“Burn the Floor” is a fun, fast-paced showcase of what’s known as “international style” ballroom dancing—a genre made up of 10 dances, including the waltz, foxtrot, paso doble, rumba and tango.
Lively onstage percussion, two singers, sparkly costumes, a variety of music—most of it familiar—and a healthy dose of bare, glistening skin from the male and female dancers invites the audience to turn off their brains and simply take it all in.
The show features Anya Garnis and Pasha Kovalev, both of “So You Think You Can Dance” fame, as its big names. I most enjoyed watching Kevin Clifton and Giselle Peacock. Besides having possibly one of the best names ever for the stage, Peacock’s dancing only can be described as “spicy.” Clifton and Peacock display an ease and joy that outshines the rest of the cast, although all 20 of them—ranging from ages 18 to 30 and representing nearly a dozen countries—are obviously talented and well-trained.
The second to last number, “Proud Mary,” a jive, is one of the memorable, high-energy, full-cast numbers. Some of the numbers contain loose plots, some dramatic, some playful. Others seem to have no plots at all. But it doesn’t matter. The dances speak for themselves.
—Emily Weisburg
