Burn The Floor: FloorPlay

Conceived, Directed and Choreographed by Jason Gilkison

Vogue Theatre

Remaining shows Apr 17, 2 and 8 pm, April 18.

Vancouver, BC:  Last night at the Vogue Theatre I saw  Burn the Floor for the third time in eight months . The show has lost none of its impact from the first two times I saw it  in New York and the dancing- and the singing - is as fantastic as before. They got several standing ovations and deservedly so. Anyone who loves dance should see this show and there are only three performances left  before they head off to Toronto.

We were a group of 8 people with very mixed experience in dance,  that met to go and see  the Friday night performance.  All of us, from the 5 who are simply enthusiastic observers of dance shows, to me - a very late starter in ballroom dance, and my two teachers, who are ex-competitive dancers, were wild about the show. 

Earlier this week I had enjoyed the opportunity to chat to some of the dancers and to Preview the cast dancing in three of the numbers up close, but the energy they generated in the dance studio was nothing compared to that  in the theatre, when magnified by the strong percussive music.  You could power a city with the force of their energy.

Unfortunately I had a very large, tall man  in the seat in front of me with a big head that really blocked my view of the overall  stage, except for two numbers when he sat a little lower in his seat. If it was the first time I saw the show I would have been really upset. 

But as it was, looking around his head,  I found myself focusing less on the spectacle and more objectively on the individual dancing- the various steps that I could identify and the awesome precision of the footwork.

The show is somewhat weighted to the fast, dynamic and showy Latin dances - samba, chacha, jive and even salsa, and the audience went wild for each new number. But there are also some exquisitely lyrical numbers - waltz and Viennese waltz, a steamy tango and lots of sensual sexy rumba.

It's not really fair to single anyone out as the entire cast is so great, but  I have to say that in "Pastorale" the passion between Damon and Rebecca Sugden just glows through their waltz, making  the dance  a dream to watch.

Anya Garnis and Pasha Kovalev steamed up the stage with "Burn For You."  And vocalist Rebecca Tapia is quite gorgeous and sexy, singing "I Just Want to make Love to You".

Just watching how the dancers stalk across the stage was an experience. You really see what moving from your core means. And the strength of their leg movements, specially in the rumba where their lines are so defined - sharp, and yet fluid at the same time - made me wish that 8 hours a day of practice could make me move like that. But  you have to have that strength ingrained from childhood. So it will have to be my grand-children that learn to move with such grace and confidence.

Still the Burn The Floor dancers  have inspired me to work at "stalking"  rather than just sort of stepping forward. No amount of instruction has yet been able to turn me from a far too lady-like Latin dancer into a fiery minx.  Hmmm...   Striving for perfection is always good provided you can deal with the reality that it can never be attained.

And in the mean time, though perfection is out of reach,  taking up ballroom dancing has done wonders for my posture, strengthened my body, taken years off my age and given me countless hours of sheer unmitigated joy. I mix the discipline of International Ballroom with the fun of West Coast Swing and Hustle and my dance pleasure is infinite.

Not to mention the fun of going on ballroom dance cruises around the world. Check out the travelblogues of my dance cruises along the West  and the East Coasts of  North America, from Honolulu to Tahiti, from Beijing to Bangkok, and in the Eastern Caribbean. And you don't have to dance like the wonderful Burn The Floor dancers to have a great time on these cruises.  Just feel the music and move. 

Happy dancing! and go see the show. Go to Toronto if you have to. Tickets are available on-line through Ticketmaster.