‘‘Dancing was the first thing I did actually – I was about 2 years old when I went along to classes with my bigger sisters,’’ she said.

‘‘I was OK at it, and it introduced me to singing, but it was mainly something we did as a family.

‘‘It’s funny actually, they didn’t let me sing at dance lessons because they said I wasn’t any good at it.’’

Paladino, touted as one of Australia’s most versatile and talented entertainers, will combine her passions when she opens this weekend’s Tasmanian Open DanceSport Championships.

Event organiser Andrew Palmer expressed his excitement at having the popular Cats star and Carols by Candlelight singer visit Launceston.

Paladino is just one of many talented performers attending the championships held at Prospect’s Silverdome.

Palmer said that two Icelandic dancers listed among the world’s top 12 and Launceston’s own Henry Cornish and Charlotte Page were counted among competitors.

‘‘This is the biggest championship that Tasmania has in the world of ballroom dancing and one of the biggest in the country,’’ he said.

‘‘It will be absolute glitz and glamour, high-quality ballroom dancing, lots of cheering and plenty of scenes out of Strictly Ballroom.’’

The Tasmanian Open DanceSport Championships is on Saturday. For tickets, call the Silverdome on 63449999 or visit silverdome.com.au