I recently saw Black Swan, a new film about a neurotic ballet dancer who descends into paranoid madness. It made me wonder why anyone would pursue a career in dance. Watching Burn the Floor, a company of exuberant dancers on tour — and on fire — who obviously revel in movement, I had my answer.
There’s nothing emaciated or delicate about these 21 dancers, complemented by two singers and two percussionists. (The score is pre-recorded but reproduced with clarity and emotion.) In fact, this show of “dance-sport” is about beautiful curves and well-defined musculature. And lots of gorgeous skin, accentuated by beautiful, often minimal costumes that change continuously, sometimes startlingly. If you’re a student of human anatomy and what it can do, Burn the Floor is worth seeing.
The show employs 10 styles that comprise international ballroom dancing, but this production distills those forms into high-level performance.
Burn the Floor, presented by Broadway Across America, continues as the Aronoff Center through Sunday. Go here to read Rick Pender’s full review and get show times and ticket information.
This article appears in Jan 12-18, 2011.
