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Pro dancer Ola Jordan provides an insight into one of the hardest Latin dances to perfect - the Rumba...

How would you describe the Rumba?

The Rumba is a very romantic dance that incorporates lots of hip action and body movement. You need to show plenty of emotion. Although it's very slow, the Rumba is a very hard dance.

What's the hardest part of the dance?

Learning the correct movement and mastering all the basic steps. I think you can hide a lot of mistakes with choreography that avoids using the basics. If you want to do a proper Rumba you've got to include a lot of basic steps.

What makes a good Rumba?

The most important thing is the emotion - you're telling a story. As a professional dancer, I'm looking for lots of technique, hip action, good footwork, body movement, arm movement and the connection between the couple.

Why do Strictly contestants find it difficult to score highly in this dance?

Because it's such a hard dance. People get the impression that because it's slow it will be easy. But the Rumba is definitely one of the most difficult dances. There's so much detail in the dance, and people find it hard to learn everything.

What tips would you give a beginner?

Perfect the basics. Forget about learning the spins, turns and drops to begin with. Even top professionals still work on perfecting their basic Rumba moves.

How do you find the Rumba?

I love it - definitely one of my favourite dances. I'm lucky in that the body movements and hip action come naturally to me.

How do you go about choreographing a Strictly Rumba routine?

You do try to choreograph a routine that hides your partner's mistakes and plays to their strengths. For example, with Cherie's Rumba routine, James was able to incorporate lots of basic steps because those moves come very naturally to her.