28 JUL 2026 · 1 H 24
How will you break your routine today?
with JAIME DIEGUEZ
About this episode
In this episode of Break the Routine, Marius sits down with Jaime Dieguez to explore a life shaped inside one dance home - from starting in children’s classes at seven years old to now helping lead County Dance nearly 70 years into its story. Jaime reflects on legacy, standards, and what it means to build dancers, protect quality, and carry ballroom forward from the inside.
They talk about growing up in a true dance community, why basics and authentic choreography still matter, how favouritism and politics distort opportunity, and what leadership really costs when you are trying to leave the culture healthier than you found it.
Chapters
- 00:00Intro
- 00:39Meet Jaime Dieguez
- 02:2370 years of County Dance, 120 years of NATD
- 04:03Why history matters (and just being nice)
- 06:16Starting at seven: the neighbour who tricked him into dancing
- 07:51A Spanish family, fiestas and dancing as a heartbeat
- 08:31Lifelong loyalty to one school: the seed and the soil
- 10:19Why he kept coming back through every age group
- 11:24Selected for Russia, then dropped: the conduct that stung
- 13:39Quitting for four years: fraud investigations and finding the way back
- 14:33Training with the best: paying for marks vs real mentorship
- 16:13Shirley Ballas: “This is stupid, get back on the floor”
- 18:54Running County Dance with Anna: honour and weight
- 19:43Victor Sylvester and the studio's history
- 23:29Choreography: bringing out the dancer, not chasing trends
- 26:16Individuality: remembering William Pino fly down the floor
- 28:36GAME: 20 rapid fire questions
- 32:07World Atlas: from New Guinea to MexicoOn the map
- 33:47Giving back in Uganda and Liberia
- 39:08Inside the industry: NATD, area committees, the BDC
Reels from this episode
All Reels on Instagram →They play on their own, muted. Tap one to hear it, tap again to mute.
Transcript
The full conversation, 1041 passages
My next door neighbor interestingly tricked me, told me he was going to a youth club.
What does this kind of lifelong loyalty do to you as a dancer and as a person?
They take away opportunities from other dancers that are are genuinely more talented and more deserving. Yeah, that's what breaks my heart.
Uh, do you think ballrooms sometimes protect reputation before it protects people?
Always people think that the people that are running the organizations and running the industry have the power. the people that are paying the money, the people that are attending the event, they're the ones that have the real power really to direct our industry. [music] Today's guest is Jamie Diego. He is a lifelong ballroom dancer teacher, a studio leader whose journey started at 7 years old. From becoming a youth UK 10 dance champion to now co-leading the dance county and helping the industry through major leadership roles. He brings a rare mix of competitive experience, legacy, and insight into the future of the borum industry. Welcome Jamie. Thank you for having me.
Die.
Die. Very good.
I love your name. He's like He's like should be a figure. He should be a dance figure.
Transcribed automatically from the episode audio, so some names may be misspelled. Tap a time to play that moment.