PASHA Kovalev and his partner Caroline Flack were named the winners of Strictly Come Dancing at Christmas.

As a man with a life-long passion for dance, it was a defining moment, and as Pasha admits softly, it was something that did not feel quite real, like a dream sequence that had spilled briefly into reality.

After 14 gruelling weeks of dances and eliminations, the glittering trophy felt like a ball of sunshine in his hands, the dance floor beneath Pasha’s feet a confetti-streamed crossroads where a new stage of his career was emerging.

It was startling but humbling all at the same time.

The Russian dancer is now preparing for his most important performance yet – a new cross-country tour called Life Through Dance that’s coming to Worthing this month.

Pasha’s past reads like a Russian fairy tale.

Born into the last years of the communist rule in a small town called Komsomolsk-na-Amure, he saw his first ballroom performance at the wide-eyed age of seven and was instantly bewitched.

At 14, he became a little dancing vagabond, performing in arts venues across the country and at 18 fled to America where he gained recognition on So You Think You Can Dance.

It was not until he came to London and joined the cast of Strictly, however, that he really shone.

Tantalising Achieving some of the show’s highest scores and coming a tantalising second in 2011 and 2012, he won the coveted glitterball for the first time last year.

Despite being considered part of ballroom dancing’s elite, Pasha does not buy into the idea of celebrity.

Pasha is like an exercise in contrast, unwaveringly sweet and polite, happier exuding a quiet confidence rather than an oversized ego.

He talks about dance in lofty, almost philosophical terms, sometimes struggling to express how performing makes him feel.

It is as if the English language is underequipped to describe the rapture dancing brings.

He said: “Performing is like a book that you read and enjoy. After it’s done, it leaves a residue, it inspires feelings and emotions.

“If I can do the same thing when I dance, I feel like I’ve done my job properly.

“I want to entertain people but I want to inspire them, too.”

Pasha’s new tour, Life Through Dance, starts at the beginning of March.

He said: “Going on tour is very different from being on camera.

“You are face to face with the audience and every single performance has to stand out.

“But that’s the main attraction for me as a dancer, that connection you make with the people who have come to see you.”

Each place on Pasha’s tour brings back memories from past performances but he distinctly remembers Worthing and says he cannot wait to perform at the Pavilion Theatre on March 27.

“I just love the audience there,” he enthuses. Something that I like is that they’re not afraid to get loud and a little wild, which is very important for a live performance.”

Life Through Dance will be Pasha’s third tour but this one promises to be his most personal, showing sides and shades of Pasha’s personality that he has never revealed before.

Each dance will touch upon moments of his own life and will hopefully evoke memories from the audience.

“The tour is all about things that happen to us in life,” he added.

“Things like making new friends, meeting new people, falling in love. It’s very personal.

“Dance is a universal language, whether you’re performing in Japan or Brazil, it touches people everywhere.”

Pasha goes on to say that while his main goal is to entertain his audience – “there will be lots of sparkles” – he also hopes it will affect people on more of a subconscious level, and arouse their own creativity. And 2015 is shaping up to be a grand year for Pasha.

Between talking about the dances he will be performing on tour, he drops hints about appearing on the next series of Strictly Come Dancing and said he looks forward to meeting a new partner and gaining a new set of experiences.

He said: “It’s always a challenge to take on someone who has never danced professionally before, to help them get over the overwhelming fear of doing something new and doing it in front of millions of people.

“But I’m there for them, I’m their rock, and I want them to trust me on a physical and psychological level. Without that trust, it’ll fall apart.”

Like past series, the next season should bring a new group of vibrant characters, but Pasha brushes off the idea that animosity brews backstage. “We’re one big family,” he said. We all want to put on a good show.”

Throughout our interview Pasha remains modest and pragmatic about his future in the limelight.

He said: “I don’t think that far in the future.

“What’s the point when I can live in the now?” And while there are times when his newfound fame can feel a little claustrophobic, he tries to keep his private and public life separate, and said the support from fans is always a joy.

“The journalists and paparazzi can be invasive,” he said.

“But the attention is very flattering and humbling too. I’m very thankful.”

Pasha Kovalev – Life Through Dance, is at the Pavilion Theatre, Marine Parade, Worthing, at 7.30pm on Friday, March 27.

For more details or to book tickets, phone 01903 206206 or visit worthingtheatres.co.uk.