Review-Burn the Floor-Lunchbox Productions
18-10-12
BURN THE FLOOR is an awe-inspiring tour de force of dance and spectacle that is not to be missed. For those who don’t know BURN THE FLOOR, it is a supercharged showcase of Latin, Swing, Ballroom and just a splash of Jazz and Contemporary Dance. It was originally conceived as a special 10 minute performance for Sir Elton John’s 50th Birthday in 1997 and inspired a fully realized production that debuted in the UK two years later. Since then it has had extended runs on Broadway and the West End and has captivated millions of people in over 30 countries over the past 14 years.
They began the evening with light flirtations at the audience’s expense, which helped the audience understand that this was meant to be an evening where the audience was invited to get involved. And it let them know that they could laugh and have fun. Within moments, all of the dancers appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, and began their supercharged evening.
The first quarter of the show was spent exploring Ballroom, the second quarter was primarily Swing; then, after the intermission they travelled through the Latin countries and finally ended back under the wide umbrella of Ballroom.
As the evening progressed, they took more time with each piece and more attention was given to different dancers, couples and styles of dance. Many of the couples have been dancing together since they were children. They balanced the evening well between large group numbers, couples dances, the men fighting over one woman, one man trying to decide which woman he should have, numerous moments of solo artists owning the stage for a moment and many other combinations without a moment occurring between any of them.
All of these were accompanied by a mix of the live percussion, played by intensely talented Joseph Malone and Henry Sariano, and pre-recorded orchestrations. But the technicians were on top of their game and never missed a beat. The balance between the pre-recorded music and live percussionists was artful in and of itself. However, when the percussionists were truly featured, the energy they produced was palpable. These two talented percussionists truly tied the entire show together and kept the joint a-jumping.
But, the evening would not have been complete without the gifted voices of Vonzell Solomon and Peter Saul. Miss Solomon was captivating. Each time she took the stage, it became somewhat difficult to watch the dancers as she was so entrancing. And when she flirted with the male dancers during “I Just Wanna Make Love to You”, she truly had them all falling over themselves. Her tribute to Tina Turner is a moment not to be missed. Mr. Saul showed an adept ability to switch from R.E.M. to an Italian Aria to a Spanish love song with the skill of an accomplished artist.
I would love to say something about each of the Dancing Artists, as they all were intensely gifted in their craft, but that would take too long. I will say only that the little people filled the stage. There are two dancers that are, shall we say, smaller in stature than the rest, who commanded the stage each time they came on. Their commitment to each and every movement and expression was impeccable and commendable. Not to say that all of the dancers didn’t command the stage and commit wholeheartedly, but these two really stood out.
And this was my only criticism of the evening. The first moments of each Act seemed to require a little revving up. There were those dancers that seemed to be truly seasoned in a large musical style production and those that were not as quite prepared for striking the stage from the get go. Some of the dancers were on fire from the first moment they hit the stage. But some of them needed a few passes across the floor, a couple of turns or even a couple of short songs to really get going. By the time we passed the introduction, everyone was ‘in full swing’, so to speak. But, it would have been more powerful to see them all truly hit this first mark.
The Second Act opening seemed odd. It didn’t seem to know how to start. There was a little flirting and a slight attempt to pull the audience back in and then a hard smack of high intensity dance. It would have been more powerful if they would just choose one tactic – a soft mesmerizing moment to pull the audience back or the hard hit of “We’re Back!” or the flirtatious beckoning of “You know you want more” but they just couldn’t seem to decide so they did a little of each, which came across as a little weak. So I am not sure if the very beginning of the Second Act was more due to the dancers not immediately engaging or trying to work around a non-committal direction. Regardless, the dancers always looked amazing. From the expertly designed lighting scheme to the hair and make-up to small touches of stage dressing and an oft used scrim, it was a feast for the ears and eyes.
One final commendation must be made to the costume designers and crew. The costumes and dress of the show were truly impressive. Apparently, they were all handmade in Australia, which had to have taken a long time. Each song had its own costume for each performer. They fit each song perfectly, accenting the style of each. The Jive was all done up in street clothes, the Viennese Waltz in elegant gowns and the Latin Dances in beautiful Spanish dresses and hand stitched matador jackets. I have no idea how immensely large their backstage wardrobe crew was but it must have been an army. Some of the quick changes seemed like mere moments and the Dancers never missed a beat as they were magically changed from one costume to the next.
There is little more that can be said about a performance of this magnitude, grace and skill. The performers are intensely gifted and the production is well practiced and balanced. It’s a living, thriving work of art.
Congratulations to all who were involved. I reiterate my very first statement; BURN THE FLOOR is one that is not to be missed. They will be introducing several new dances during their stay here in Hong Kong and in other countries on their Asian tour, constantly changing and updating, so even if you go a couple of times, you might see a different show. Go experience BURN THE FLOOR! You won’t regret it.
BURN THE FLOOR is playing at the HKAPA, Lyric Theatre in Wanchai through October 28th. Click here for more details.
Comments
Mango
This show was fucking fantastic!
18 October 2012Brad
A little wordy at times but you can tell Mr. Gillespie loves the arts. I wish he would critque more and describe less as many other commenters have said. He could have made his point a lot faster, but it's good to know that the show is great.
18 October 2012David Heron
Got dragged along, did not want to go. Oh my god, am going back on Saturday and taking friends. I have NEVER seen anything like this, can't sleep.
18 October 2012Julie
This show is sooooooooooo good. Run to the box office! My nana liked it and she never likes anything...
18 October 2012HKMom
We took our whole family to see this. It was expensive but the production value on this show was very good and it was over 2 hours. Buy the balcony if you have kids, they won't know the difference. I don't understand why some tickets on this show are almost 900HKD. Who can afford that? Broadway quality show and Broadway prices.
20 October 2012Ownediaadmila
Hello. And Bye. Thank you very much.
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