Guest Column: Vote Tommy Franzen this Saturday

By Emma Coombes, local resident

I’ve noticed over the past week or so there’s been a fair amount of discussion celebrating the strong artistic and dance community based in the Brockley area. So therefore I thought it would be of interest to all BC readers that a dancer who lives on Ladywell Road, Tommy Franzen, has made it to the semi-finals of BBC 1’s Saturday night show ‘So You Think You Can Dance’!

So far, he’s been a judge’s favourite and is strongly supported by the professional dance community and his friends at the Arch climbing wall in London Bridge, who have been working so hard to drum up support for him. But he’s now up against stiff competition as, unlike the other dancers, Tommy is from Sweden and has no UK-based family or roots.

With the climbing and dance communities rallying hard for him, as a Brockley resident I thought it might be good to alert BC readers to see if I can get a little bit of Brockley support going for him too!
Tommy is a professional dancer who has worked in a wide field ranging from hip-hop dance theatre and harness work to films and music videos.

He turned down the chance to appear in Cirque Du Soleil to appear as a dancer in Mamma Mia – The Movie as well as Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. At the Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Handover Ceremonies in 2008, Tommy not only danced but also assisted the choreographer.

Tommy is a truly amazing dancer, so, if you’re proud of Brockley’s artistic reputation, please vote for Tommy – BBC 1 Saturday night 7.05pm!