Saturday Matinee

With a touch of Superstars of Dance

A few weeks ago, I went searching on the internet for a show for my salsa-loving aunt’s 60th birthday, and stumbled across Burn the Floor, a Latin/ballroom show that was playing at the Post Street Theatre in San Francisco. A few hours later, I coincidentally received a kind invitation to see the performance, as well as the dancers’ warm-up/rehearsal before the performance. So last week, I found myself at the Post Street Theatre, warmly hosted by world champion and executive director Peta Roby and her husband, Nic. It’s always a rare treat to watch dancers, from all over the world, in rehearsal, doing something they do really really well. Peta was great as she explained how they do warm-ups isolating their muscles, beginning with the lower limbs and going upwards, and answered all of our questions. Many apologies for the blurry photos – it was pretty dark and I was trying to sneak the photos in as to not disturb the performers.

 

 

 

Henry Byalikov (from the TV show Superstars of Dance) and Tristan MacManus who were kind enough to pose for us since I wasn’t sure if any of the warm up photos were going to show up, at all. Aren’t they adorable??

And what a performance! The warm up dancers were unrecognizable during performance, which is a testament to their abilities as performers, as they tore up the stage with their energy and commitment to the performance. Everything was under the thin guise of showcasing the choreography, including a pseudo-storyline that was hazy – is it a tribute to the history of ballroom dance, or the personal history of Peta Roby’s childhood memories of dance, or a showcase of how far dance has come from your grandmother’s fox trot? Or a little bit of all of the above? This mattered very little, as the audience got swept up in the passion of the tango, the high-flying energy of the jive, and the sizzle of the samba with performers dancing their hearts out. It wasn’t without its moments of cheese complete with shirtless men that looked like they had been sweating for hours and scantily clad women, although my amateur competitive ballroom dancer friend did warn me that ballroom is very cheesy by definition. In its best moments, I felt like I was people watching in the world’s best salsa club. 

This is a perfect show for the TV audiences swept away by the power and drama of shows such as So You Think You Can Dance (including a couple featured in the Superstars of Dance). No wonder, as Burn the Floor was created and choreographed by world-champion Jason Gilkison, who is strongly connected to the shows So You Think You Can Dance (both the US and the Australian versions) and Superstars of Dance as the captain of the Australian team. His choreography has an element of fun, whether or not it’s a fiery rumba where the girls catfight over the men, or five men lead a blindfolded woman in a sexy Latin dance (sorry I’m not sure which dance this was, as I’m not well versed in “ballroom”) that is entertaining to watch. 

In watching ballroom, my eyes are normally drawn to the women showered in glitter and feathers; however, in this show, the men grabbed the spotlight for themselves as they performed with a spectacular electricity, with Patrick Helm dancing with particular intensity and Henry Byalikov dancing with a clean, bright yet flashy presence. My ballroom friend liked Damian Whitewood and Sharna Burgess the best for their technical abilities, although admittedly as a ballroom nonspecialist, it was hard to tell who was REALLY good at ballroom or not. But I definitely knew what I liked – Damon and Rebecca Sudgen added a touch of old world class charm as the ballroom specialists of the group, with an elegant stage presence aided by their tall, Balanchinian lines. Dancer Giselle Peacock was also a favorite, with an attention grabbing energetic style that seemed to incorporate a modern twist of hip hop and jazz. Her style was singular, and absolutely fabulous. The cherry on top of the sundae was vocalists Jessica Lingotti and Kieron Kulik who shimmied along with the dancers; Lingotti’s powerhouse voice brought the house down.

This show is a great accessible show for everyone no matter their dance background. I also can’t think of a better Valentine’s Day date either – this sexy show would be perfect. As I watched it, I kept on thinking on how my mom, a big Dancing with the Stars fan, would love this show too. Be sure to catch it before it leaves; it plays at the Post Street Theatre through March 15. 

On a random note – speaking with the people associated with this show, I got an inside scoop on the Superstars of Dance. Apparently some of the dances that were televised with different music they danced to! They had problems with music licensing and the like. Fascinating! That just sounds so wrong. 

On another note: the Post Street Theatre is holding a promotion and a dance video competition where you can win tickets to the show, as well as a lesson with one of the stars of the show. Click here for more info on this competition, as well as a special ticket offer for $15 off for each ticket.

Watch Burn the Floor performers Giselle Peacock and Henry Byalikov representing Australia in Superstars of Dance.

Burn the Floor website at the Post Street Theatre

Other links:

• SF Chronicle review
• SF Chronicle: “Burn the Floor: Ballroom for a New Generation”
• Tangobaby’s take

All photos (except for the title photo) © Saturday Matinee http://www.saturdaymatineeblog.com