and Dance wear business http://coledance.com for dance fashion and dance shoe needs for the social to the competitive style dancer.