Dance judge Motsi Mabuse wants Strictly contestants to footloosen up – and go with their feelings.
She compared the celebs on the BBC contest with those on the German version of the show, Let’s Dance, which she has worked on since 2007.
And she reckons the stars on Strictly are more inhibited and “closed”.
Motsi, 39, said of the German show: “They are modern and are looking at ways to get people more emotional and more in a corner – where you have unexpected eruptions of emotion.
“In the UK, it is more about tradition. The UK version is more of a family show and it is like, ‘Do not touch, as this is like holy.’”
Strictly has been accused of failing to modernise in the past.
But the line-up in action later this month includes Olympic boxer Nicola Adams in the show’s first same-sex couple.
And Motsi will be pushing all the stars to be more expressive. She said: “I want people to come out of the box.”
Meanwhile, Motsi, who joined Strictly last year, is dealing with her own emotions by developing a thicker skin.
She said: “It gets intense. Coming to the UK I thought, ‘I don’t know these celebrities so it won’t hurt so much.’
"But after the first show I had to choose and it was a headache.
“At one show I was crying. This time I am prepared. I’m a grown-up girl.”
Motsi also told ex-Strictly star Kevin Clifton’s podcast she’ll make sure she looks good in her sparkles.
She said: “I need to fit into those dresses. I love food. I need to work out.”
