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Wednesday, 23 February, 2011 1:41 AM

'Burn the Floor' is mesmerizing at the Fisher Theatre in Detroit

Photo credit: Joan Marcus Anya Garnis and Pasha Kovalev are dancing to the song "Burn for You" in the new musical Burn the Floor.

by Jason Rzucidlo americajr@americajr.com

LISTEN: Interview with Janette Manrara from the new musical "Burn the Floor"

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DETROIT -- The floor was literally burnin' at the Fisher Theatre in Detroit. On the day after President's Day and a snowstorm that brought us eight to 10 inches of snow, "Burn the Floor" opened to a sold-out crowd. Some of the top dancers from TV's So You Think You Can Dance and a vocalist from American Idol are included in the show. It is basically a musical that features five different types of high-energy ballroom dancing. "Burn the Floor" is now open and runs through March 6.

The musical began after the red carpet went up. There was no set on the stage -- there didn't need to be one. The fast-paced lighting was enough to keep the audience interested. Then, a disco mirror ball was lowered from the ceiling. Smoke billowed from the ground. Two dancers appeared on the stage and seconds later, the entire cast came on stage to perform the first number. The director did a great job of switching between the fast-pace songs and the slower-paced songs.

The tour features Anya Garnis, Pasha Kovalev, Robbie Kmetoni, Janette Manrara and Karen Hauer, all alums from FOX's So You Think You Can Dance. In addition, Vonzell Solomon is the show's female vocalist. She was the second runner-up in the 4th season of FOX's American Idol. Jason Gilkison is the director and choreographer. Raj Kapoor is the creative consultant for the musical.

"Burn the Floor" Fast Facts: Dancers range in age from 18-30 90 Liters of water are consumed backstage at every performance 194 pairs of shoes are worn in each performance 367 costumes and costume accessories travel with the show "Burn the Floor" occupies 7,800 hotel rooms per year In an average year, a "Burn the Floor" dancer flies 30,000 miles "Burn the Floor" has sold in excess of 4 million tickets in more than 30 countries and 160 cities.

"Burn the Floor" features two acts with a 15-minute intermission in the middle. Each act is divided into two parts. The first act is made up of Inspirations and Things That Swing. The second act consists of The Latin Quarter and CODA--The Last Part. Some of the songs you'll hear include "Ballroom Beat," "Pastorale," "The Dirty Boogie", "Harlem Nocturne" and "Turn the Beat Around." The first two songs are performed without vocals. My favorite song in the musical is "Burn For You." I think the dancing and the singing matched up perfectly. There was one male vocalist on stage along with a pair of dancers. It is the first song in the second part of Act II. "Well, 'Burn The Floor' is a dance show," said dancer Janette Manrara in an exclusive phone interview. "It really is ballroom reinvented. It takes ballroom dancing from the waltz and fox trot all the way down to cha-cha and paso doble. It goes through all of the different emotions and a lot of different eras of time as well, all within two hours. It's a roller coaster ride of very, very, strong, fast-paced dancing with soft elegance at the same time. I think that you'll see a lot of passion in our dancers. You'll see a lot of love for the dance. We definitely have fun when we do our shows."

It was the most people that I've seen on the opening performance of a musical at the Fisher in a long time. The last musical, "In the Heights," opened on the day of a huge snowstorm.

"Burn the Floor" was created in 1997 at Sir Elton John's 50th birthday party at Hammersmith Palais Ballroom in London. A group of 16 young dancers brought the house down with a 10-minute performance. In 2000, "Burn the Floor" was touring the United States with two shows at the Radio City Music Hall in New York. By 2004, 1.5 million people saw the new musical in more than 85 cities around the world. In 2009, "Burn the Floor" opened on broadway. Last year, the world tour began along with the fall tour of the USA.

I really enjoyed seeing "Burn the Floor." I think it is perfect for anyone who enjoys to attend weddings or clubs where there is lots of dancing. I never thought I'd like to watch people dance for two straight hours -- but I do. Go see it!

Ticket prices for the Detroit engagement of BURN THE FLOOR start at $29.00 (inclusive of parking and facility fee) and are on sale now at the Fisher Theatre box office from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. and all Ticketmaster locations. Tickets are also available for purchase online at www.ticketmaster.com or www.BroadwayinDetroit.com, and by calling Ticketmaster at 1-800-982-2787. Limited premium seats are available at the box office only. For group sales (12 or more), please call (313) 871-1132 or email groups@broadwayindetroit.com.

Related Story: Janette Manrara to star in 'Burn The Floor' at Detroit's Fisher Theatre

 

Photo credit: Beytan Erkman

The cast of Burn the Floor dance to the song "Tanguera."