Janette Manrara | talent | Our Talent

Janette Manrara was born in Miami, Florida to a fun filled and loving Cuban family. Always up

for a performance as a child, it was evident that Janette was born to perform!

When she was 12, she began attending a musical theatre school (MDA) taking acting, singing,

and dance classes. Through the school’s involvement with Univision TV, Janette made

appearances on the hispanic, record breaking TV Game show Sabado Gigante allowing her to

develop the natural charm and charisma she brings in front of a camera today.

Janette attended the school until she was 19 when she moved studios and began classes at

DanceTown. Focusing strictly on dancing, Janette began taking jazz, ballet, pointe, flamenco, hip

hop, and partnering classes. It was here, under the direction of the USA based and very popular

dance couple, Manuel & Lory Castro, that Janette became a strong and versatile dancer.

Janette auditioned for the fifth season of the hit FOX TV show So You Think You Can

Dance?, where she was selected to be in the Top 20 dancers, and was a stand-out from the first

episode making it all the way to top 4 girls, and toured with the show throughout the USA for 3

months following the show. After that, Janette made the move from Miami to LA and

performed with Jennifer Lopez, danced in the 2010 Academy Awards, and was also cast as a

principal dancer on the TV sensation Glee. She then returned to So You Think You Can Dance?,

Season 8 as an “All Star”, and shortly after featured in the theatre show of Dancing with the

Stars Live in Las Vegas!

Janette was then asked to join Broadway & international touring show, Burn the Floor. There she

perfected her Latin and Ballroom with world champions Jason Gilkison & Peta Roby. She

performed with the show for the following 4 years traveling all over the world including

London’s West End. 

Not long after, she was cast as a Professional Dancer on Season 11 of Strictly Come Dancing, first

partnering with fashion designed Julien Macdonald. Since then Janette has been partnered with

Jake Wood, Peter Andre, Melvin Odoom, Aston Merrygold, Dr Ranj, Will Bailey MBE and most

recently reaching the final with HRVY. Janette has won the Strictly Come Dancing, Christmas

Special twice; once in 2016 with Melvin and again in 2018 with Aston. 2021 saw Janette take on

a new challenge as one of the hosts of It Takes Two. Janette has continued to co-host It Takes

Two across 2022, 2023 and 2024, alongside co-hosting the Strictly Live tour across the UK.

Janette is currently making her musical theatre debut, as iconic protagonist, Roxie Hart in

Chicago. The tour will hit over 20 venues across the UK and Ireland.

Last year saw Janette release her debut book, ‘Tiny Dancer, Big World’. Divided into four key

pillars: Acceptance, Reflection, The Work and Discovery, her tried-and-true life advice centres

around learning to love yourself. Each chapter offers hard-won wisdom Janette learnt through

gaining a certification in well-being, alongside practical techniques to apply that wisdom to your

own life, complete with all the steps to take to make your goals a reality. Along the way, Janette

shares her own poignant stories, from her childhood in a large Cuban family in Florida and her

decision to pursue a career in dance to her big break on So You Think You Can Dance and finally,

Strictly Coming Dancing.

Other television credits include: co-hosting on BBC Morning Live (BBC), appearances on Mary

Berry’s Fantastic Feasts (BBC), Celebrity Mastermind (BBC), Jeremy Vine (Channel 5), Big Week

at the Zoo (Channel 5), Inside The Ritz (ITV), CelebAbility (ITV2), Blue Peter (BBC) and Glee.

Other theatre credits include: A Christmas To Remember, Remembering Fred, Remembering the

Movies and a streamed version of Remembering the Oscars

Off the dancefloor, Janette is a Global Ambassador for New Nordic and has worked with brands such as Freemans, FOREO, Disney and this year embarks on several new exciting brand ambassadorships.