Sexy reaction belies TV belly dancer's intentions
AFTER her wiggles wowed the judges on ITV show Britain's Got Talent on Saturday night, belly dancer Sophie Mei found herself all over the media.
"These last few days have been crazy, my feet haven't touched the ground," says the 20-year-old student from Sheffield.
The programme was recorded at the Palace Theatre in Manchester in January and Sophie suddenly found herself the talk of the town after the show screened on Saturday.
Viewers saw the usually sharp-tongued Simon Cowell lost for words for once, eventually managing to gulp: "You're very cute."
Co-presenter Dec Donnelly applauded ecstatically from the wings as the other judges heaped praise on Sophie.
Piers Morgan gushed: "Your wobble is very good. You have got the belly for belly dancing." and Amanda Holden trilled: "You are completely gorgeous."
The next day her scantily-clad picture was all over the papers with headlines such as "Mr Nasty and the Belly Nice Dancer" and "Sexy Sophie wows judges" which she took in good heart, although it was not exactly her intention.
She entered the ITV talent show to help change the image of belly dancing.
"I was fed up with it being seen as sleazy. It's a woman's dance for women, it's not for men. I wanted to get that message across," says Sophie, who is in her second year studying philosophy and Italian at Manchester University.
"I also entered Britain's Got Talent because I wanted to try something different from the usual dance competitions which are very traditional and set in their ways.
"There are so many amazing acts on Britain's Got Talent that mine looks quite normal."
She admits that she was very nervous beforehand. "But after seven hours of waiting you get to the point where you're beyond nervous," she adds.
"It was such an amazing atmosphere. I have performed on stage but never experienced anything like going out in front of 2,000 people all cheering. You soon get into the role and I loved it.
"We have to wait until May 24 to find out whether we'll be going into the live semis. If that happens I will be looking to draw on support from Sheffield.
Sophie's mother is Anglo-Chinese artist Panni Poh Yoke Loh and her dad, Steve Slack, is director of the Centre for HIV and Sexual Health in Sheffield.
She grew up in Pitsmoor and went to Fir Hill and King Edward VII schools.
At the age of 13 or 14 Sophie joined belly dancing classes in Pitsmoor and Walkley, partly as a way of defying pressure at school for girls to have slim figures.
When she got to Manchester she took her dancing to a higher level by training with a leading instructor and practises regularly.
Once a week she comes back to Sheffield to perform for customers at the Shiraz restaurant on Abbeydale Road but keeps her dance moves in check when she works weekends in the food hall at Selfridges in Manchester.
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Wednesday 23 May 2012
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