Review: Burn The Floor
Published on Tuesday 27th July, 10.13am, Written by Amy Whiting
Sexy, vibrant and energetic – Burn The Floor is the sizzling show of the summer.
As a dance enthusiast myself, it was enviable that I would fall in love with the show and want to be one of the girls on stage shaking my thing while dressed head to toe in sequins. But it turns out I wasn’t the only one. Everyone in the audience seemed to thoroughly enjoy this latest West End show from start to finish.
Burn The Floor featuring Strictly stars Brian Fortuna and Ali Bastian
The show has no plot to speak of, but it doesn’t need one; each dance lends itself nicely to the routine that follows. The dancing itself takes you on a journey with each and every performance. The dancers move with such emotion, it’s utterly gripping to watch.
Burn The Floor is a mixture of Latin and ballroom, with solos, duets and impressive group routines. The Rumba was brilliantly choreographed with one female and three male dancers. The female danced half the routine blindfolded and was led around the stage by the males so effortlessly, it was beautiful to watch. And in complete contrast, the other stand-out performance was a group dance to Rolling on a River which was upbeat, lively and everything you wanted it to be.
One person who shone was the female singer. Her voice was powerful, her moves were sexy and she arguably stole the show.
The celebrity guest appearance in London came from Strictly Come Dancing pair Brian Fortuna and Ali Bastian. Brian was absolutely excellent and stood out among the male dancers, however Ali appeared to be a little lost to the overwhelming talent of the other female dancers. Yes, she was very good, but you could tell she wasn’t a professional. But that didn’t seem to bother the audience, who whooped and cheered when the pair came on stage.
The staging was simple with a few tables and chairs scattered around the edge to create a club setting. The main focus were two drum kits that sat at the back of the stage, which I absolutely loved. Seeing the musicians and dancers interacting really added to the effect the music was having on the audience. But imaginative and clever staging wasn’t necessary in this show – the dancers created the mood and vibe through their incredible body movements.
By the end of the performance, the audience were up dancing, clapping and joining in and it was nice to see the dancers looking so touched by the reaction they were receiving.
So if you’re off to see Burn The Floor in London, be prepared for lots of skimpy costumes, hip shaking and the urge to get up and samba in the aisle.
Hi there,
So pleased to see appreciation of the amazing dancing of Brian Fortuna. Ali Bastian has never tried to be thought of as a professional dancer. She was not invited to be a part of this show as a professional. It is her excellent amateur dancing on SCD and the romance between her and Brian that is the interest. She has stated that she is ‘honoured’ to be dancing with this company. Everyone should give her full credit for doing this amongst such amazing performers and recognize that, with all this excellence around her, she is doing an exceptional job. There is no need to say that she stands out for her inexperience. Give her credit for the courage!!!!
I found this review very useful, thanks Amy.
Linda, you’re coming dangerously close to sounding like a demented fan. Why on earth should Bastian get “full credit” for an amateurish performance in a show that people PAY TO SEE?
If she’s not good enough then she’s not good enough; West End performers don’t get praise for courage alone, otherwise we could just stick a pig on stage and applaud it all night long for having the courage to stand there, being a pig.
Fact of the matter is Ali Bastian isn’t of the right standard to be performing with the otherwise superb Burn The Floor cast, just because you saw her on the telly does not change that.
Thank you Amy for an excellent review. I think I was the first one to give you a positive respons. However I would like to react on the 2 comments. I am coming to London to see the show and I know it is amazing. It was in Amsterdam some 2 years ago. Part of the reason that I want to see it in London is the fact that Brian Fortuna is performing with Ali Bastian. So I for one am perfectly willing to PAY TO SEE someone VERY GOOD as you say performing with one that is absolutely excellent and stood out among the male dancers. Perhaps the second poster should realise that this is part of the attraction in this particular production.. I am looking forward to an amazing evening.
Hi Amy,
Great review on a fantastic show Amy, except you have made and error!
The singers name is REBECCA TAPIA
“One person who shone was the female singer REBECCA TAPIA. Her voice was powerful, her moves were sexy and she arguably stole the show.
Can this error be fixed?
Hi Francis,
Glad you enjoyed the review and the show.
Apologies for this, but one thing’s for certain, she was absolutely fantastic!
You’re right Amy, the female singer was absolutely fantastic! Suave yet powerful and mesmerising. She deserves every accolade. We were very impressed.
I saw this terrific show on Monday and was thrilled from start to finish.
I went especially to see Ali Bastian and was not disappointed. I thought that she held her own with the other great dancers and would have loved to have seen more of her and Brian on their own.
Both singers were excellent and a few more songs would have been very welcome.
The best show in the West End at the moment. You come out walking on air!
Fantastic review, love it! The show was fantastic and Ali’s confidence can only grow with each show she does. Dancing takes lots of practice and the rest of the company has had years of this so it must be very overwhelming for her.
Agree, the singers were fantastic, I always veer towards preferring female vocals and Rebecca Tapia was outstanding!
Loved the show Thought the dancing was brilliant loved Ali and Brian they were so lovely. I’m a big Strictly fan and loved seeing them. I also met Emma Slater and Santo Costa after the show as they signed autographs, they were my favourites on stage too and both from England how brilliant. I must see this show again I cant tell you how fantastic it is. Go Ali go Brian