As Thomas Cook prepares for its Strictly Come Dancing themed conference in Turkey, a few chosen agents have been learning to dance at ‘boot camp’.
We take an inside look at the auditions – led by Strictly star Anton du Becke – and finalist Lauren Murphy shares her training diary.
Lauren’s diary
- Name: Lauren Murphy
- Age: 25
- Branch: Albion Street, Leeds
- Role: Travel sales consultant
Friday 5 December
To try to calm my nerves, I had a spa this morning, I’m really nervous and excited at the same time. I can’t believe that tonight, I’ll be dancing in front of more than 1000 people.
We’ll get dressed at 4pm today, hair and make up will be at 6pm and then the big show will start at 9pm – wish me luck!
Thursday 4 December
I’ve had the day off today, which was bliss. I chilled out and had a spa. We had another rehearsal at 5pm and I’m so relieved, everything went really well. Jake and I have both calmed down, I think the nerves got the better of us earlier this week. We’re both a lot more relaxed and focused now. I caught up with my three customer service managers today, it was so great to see them, they can’t wait for tomorrow.
We had the conference opening ceremony tonight down on the beach. There were more than 1000 people there. I won’t ruin it for those who’ll be on the second conference… but you’re in for a real treat! You’ll be pleased to know that at the party, I stuck to water and I went back to the hotel early, I just want to keep focused on tomorrow night.
Wednesday 3 December
Today started off with a full dress rehearsal on stage. The set is absolutely amazing, it almost looks like the set on the TV show – this is so nerve-wracking and the adrenalin is really going now. All the pieces are starting to come together though – the costumes, the dances, the set – and it’s going to be awesome.
The senior directors, Pete, Ian, Simon, Frank and Melanie came to see us when we were going through our rehearsal. We had a long chat with them about the competition and they loved our costumes.
All the delegates arrived today ready for the conference to kick off tomorrow – I just can’t wait.
Tuesday 2 December
We had a meeting this morning to go through our schedules and rehearsal times. This is such a professional set up, it’s fantastic to be a part of it, even though it is exhausting.
Jake and I got some rehearsal time today, which we really needed, but things haven’t gone well. I think now that we’re here, we can see the magnitude of the conference and we’re worrying, which means that I’m starting to make mistakes that I wasn’t making before.
There are so many people here who are involved in organising the conference, so there’s lots of rushing around as people are trying to get things done before everyone arrives.
Monday 1 December
The flight today was quite tiring. I had to get from Leeds to Stansted and I arrived in Turkey in the evening. I met Pete Constanti and Simon Robinson on the flight out and had a little chat with them. I can’t believe I’m going to be dancing in front of them later this week!
The schedule for the rest of the week will be pretty hectic, so I’m going to get an early night tonight.
Friday 28th November
We started today with a full run through of the event and how things will go. It was good to get together with all the contestants and to discuss how things are going with them.
It’s been a really challenging week, but I’ve absolutely loved it. I’m just looking forward to getting out to Turkey on Monday, seeing where the conference is going to take place and where I’ll be performing in front of everyone.
Thursday 27th November
Today I had my dress fitting. The costume is gorgeous and surprisingly, it’s really comfortable. I’ll be showing a lot of leg! We did some filming that will be shown at the opening of the competition next week. It was really good fun to be in front of the camera.
Rehearsals this afternoon didn’t go too well. I’m struggling with getting into character for the Tango, and Jake was getting frustrated with me! Hopefully training will be better tomorrow.
Wednesday November 26
I was so stiff this morning that I couldn’t move properly, so Jake made me start with some horrible stretches. They worked a treat though and really helped to loosen up.
My new shoes turned up after lunch. They make a world of difference – I don’t slip everywhere now. But my feet are covered in plasters where the shoes have been rubbing.
We had a really productive day today. We’ve been working on polishing all the moves, so it’s not drab and will look neat and tidy.
I’ve got the best of both worlds with my two dances. The samba is a real party dance, it’s lively, with loads of shimmying and getting the crowd involved. The tango on the other hand is very dramatic and will be a real showstopper.
I’ve been getting lots of texts from my three customer service managers and my manager, Dominic Horsley. I’m really missing them and can’t wait to see them. They said they’re making banners for the big night.
Being a dancer certainly isn’t glamorous behind the scenes, I’m covered in bruises and my feet are aching so much – I’ve now had a taster of what it must be like to be a professional dancer. I’m absolutely loving it, but I think I’ll stick to selling Thomas Cook holidays.
Tuesday November 25
Last night the reality of what I’m doing kicked in. I’m going to be dancing in front of more than 2,000 people, including Manny, UK & Ireland CEO Pete Constanti and sales MD Simon Robinson – so no pressure then! Let’s hope I don’t fall over.
Today Jake and I carried on with our two dance routines. Once I’ve got the routine sorted, we can then work on fine-tuning my moves. We’ve done a full day of dancing today and it’s really hard work. My body just isn’t used to this much physical activity.
I’m slightly worried as my proper dance shoes will arrive tomorrow and I’m not used to dancing in heels. We’ll just have to see tomorrow, but at least I have some time to get used to them.
Right, I’m off to have dinner with the now and to find out how their days went. I’m absolutely starving – all this dancing gives you a real appetite.
Monday November 24
I can’t believe I’m through to the finals. We had a debrief this morning and I’ve realised this is not going to be an easy ride!
I met my dance partner Jake this morning. He’s 24, lives in London and is originally from South Africa. He’s a professional Latin dancer and we got on really well, which is a huge relief.
We started our rehearsals this afternoon. Jake and I will be performing the samba and the tango. After five hours of dancing, I was absolutely exhausted. I went back to the hotel and had a much needed sauna and steam.
Later I had dinner with the other contestants. We all work in different parts of the country, so it was great to get to know different Thomas Cook people and to find out what they do, but more importantly, it was good to suss out the competition… I’ve got my eye on that trophy in Turkey!
