You're never too old, says dancer, 71, cast in Taylor Swift video

BBC News - WorldCenterEN 3 min read 100% complete February 18, 2026 at 07:03 PM

AI Summary

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Denise Sides, a 71-year-old ballroom dancer from Wrexham, Wales, was cast in Taylor Swift's music video, "Opalite," without knowing the artist until shortly before filming. Sides, who has danced for 60 years, responded to a casting call for senior dancers for an "unknown artist" and was selected by Swift herself. The video, inspired by 90s rom-coms, recreated a dance competition and featured the cast of a Graham Norton show episode. Sides, a Swift fan, was surprised and excited to learn she would be working with the singer, who directed the video and complimented her outfit. The video was filmed in November and released earlier this month.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

BBC Wales 40% Wrexham 40% Graham Norton ×250% Wales 50% Denise Sides ×990% Taylor Swift ×8100%

Keywords

taylor swift 100% music video 90% ballroom dancer 80% denise sides 70% casting 60% graham norton show 50% dance competition 50% opalite 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Very Positive

Score: 0.80

Source Transparency

Source

BBC News - World

Political Lean

Center (0.00)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

Wales

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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taylor swift music video ballroom dancer denise sides casting graham norton show dance competition opalite

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