Step up for ‘Burn the Floor’
This sizzling show is filled with spectacular dance moves and ballroom displays
DANCER Stephen Vincent was 17 when he joined the international Burn the Floor ballroom and dance theatre production group.
In the 13 years he has been with the company, he says he has seen it morph into one of the most revolutionary performance groups globally and as much as it has grown, so has he.
Burn the Floor is back in the country for the fourth time, in a nation-wide tour which sees local and international dancers, singers and musicians travel from Cape Town this week to Joburg and then Durban.
For those not familiar with this sizzling, sexy show, it’s filled with what have been described as “dazzlingly spectacular dance moves and ballroom displays”.
Vincent, from Manchester in the UK, is married to Kylee, a cast member, and says he believes Burn
The Floor has revolutionised the perception of ballroom dance the world over. “It’s no wonder it’s been dubbed as ‘Burn The Floor – The Rebel Tour’,” he says.
He says he six when he started dancing. Inspired by his cousin, he decided to give it a go and has never looked back. “Lo and behold, I took to it,” he says.
At the age of 16, he won the title of UK Latin Champion and represented the UK internationally at the world championships. Among his long list of theatre credits are Latin Fever, Simply Ballroom, Cheek to Cheek and Priscilla Queen of the Desert.
The veteran dancer says dancing is his way of expressing himself without using words.
“You don’t feel the same every day, and in this way, you bring your personality to the fore on stage.”
Stephen says the performance is constantly evolving. Along with the other members of the ensemble, he has travelled to all major destinations and adds: “We are constantly pushing the boundaries. Over the years, while some things have remained the same in dance, now it has become more athletic. We are stretching it and our bodies to the limits.”
South Africa has become his second home being married to Kylee, who’s from Pretoria. She also launched her dance career at six, being the daughter of gymnast parents and moved from freestyle and hip-hop to Latin and ballroom dancing. She says the highlight of her career was winning the under 21 Open British Latin Championship (Blackpool) title in 2012 and she’s also performed on stage with Rock of
Ages and Priscilla Queen of the Desert.
If there’s one phrase she uses for the performance that audiences are treated to, it’s “high energy”.
She joined the company in 2013 and has performed on ships and in a string of top venues. “But it’s amazing to be able to perform in your own country,” she says, adding for South Africa, the company has created a new dance they’ll perform barefoot called Pata Pata, along with other well-loved numbers .
Lelo Ramasimong, a finalist in the third season of the reality TV show The Voice SA, will treat audiences to her sultry tones as the lead female vocalist.
This is her second time performing in Burn the Floor, and as its name denotes, she agrees, “it’s a very hot and sexy show”.
Last year, the talented Lelo completed two runs of The Color
Purple at the Joburg Theatre and in the leading role as Shug Avery, she won a Naledi Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical. She says a new single is on the cards and she’ll be appearing in Janice Honeyman’s Pantomime Jack And The Bean Stalk.
Choreographed and directed by Peta Roby, you can expect music from Rag and Boneman, James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Santana, Janis Joplin, and Led Zeppelin.
Burn The Floor – The Rebel Tour, is brought to South Africa by Dance Partner Productions and starts at the Baxter Theatre in Cape Town tonight until August 17. Tickets at www.webtickets.co.za
It will run from August 22 until September 8 at Emperors Palace in Johannesburg and in Durban at Sibaya Casino from September 12 to September 29.
Tickets for both at Computicket.