Not Your Grandparent's Ballroom
The photos alone tell the story: "Burn the Floor" at the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas is not old-fashioned ballroom. No middle-aged couples waltzing about, keeping a respectable arm's length, staring at the floor and inevitably tripping over toes.
No, these are sizzling professionals, moving at the speed of light, to a fabulous mix of tango, samba, cha cha, rhumba and salsa. The word of mouth in Las Vegas is packing the Luxor showroom and giving its producers hope for a return engagement and a long-term contract following their upcoming world tour.
Having a dance show of 18 performers, two percussionists and two vocalists capable of filling a showroom in a city enamored of gargantuan sets, designer costumes and a barrage of special effects is no small feat. Nic Notley, "Burn the Floor's" Executive Producer, said, "I had this woman come in last week and she said to me five things, if I can remember these five things. First thing, 'You have no set.' Second thing she said was, 'You have no magic in the show.' Third thing she said, 'You have no stars.' The fourth thing is, 'You're a dance show.' The fifth thing is that, 'You're not Cirque.' And the comment she said was that - we had a full house that night - was, 'Not one person walked out of the show.'"
That's no surprise, really. It takes about thirty seconds to size up the professionalism and energy wrapped up in this little performance package and to realize you don't want to miss a second. It's choreographed by Jason Gilkison (a former ballroom dancer himself), who choreographed the 2000 Olympic Games Closing Ceremony, 2003 Miss USA Pageant and the Broadway and North American tour of Dame Edna's "Back With a Vengeance." He also happens to be the former partner of the show's Company Manager, Peta Roby. Peta said, "I think it's been Jason's dream. We actually competed together, oh probably twenty-nine years of that time. We had this fantastic career. It was all about that we loved what we did. They were casting for 'Burn the Floor' in London...and we were really wanting to stop competing in time to still be able to dance in our own show and we just couldn't get it financed. So we thought, 'Well let's join' and obviously we got cast in the show and within a year Jason had actually taken over as choreographer."
The only glitch on the show's initial tour of England was its name. Nic said, "When Jason's show first started up eighteen months ago, we called it 'Jason Gilkison's Ballroom.' So the show was called 'Ballroom.' Real misjudgment. So we took the exact same show on tour six months later. We named it 'Floorplay.' Same towns, sold out."
So the name thing got fixed but there was still the perception of what the show offered. Peta was afraid it might be a hard sell in Las Vegas. She said, "Yes. For exactly those words: ballroom. I think the initial concept is, 'Oh my grandparents did that.' And it's perhaps a problem."
Well, no more. The show is a hit, due in no small part to the energy and professionalism of the dancers. Peta said, "These kids are passionate about what they do. They're happy to come in every day and learn more about dancing. It's not a job to them and I think they're not jaded by that kind of constant performance. It's interesting; having them in competition also keeps them on the ball. They're wanting to be better dancers."
Nic added, "I also think it's all they do. We've been involved with shows from 'Mamma Mia!' to 'The Lion King.' I know a lot of the casts. There's a percentage of people onstage who do not like the role they've got. It's a job. They want to get to the next one. If another job comes up, they'll take it. These kids, it's all they do. They do Latin American dancing. They do ballroom dancing. They can't go out and do a tap show. They can't go out and get into any other show. This is what they do. These kids have been doing the same ten dances since they were six."
Although the show could use some innovative sets and a bit more color in the men's costumes, the criticism is rather nit-picky. The show, after all, has flawless timing, frightening power and speed, and choreography that's fresh, complex and brimming with nuance, incorporating multiple levels and ingenious patterns. It'll go far with or without fancy sets and "flash."
Next up for "Burn the Floor" is a world tour, taking them from Australia, to Japan, Canada, back to the U.S., on to Asia and culminating in Europe at the end of 2007. For more about the show, visit www.burnthefloor.com. Oh, and take the grandparents. They'll like it.