Over the last 10 years, Flavia has become one of the nation’s favourite dancers and personalities.
From her glitterball-winning exploits on BBC One’s Strictly Come Dancing to her formidable dance partnership with Vincent Simone that saw them sell out theatres around the UK with their unique brand of dance theatre for a consecutive 8 years. Along the way, they both managed to garner rave reviews, pick-up several award nominations, appear on numerous TV shows, and even make special appearances on prestigious shows like the Royal Variety and the BBC Proms.
Alongside her glittering career as a dancer, Flavia’s other passions include fitness, animal welfare, dog behaviour, food and drink, and taking long walks in Cornwall with her husband Jimi and their two cockapoos, Pablo and Zak. A little known fact is that Flavia is also a qualified dog groomer.
Recently Flavia has branched out from her known background of dance and taken a step into the world of fitness. For many years of being a dancer, Flavia has had a keen interest in Health and Fitness and has previously released several dance fitness DVD’s, but her passion runs much deeper than that. Flavia’s belief is that Total Fitness is not only about the physical side but also about your mind, body and soul. A positive outlook can go a long way! With this drive, Flavia recently went back to school and studied with NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine) gaining her Level 3 diploma in personal training and nutrition. With this, she has started her new venture FCMFIT, a health and fitness brand that encompasses Flavia’s beliefs and provides programs for all levels to get fit and be the best person they can be.
As well as her new direction into fitness with FCMFit, Flavia is still enjoying dance tuition and conducting dance workshops and masterclasses. Flavia has a fellowship qualification with the UKA.
Flavia hopes that with her new platform, FCMFit, and her versatility she’s able to offer something for everyone. Flavia has said that the best piece of advice anyone has given her was from one of her early dance teachers who said: “Be the best version of you”. She now hopes she can inspire others to do the same.
Tell us a bit about yourself, background and your current role
Please go to www.flaviacacace.com and check out the ‘home’ and ‘career’ sections which covers my early life, bio/career and what I’m up to now with my dancing.
Did you ever sit down and plan your career?
I never planned my career, I started dancing when I was 5 and I’ve only really slowed down having turned 40. And to be fair I’ve not said I’ve retired so I’m still dancing in some way shape or form. However I’m now focusing on my new venture with my husband FCMFIT which focuses on Fitness. Nutrition. Life.
Have you faced any challenges along the way?
Who doesn’t face challenges, it doesn’t matter what walk of life you come from there will always be challenges in life. It’s not so much about what those challenges are but more so how we deal with them. I have to be honest I wasn’t particularly good when I was younger being quite a sensitive individual. However experiences thorough life make you stronger and your priorities in life change too and become more real and logical, so things that maybe would have felt like the end of the world then, don’t nowadays seem quite so bad. In the LIFE section of FCMFIT we talk about having a positive mind and how we stay motivated and focused in our own lives so we can be fitter, happier and healthier.
What has been your biggest achievement to date?
My goodness me, as far as my career goes there are so many moments I just cannot pick as there are quite a few all for different reasons. I think in general getting through life is a big achievement in itself with all its highs and lows. Also making change, for example studying for my diploma last year was a huge challenge for me to conquer and it’s nice to be able to share my experience with others.
What one thing do you believe has been a major factor in you achieving success?
Success is different for everyone and doesn’t always have to be related to your career, however for the majority of my life my career was my priority, I luckily now have much more of a work/life balance. I think success is very much linked to hard work, if you work hard and are committed then results will come sooner or later.
How do you feel about mentoring? Have you mentored anyone or are you someone’s mentee?
I’ve taught people to dance for many years and still do so I guess that is mentoring in some way, especially on strictly when you are partnering celebrities who are feeling very nervous and sometimes overwhelmed. On those occasions you almost have to hide or suppress your own concerns to be able to help someone overcome theirs. Through FCMFIT Jimi and I hope to build a community of like minded people who can interact with us and each other to feel inspired to make a positive change in their lives.
If you could change one thing to accelerate the pace of change for Gender Parity, what would it be?
I think things have come a long way when it comes to gender parity and I think it is absolutely accepted by society which is how it should be. Even though I’ve spent a lot of time wearing beautiful dresses and dancing in high heel shoes I’m actually not particularly all that ‘girlie’. I love being outdoors whatever the weather, I’m quite happy to get muddy, I enjoy DIY and love weight training. My biggest concern is the effect of social media on young girls and having to look a certain way, that worries me the most.
If you could give one piece of advice to your younger self what would it be?
Don’t worry, it will work out in the end.
What is your next challenge and what are you hoping to achieve in the future?
My next challenge is together with my husband to build a great FCMFIT community for men and women to join, supporting then in staying fit, eating well and having a positive lifestyle. If we can achieve this we will be very very happy.
