The Stage

Burn the Floor

Published Tuesday 27 July 2010 at 13:14 by Sarah Wilkinson

You might not think it’s possible to overdose on sex appeal, but Burn the Floor, a jazzed up ballroom showcase, proves that it is.

The choreographer, it seems, has taken the show’s title a little too much to heart and told the dancers that they must smolder with sex appeal for the entire duration. As a result, they smile at all times as though they have a fierce desire to pounce on you or sear a hole through your retina.

While the dancers are all admittedly gorgeous, possessing stunning techniques and an irresistible passion for their art, the production design and structure also let them down. No narrative thread links the pieces, meaning that any surfacing emotion appears manufactured, and for what is essentially supposed to be a ‘dance spectacular’, the spectacle is disappointingly tacky - the set consisting merely of a raised platform and a small disco ball, flown in and out sporadically.

Despite all this, the talent and energy of the dancers pierces through, ensuring you ignore the lack of plot and cruise-ship setting for the most part to focus instead on their compelling footwork and inexhaustible bodies. Their enthusiasm for the choreography is infectious, their love of dance insatiable. Several numbers move beyond toe-tapping, making it near impossible to sit still. People looked itchy in their seats as the dancers scattered through the audience, flashing their foxtrots and pearly whites.

It’s glitzy, garish and cheesy as all hell, but these are first-rate performers and it is worth enduring an over-saturation of sequins and fluffy boas to see them strut their stuff.