Ballroom On Broadway

From the Sidney Morning Herald:

Burning ambition to have a ballroom on Broadway
Caroline Marcus
May 31, 2009

THEY'VE wowed Australia. Now the cast of hit dance show Burn The Floor are preparing to set Broadway alight.

The ballroom dancing spectacular has had a four-year run in Australia, impressing Broadway producers so much, that they signed up the local production for an open-ended run starting in July.

Choreographer Jason Gilkison, who has appeared on the Australian and US versions of So You Think You Can Dance, said it was a dream come true for the 10-year-old company.

All involved in the local production, including 20 dancers, will perform on Broadway.

"I still have to pinch myself," Gilkison said. "If I died tomorrow, I would be a happy man."

The production recently returned from a five-month run in San Francisco, where it won fans including such stars as Liza Minnelli and Shirley MacLaine, he said.

"Normally, people like that would come to a show and their minders will whisk them out through a back door afterwards, but they were all insisting they come backstage and talk to the performers," he said.

Ballroom dancing had had a revival in popularity after such shows as So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing With The Stars, Gilkison said.
"Now people know the difference between a tango and a waltz, and they didn't 10 years ago," he said. "Anything on Broadway lasts from two hours to two years. They think the market is there for ballroom dancing."

The group will tour Australia one last time before heading to Broadway's Longacre Theatre, with shows in Sydney, Newcastle, Canberra, Gold Coast and Perth from June 3.