Fox Theatre, Atlanta
March 2011

By Deborah Searle

Burn The Floor is a ballroom blitz! The new Broadway production of Burn The Floor, currently touring the States, is adorned with glitz and glamour and gets the audience dancing in their seats. You know you’ve seen an inspiring show when the audience member beside you inquires about taking up dance classes for the first time, in her 40s!

Directed and choreographed by award winning Aussie Jason Gilkison, the show has the correct mix of slow and fast, romantic and sexy. The talented team of 20 dancers is accompanied by two outstanding vocalists and two percussionists who bring the music to life and add to the overall sensory appeal.

It is a star studded cast, smattered with celebrity dancers from So You Think You Can Dance US and Australia, Dancing with the Stars and Superstars of Dance. Vocalist Vonzell Solomon was even the second runner-up in the fourth season of American Idol.  Dancers Anya Garnis and Pasha Kovalev, ‘All Stars’ from SYTYCD US  were definite crowd favorites as they played leading roles in the production.

A highlight for me was watching young Robbie Kmetoni, winner of SYTYCD Australia, perform with such style and commitment. Robbie, who had never taken ballroom dance before competing in the TV phenomenon, is a contemporary and jazz dancer. Before the show I wondered if he’d be able to hold his own surrounded on stage by award winning ballroom champions from across the globe. Robbie, however, was given some jazz based choreography, mixed with ballroom partnering where he could highlight his strengths such as his flexibility, leap and kicks. He was a strong performer and a joy to watch. He had great attack in the quick ballroom group numbers and was very convincing, dancing next to his colleagues, many who have been ballroom stars since childhood.

Dancer Giselle Peacock was a stand out.  Much shorter than most of the other dancers, she made up for her lack of height with her attack and feisty execution. She was the perfect blend of technique and sex appeal. Her shorter legs seemed to make her foot work crisper than her long legged counterparts and her black curly hair whipped up a frenzy.  A slow rumba duo to Burn for You, with partner Kevin Clifton was breathtaking, yet her fast Cha Chas were just as exciting.

Burn The Floor is a celebration of all things ballroom. The costumes are stunning, ostentatious and colourful and the dancers are technically strong and passionate performers. We enjoyed everything from Viennese Waltz to Jive, Cha Cha, Swing, Salsa and even Paso Doble.  A Paso Doble dance off between two couples was a highlight and a Quickstep/Lindy/Jive/Swing performance to “I’m a Ding Dong Daddy” was fun and energizing, leading us into the interval wanting to see more.

My only criticism of the show would be that a storyline, even if just a lose one, would have been helpful to tie all the dances together and keep the mind engaged. However, there was enough variety, adroit dancing and dynamic vocals that the show was enjoyable without one. I left the theatre inspired and in awe of the dance talent that I had seen. Burn The Floor definitely has a ‘wow’ factor and an energy of its own.

By Deborah Searle.

Jason Gilkison’s ballroom sensation Burn The Floor is touring across the States, after a record-breaking run on Broadway. Burn The Floor, the electrifying Latin and ballroom dance spectacular, has thrilled audiences in over 30 countries, bringing the fire and passion of ballroom dance to the theatre.  Burn The Floor is ballroom – reinvented.  This tour, featuring all-new choreography, and many talented Australian dancers, including Robbie Kmetoni (Season 3 winner of SYTYCD), is wowing audiences and setting hearts ablaze.

Dance Informa spoke behind the scenes with three of Australia’s finest dancers.

How do you keep the passion and performance alive after so many shows?

Damien Samuel
Every show is a new audience – a fresh crop of people that we strive to amaze, inspire and leave in wondrous awe from the moment the first music note hits till the curtain touches the floor. We feed off our percussionists’ heart pounding rhythms and we make each and every performance as powerful and electrifying as we possibly can.

Faye Huddleston
Sometimes it just takes a few seconds on my own thinking about my life to realise how lucky we are to be doing what we love and have such passion for, because we forget sometimes.

Robbie Kmetoni
I see each show as new and important, adding my own little touches that change every show, so that I’m enjoying myself every show. The passion needs to be there from the beginning, as it is hard work. Dedication is needed 110%.

What is your favorite thing about Burn The Floor?

Damien Samuel
Seeing Burn The Floor and Jason Gilkison is the reason I started dancing 11 years ago. I was once an audience member screaming my head off at how brilliant the show was and now being at the forefront of the world’s first and most elite ballroom dance production every day is a dream come true.

Robbie Kmetoni
My favourite thing about Burn The Floor is the cast I am with. They are such an amazingly talented, let alone friendly, bunch of people to work and tour with every day. It’s a blessing to be a part of such an incredible journey and show!

Faye Huddleston
I would have to say that my favourite thing has to be that we are not just a dance company but a family. I think that is the most important thing.

What unique challenges have you faced when learning and performing the routines?

Faye Huddleston
The challenge for me would definitely have to be stamina.  We do fast energetic routines that can last up to 4 to 5 minutes.

Damien Samuel
It is an intense physical regime that takes a real toll on your body. We have to make sure we are in crisp physical condition to be able to do this eight times a week. Injuries happen no matter how hard we try to prevent them, so we give 110% to every single performance because it very well could be our last.

Robbie Kmetoni
Being a contemporary dancer it was really difficult at first to learn the basics of how to dance Latin and ballroom, as I have never done a class of either. It was a huge struggle to fit in technically. It almost felt like I was a beginner again in the dance industry.

Why should audiences come to see Burn The Floor?

Faye Huddleston
This show is one of a kind and it appeals to all ages. It is ballroom reinvented. I don’t think people really know what to expect when they see this show, but we always see the audience dancing up the aisles on their way out.

Robbie Kmetoni
EVERYONE must come see this show. It is a jam-packed, energetic, sexy, sophisticated, entertaining and inspiring two hour dance show suitable for any age, male and female. You will not walk out unimpressed!

Damien Samuel
It really is a must see experience. Our live world class singers Peter and Vonzell and percussionists Henry and Joe are worth the admission alone, and then you have 20 world class dancers. It really is a feast for the senses and you can’t find anything like us anywhere else.

If the audience could walk away with one thing, what would you want it to be?

Robbie Kmetoni
I would just love the audience to walk away knowing how much love we put on stage to give them a great show. We pour out our hearts every single night so that the world can see how hard, yet how inspiring dancers and dancing can be. When we get a standing ovation from the crowd, there’s no other feeling like it.. ever!

Faye Huddleston
I’d like the audience to walk away wanting to learn to dance, if they don’t already.

Damien Samuel
Oh they never walk, they sing, they dance and they come back to see us whenever they can!

For more information, including tour dates and ticketing visit www.burnthefloor.com

Photos: Joan Marcus

Jason Gilkison’s smash hit, Burn The Floor, swung into Melbourne for a glitzy season in February. Dance Informa was there to snap some glamourous pics!

Photo David Wyatt

Photo David Wyatt

Photo David Wyatt

Photo David Wyatt

Photo David Wyatt

Photo David Wyatt

Photo David Wyatt

Photo David Wyatt

Photo David Wyatt

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo David Wyatt

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo David Wyatt

Photo David Wyatt

Photo David Wyatt

Photo David Wyatt

Burn The Floor is now on a 2010 World Tour! For more information visit www.burnthefloor.com

Photos copyright David Wyatt. davidwyatt75@gmail.com www.capturingimages.com.au

By Paul Ransom.

Peta Murgatroyd & Damian Whitewood in Burn The Floor on Broadway at the Longacre Theatre. Photo Copyright Joan Marcus

From the suburbs of Perth to the diamond lights of Broadway, Australian choreographer Jason Gilkison has had a dream run. Over the past few weeks his sizzling ballroom spectacular Burn The Floor has been setting fire to New York audiences. Indeed, so successful has it been that the initial twelve week run has been extended as fans and critics continue to drool.

At 43, Gilkison now finds himself at the top of his trade. With a string of credits behind him, (including being Young Australian of the Year way back in 1980, a slot at the Sydney Olympics closing ceremony and his recent high profile work on SYTYCD), he is surely now the undisputed emperor of ballroom.

“It was never our intention just to sex it up,” Gilkison says, suggesting that what he’s doing with the genre is a tad more subtle. “We seem to really polarise the critics on that question because some of them think it’s very outwardly sexy and some think it’s appropriately sexy because of what it actually is; which is, this generation’s interpretation of dances that our grandparents made popular.”

Far from being a knee jerk moderniser, Jason Gilkison venerates the traditions. “Ballroom was always about courtship, about relationships between men and women, so it already has that storyline to it; so when you see a group of good looking young people do it now it does seem very sexy.”

However, one thing he has done is to fundamentally change the context of the dance. Ballroom is, first and foremost, a social form, a partner dance for weddings, parties, anything. Although competition ballroom has always existed, Gilkison has taken it further still, making it the stuff of theatre spectacle.

Reflecting on this transformation, he recalls, “Burn The Floor started off as an arena show because we thought that that was how ballroom needed to seen because no one had ever seen it that way. As we gathered information over the years we realised that, okay, for people to really understand the essence of what ballroom dancing is we needed to reverse it. We needed to get the audience as close as possible. So we scaled it down to smaller theatres so that people could really see the interactions between the dancers.”

Pasha Kovalev & Anya Garnis with the company of Burn The Floor on Broadway at the Longacre Theatre. Photo Copyright Joan Marcus.

One of Gilkison’s principal artistic challenges was to take an ostensibly intimate medium and make it work for the people in Row Z. To do this, he says, he tries to keep a focus on one couple throughout, following them across the two hours. “It can make it quite intimate and you can get an insight into not just that couple but how those two individuals are feeling within that couple.”

However, intimacy is not an issue with TV. Since joining the team at SYTYCD Gilkison has learnt to work with both the restrictions and the possibilities of a tight camera space. “I like being able to see right into the situation between two people; and that’s been a new thing for me. It’s been exciting for me to get to know how to film a couple like that.”

Indeed, he likens it to learning another language. “When you’re doing close up TV stuff you almost have to have a conversation when you’re dancing because that camera gets so close to you. What would look normal in a theatre looks completely different on camera, which is why I now understand what people really mean when they say ‘that girl’s great on television’.”

For someone used to the director’s role, working under the formulaic umbrella of commercially driven TV could also present issues. Gilkison laughs it off. “It’s so hard to fit in a beautiful storyline between two people in just ninety seconds. I think that’s my biggest challenge always,” he says, with only the barest hint of irony.

 As for creative control? “I’m somebody who gets to go a little bit left with it,” he reveals.

 Freedom to stretch the bounds and experiment will now surely be extended to Jason Gilkison. He has the runs on the board. He has proven himself in the world’s toughest market. He is that man in the corner … and boy I gotta warn ya, it’ll turn into a ballroom blitz.

Burn The Floor is currently playing at Broadway’s Longacre Theatre, 220 West 48^th Street, New York.  After breaking box office records the show has recently announced its extension through to January 3rd 2010. 

 Burn The Floor – It’s Ballroom dance with a sexy 21^st century edge. 
Playing Schedule:  Tuesday at 7, Wed to Sat 8, Wed & Sat at 2, Sun at 3. 
Price Scale:  $111.50, $89.50, $59.50. All prices include $1.50 facilities fee. 
Discounts are available on groups of 10 and more. www.telecharge.com
www.burnthefloor.com