It was a very Good Friday for the dance fans who flocked to the Music Hall to watch Strictly star Johannes Radebe strut his stuff.
They were rewarded with a two-hour spectacle of non-stop dancing and music with choreography of the highest order, more sequins than you thought would be possible in one show – and all while getting to know Jojo himself a lot better.
And it was a good Friday for Johaness, too. He was rewarded with the sort of reception that is usually reserved for global rock stars, with moments when the action almost had to pause, so loud and long was the adulation.
Aye, there was a lot of love in the room – both going to the stage and coming from it. Johannes has clearly connected with many people through Strictly, not least for his trailblazing partnership with John Whaite in the show’s first male same-sex partnership.
In fact, the warm adoration was so tangible you half suspect if Johannes had simply sat on a stool all night fanning himself – as only he can – there would have been whoops, hollers and standing ovations in the Music Hall.
Johannes was theatrical, uplifting and just joyous at the Music Hall
But he did more than that. Far more. In his first solo UK tour the “township boy from South Africa” put on an extravagant show that was theatrical, uplifting and just joyous.
His Freedom tour is billed as taking audiences on a journey from Johannes’s South African boyhood to the glitz, glamour and fame that Strictly has brought him.
No surprise then, that the bulk of the first half was a celebration of his African roots, with traditional dance and song, melded with some nifty street moves, as he moved from township to Johannesburg and beyond.
The cheering started the moment Johannes swept onto the stage in Zulu costume against a set with a township vibe, all corrugated iron and graffiti, to kick things off with traditional, high energy African dance.
Watching Johannes dance is a thing of beauty. Every move is clean, every line is perfect, every flick of his head, snap of his finger, move of his leg is crisp and precise. It’s all just so. He is at the very top of his game.
His hugely talented team of dancers, echoed his every move as we followed his progress from little Jojo to Johannes, the Strictly star who doesn’t need a surname anymore.
Johannes nearly brought the house down with Strictly tribute
But the joy was leavened with a heartfelt message from Johannes and his grim reminder that in more than 70 countries homosexuality is still illegal, people made criminals for loving someone. It was a sobering note that underlined we are still a long way for Freedom for everyone.
After the interval, the African vibe was replaced with a smorgasbord of the dances and tunes Johannes loves. It was interspersed with chat and banter with the audience that had them eating out his hand – when not shouting “we love you” as he thanked them for the support that has buoyed him on his journey.
An extended Bob Fosse sequence was a slick and sexy joy, while Jojo’s homage to Strictly – with a call out to all his partners and especially John – nearly brought the house down.
It was in the segue from Fosse to foxtrot that Johannes pulled off a quick change into tails and white bowtie that saw the audience cheer, clap and stamp their feet for so long, it looked like the dancer was going to be reduced to tears.
Audience went stratospheric as Jojo danced in showgirl feathers
Of course, there was a degree of inevitability about where all this was going to end up … on the disco dance floor.
If the Aberdeen audience nearly lost it at tails and ties, they went stratospheric when Jojo emerged in showgirl feathers – and that fan – for a sequence that took in diva classics such as I Feel Love.
The last few minutes of Freedom packed in more energy, pizazz and sheer exuberance than many shows manage across two hours.
Relentless and irresistible, the Music Hall was on its feet and boogeying like there was no tomorrow.
Johannes might not have won the Glitterball last year, but it’s pretty obvious he’s won the hearts of the nation – and certainly of Aberdeen.
