Clive Myrie had a go at ballet while he was filming for his new TV show in Cuba.
Clive Myrie had a go at ballet while he was filming for his new TV show in Cuba
The 59-year-old broadcaster is gearing up to the release of his upcoming BBC programme ‘Clive Myrie’s Caribbean Adventure’ - in which he explores islands in Jamaica, Barbados, the Dominican Republic and Cuba - and has now revealed he was taken out of his comfort zone when he tried classical dancing.
According to the Daily Mirror newspaper, he said: “I was with a bunch of young ballet dancers in Cuba and they said, ‘Do you want to try?’ So I did! I put on ballet tights and did some moves, it was fun.
“It harks back to Fidel Castro’s idea that culture wasn’t just for the elite, it was for everybody.”
The ‘BBC News at Ten’ presenter has teased his favourite moments from the show, including riding on the back of Ernesto Guevara's (son of former Minister of Industries for Cuba, Che Guevara) motorbike, and swimming with racehorses in Barbados.
He told the BBC: “There were so many standout moments but I will never forget being on the back of Ernesto Guevara’s motorbike, taking me through the old parts of Havana and seeing these amazing buildings that are crumbling. Seeing his dad’s big picture in Revolution Square was a definite highlight and one that I imagine is quite surreal for him, seeing pictures of his dad all over the world.
“Swimming with racehorses in Barbados was also a definite highlight. Hydrotherapy is proven to be good for the animals, it calms them down, helps them if they're injured and the beach is only 600 yards from the stables.
“Being able to swim with them was an amazing experience and something I’ll always remember.”
Clive - whose parents were born in Jamaica and are part of the ‘Windrush’ generation that came to the UK in the 1960’s - explained he wanted viewers to learn about the “history of the Caribbean through [his] family's eyes”.
He said: “This series was very much about trying to tell a little bit of the history of the Caribbean through my family's eyes and the connection it has to me.
“I’ll be unearthing my ancestral roots and reconnecting with family members I didn’t even know I had! I’ll be taking in the vibrant streets of Cuba, the nightlife of Jamaica, the lush landscapes of the Dominican Republic and the beach paradise of Barbados.”