Song, dance showstopper
THE imaginative and high-energy show, Dance With
Me, opens on Friday night at the Opera House with a fresh young cast of Port Elizabeth singers and dancers.
Conceptualised by 5EM Productions’ Daniel Botoc, the non-stop singing and dancing production runs from Friday to March 22 and promises motion graphics, colourful costumes and vibey choreography.
“We invite our audiences to sit back and enjoy an intricate collaboration between song, dance and LED visuals,” Botoc, a Romanian-born dancer who spent several years touring the world on cruise liners, said.
He hopes to give Bay audiences, as well as his cast, a glimpse into the glitz and glamour of five-star life at sea.
“The show is very passionate and energetic. The changes are very, very fast so there is continuous action,” Botoc said.
“We wanted to give them the experience of working on board a ship, because that is what it is like.”
He says the format of the run – there are two shows on most days and three performances on weekends – also will give his young cast a taste of a professional performer’s life.
5EM Productions is a division of Five Entertainment Management which Botoc and his Port Elizabeth-born wife, Monique, nee Iversen, direct from their home here.
The couple met while working on cruise ships and built Five Entertainment Management into an international talent agency with more than 8 000 artists on its books.
What sets Dance With Me apart, says Botoc, however, will be the use of the LED screen behind the dancers.
“I’m working with a very good friend from Germany, who is very good with motion graphics. It always has to complement the stage action.”
The Botocs both are trained dancers: Daniel received classical Russian ballet training, and choreographs and teaches jazz ballet. Due to knee injuries, however, Monique no longer dances and focuses on the talent agency.
Musical director Ulagh Williams will guide violinist Nina Lockhart and singers Cailan van Heerden, Glenn McIlroy, Robert Gillmer and Zanele Maphaphu through a host of danceable tunes.
These include songs from performers such as Ed Sheeran, Meghan Trainor, Imagine Dragons and Justin Timberlake among others. Cornelius Poisat is in charge of the sound. Choreographed by Heidi Sampson and Lauren McCarthy, the dance crew is Adija Hartley, Amber Freeman, Amy Walker, Bianca Joubert, Courtney Mattheus, Demi-Rae Lee, Ilandi Engelbrecht, Jade Ryan, Kailyn Dodd, Litha Nkihlana, Ma Bell Muller, Nicole Hills, Rebekah Calitz, Tarric Davids and ZIkisani Xhotyeni.
Despite their database of international performers, 5EM’s Come Dance With Me is a local production.
“All the designers and performers – the entire cast – are from Port Elizabeth,” Botoc said.
Tickets are R90 to R140, on sale at Computicket.