Ian was born in
Reading, UKReading is a large town in England, located at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London...
. Ian started dancing at the age of 10. Mary Richardson, a former Latin American champion (and now his stepmother) put him through a rigorous medallist regime. By the age of 14, he had completed all his grades and won almost every competition that he had entered. He went on to the open circuit where he achieved international success by becoming the European Youth Latin American Champion.
History
Ian was born in
Reading, UKReading is a large town in England, located at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London...
. Ian started dancing at the age of 10. Mary Richardson, a former Latin American champion (and now his stepmother) put him through a rigorous medallist regime. By the age of 14, he had completed all his grades and won almost every competition that he had entered. He went on to the open circuit where he achieved international success by becoming the European Youth Latin American Champion. This started a ten year partnership with Melanie Walker (now Melanie Lane), with whom he competed all over the world, representing England in many world and European championships.
He turned professional in 1997 and partnered up with the former Latin American world champion, Inga Haas. After nine months, they came third in the British Professional Rising Stars .
He decided to further his dance career by moving to Holland to train with the choreographer and dance coach, Ruud Vermay. There, he formed a four year partnership with Natalia Panina, with whom he won the Dutch Championship. They also made the final of both the World Showdance Championship and the European Professional Latin American Championship. He went onto dance with Daisy Croes, from Belgium, who now appears on the Belgian version of
Strictly Come DancingStrictly Come Dancing is a British television show, featuring celebrities with professional dance partners competing in Ballroom and Latin dances. The title of the show suggests a continuation of the long-running series Come Dancing, with an allusion to the film Strictly Ballroom...
.
After five years in Holland he returned to home. By the summer of 2004, he had started to dance with
Camilla DallerupCamilla Dallerup is a British-based Danish ballroom dancer.-Dance career:Camilla started dancing at the young age of two and a half when her mother took her to her first class in Aalborg. She won the Danish Junior Championships at the age of 12. She later moved to Auckland, New Zealand, where...
. Their first competition was the International Championships at the
Royal Albert HallThe Royal Albert Hall is an arts venue situated in the Knightsbridge area of the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
, where they made the semi final and in November of that year, they made the final of the British National Dance Championships.
Waite lives in
WoodleyWoodley is a town in the English county of Berkshire. It forms part of the urban area of Reading, although not part of the Borough of Reading. The name Woodley means 'a clearing in the wood' and it was anciently a part of the large parish of Sonning....
in
BerkshireBerkshire is a county in the South East of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1958, and Letters...
, and has expanded his career involving lecturing, demonstration dancing and big spectaculars. He has also made a dance video with
Angela RipponAngela Rippon, OBE is a well-known English television journalist, newsreader and newspresenter.-Biography :Her father was a Royal Marine, and she didn't see him until 1947 when he returned from World War II...
and presented a documentary called 'Inside Out' for BBC South following the progress of a young couple from Bournemouth.
Strictly Come Dancing
Waite has taken part in 5 out of 6 series of Strictly Come Dancing.
His partners include:
Denise LewisDenise Lewis OBE is a British athlete who specialises in the heptathlon. She won the gold medal in the heptathlon at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.-2000 Olympics:...
- with whom he reached second place in the 2004 series 2 final
Zoe BallZoë Louise Ball is an English television and radio personality, most famous for becoming the first female host of the BBC Radio 1 breakfast show and for her earlier work presenting 1990s kids show Live & Kicking.-TV career:The daughter of children's TV presenter Johnny Ball, Zoë Ball grew up in...
- with whom he reached third place in the 2005 series 3 final
Mica ParisMica Paris is an English soul singer, radio and television presenter, and occasional actress.-The Beginnings :Mica Paris's roots are in soul and gospel music...
- with whom he only reached week 2 of the show in the 2006 series 4 show
Penny LancasterPenny Lancaster-Stewart is an English model and photographer. She is probably best known for her modeling work for designer lingerie brand Ultimo...
Stewart - with whom he reached week 6 of the show in the 2007 series 5
Jodie KiddJodie Kidd is an English television personality and former fashion model.-Early life:Jodie was a showjumper as a child and attended St Michael's School, Petworth.-Family:...
- with whom he reached 6th place in the 2008 series 6
Jade JohnsonJade Linsey Johnson is an English athlete, specialising in long jump.A relative of University of Wisconsin soccer star, Dalal Aljaser, she is allergic to sand....
- with who he is competing in the 2009 series 7
He has also taken part of in both Strictly Come Dancing tours partnering Zoe Ball and Jodie Kidd
- Jade Johnson Series 7.
- Strictly Come Dancing Tour 2010.
- Strictly Come Dancing The Professionals Tour.