It’s not often that every single person in the Britain’s Got Talent audience gets to their feet at the end of an audition – let alone all four judges.
Yet that’s the roaring response Nathan Pike and his dance partner Joanne Banham inspired when they performed a Cha-Cha-Cha in front of the cameras earlier this year.
And this week they’re facing an even bigger challenge when they take on the BGT live semi-finals in London’s Hammersmith Apollo.
They are competing against scores of other hopefuls to win the £250,000 prize and the chance to perform at the Royal Variety Show on November 30.
While professional dancer Joanne, 28, admits she’s nervous, Nathan, 24, is brimming with confidence - and can’t wait to get back on the stage.
Born with Down’s Syndrome, Nathan had never danced until a charity event at his school eight years ago. That ignited his passion for ballroom and Latin and an encounter with dance teacher Joanne three years ago took his love for movement to the next level.
The pair met just before the pandemic and had to move their lessons to video calls when lockdown hit – but they came up with an ingenious way for Joanne to teach Nathan the steps.
“Nathan would wear odd-coloured socks, because on Zoom it’s harder to tell left from right,” says his dad Tom, 57.
“There’s a lot of oddly paired socks in Nathan’s drawer,” laughs mum Fiona, also 57. Even now, Nathan will wear one red and one blue sock for performances.
“It’s his secret weapon,” smiles Joanne.
The idea to nominate Nathan to audition for BGT was Joanne’s , and it took a monumental effort to keep the scheme hush-hush.
“We were having to be careful what we said in front of him to keep it secret,” says Fiona.
“We took calls in the middle of the night and he’d appear and say, ‘who are you talking to?’” laughs Tom.
Their efforts paid off when Nathan was surprised by judge Alesha Dixon, 44, who walked in while he and Joanne were practising and invited him to dance in front of the BGT studio audience.
“Alesha’s just amazing and Nathan was so surprised, he was quite overwhelmed as he wasn’t expecting a thing,” says Tom.
“Once he’d settled down he thanked us and Joanne, and Alesha for coming over. It all happened very quickly, it’s a bit of a blur!”
Hours later, Nathan was preparing to show off his dancing in front of the four judges – Alesha, Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and Bruno Tonioli.
He even shared some banter with ex-Strictly Come Dancing star Bruno about his Cha-Cha-Cha.
“The atmosphere was brilliant, very positive,” says Fiona, who along with husband was watching on from the sidelines.
She added: “Everyone was rooting for Nathan, and then the two of them nailed it. We didn’t actually get to see the full routine until it was on TV. I watch it over and over on YouTube.”
One standing ovation from the entire audience later, and Nathan and Joanne were through with four huge yeses.
The last few weeks have been exhausting, with daily rehearsals to get their semi-finals routine faultless, but Nathan has loved every minute.
“He never complains,” says his mum. “All the things he’s had to deal with in his life, he’s just happy with what he’s given and what he gets.
“He’s always been very pleased and grateful with his lot, he doesn’t expect the world and he’s just happy with what we provide. He’s always very kind, very considerate, he’s polite to people. We’re very proud of him; we think we’ve brought up a very fine young man.”
Tom agrees. “He’s got a beautiful compassion for people who can’t walk, having gone to a special school with a lot of children who used wheelchairs,” he says.
“Some people make the mistake of only talking to the person pushing the wheelchair, whereas Nathan always talks to the person in the chair.
“He’ll get down to their level to make sure they’re included. He’s very caring and always wants to help.”
Aside from inspiring people all over the country with his dancing, Nathan harbours another talent: snooker.
“He can do all sorts of trick shots,” says Tom. He also loves cooking and would love to find a permanent placement in a kitchen where he can experiment with different ingredients.
“The first thing I learnt to cook was gingerbread men,” Nathan says.
“Sadly, they weren’t gluten-free, so I couldn’t eat them. But I most like cooking curry. Cooking makes me happy and excited.”
He loves cooking for his family, and he can often be found whipping up new dishes for them all to try.
“The funniest moment in the kitchen was when my mum asked me to fetch the whisk, and I started doing Samba Whisks, which is a dance move, instead,” Nathan adds. “We laughed a lot!”
But Joanne hopes he’ll never forget his love of dancing.
“Dancing with Nathan is my biggest joy, I just burst with pride every time we take to the stage,” she says.
“Performing with him and seeing his face light up is just the most rewarding and heartwarming moment.”
Revealing how special it is, she said: “I’ve had the pleasure of dancing with some great performers when I did Dancing With The Stars in the Netherlands, but none quite like Nathan.
“His fearlessness on stage is just infectious.”
Joanne would love to join the professional cast on Strictly, which is one of Nathan’s favourite shows, and says it would be an “honour” to perform on the BBC talent contest.
And no matter the result of BGT, Nathan has already made a huge difference to others with genetic conditions. He’s been asked for his autograph several times.
“Children similar to Nathan are given the impression they’re incapable,” says Fiona. “Our son proves otherwise.”
Britain’s Got Talent live semis tonight at 8pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
