Art and Culture
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And now it's time for our regular arts and culture segment with Michelle Kim. Today, she'll start by telling us about an exciting performance she went to see on Tuesday.
Hello Michelle
[Reporter : ] Hi Conn-young. Are you a good dancer
[Reporter : ] Well, I'm not much of a dancer myself, but I sure did want to be one after I saw the ballroom dance musical "Burn the Floor".
It was absolutely amazing and the 20 performers owned the stage with moves that really burned up the floor. Take a look.
The cold weather didn't keep people from packing Sungnam Arts Center on Tuesday for a night of fiery music and dance that sizzled as soon as the performers hit the stage.
As the audience sat waiting for the show to start, a single sultry dancer offered her hand to a gentlemen in the crowd and the theater was instantly plunged into darkness.
All of a sudden, the lights came back up, drumbeats sounded, and dancers filled the stage, gliding and whirling around the floor.
This is the dance musical, "Burn The Floor", which was the brainchild of veteran producer Harley Medcalf.
He thought of the idea when he was at Elton John's birthday party in 1997, according to the show's artistic director, Peta Roby..
"Our producer Harley Medcalf attended Elton John's birthday. During the course of the evening there was some entertainment and there was a group of ballroom dancers that presented a 10-minute performance. But the room fell silent and suddenly this light went on and he thought, 'Oh my goodness! These people have seen it all and they are fascinated'. And that was the conception of 'Burn the Floor'."
"Burn The Floor" features a cast of international ballroom dance champions, many of whom have appeared on television shows like "So You Think You Can Dance" and "Dancing with the Stars".
The show also features a combination of ballroom and Latin dance styles, including the cha-cha, samba, rumba, jive and waltz.
Artistic director Peta Roby said the creative team has made some changes since the show was first presented here two years ago and they also added a couple of extra special bits for the Korean audience as well.
" last visit to Korea was more than a couple years ago so the show has developed a lot since we've been here last. We have a new beginning to the show, we have a new ending to the show, we have new numbers in our forties
We know that the Korean audiences are warm and excitable audience so we've added just a touch more excitement to the show to please the Korean audience".
The dancers give it their all each and every time, and they're clearly having fun while still pulling off some really rigorous choreography.
Their love for dancing is evident throughout the production, which ended with non-stop applause and cheers from the audience.
Looking at the video, it seems like it was a very captivating performance. How would you describe it[Reporter : ] The performance is a feast for the eyes and ears, with top-notch music and dancing, AND the glamorous costumes that the dancers wear. You know, some people have even said that "Burn The Floor" is like a dancing fashion show.
A dancing fashion show[Reporter : ] Well, the dancers' clothes, shoes and accessories, more than 5-hundred items in all, were designed by world renowned designers such as Gucci, Versace, Dolce and Gabbana, and Moschino.
Each dancer has about 20 costume changes in the two-hour performance, which means they only have about 90 seconds to change between numbers.
Oh wow, that's amazing.
[Reporter : ] It was! Now, coming up in the next clip, we'll take a closer look at the dance styles that make the show sizzle.
Each couple in "Burn the Floor" performs 10 dances every night -- from standard dances like the waltz, quick-step, foxtrot and tango, to more dynamic Latin forms such as the rumba, cha-cha, samba, and paso-doble.
The intensity of the paso-doble and tango heat up the stage and the serene waltz provides a light breather in between for both the dancers and the audience.
All in all, its a non-stop sampler of the best the ballroom has to offer.
The show also features two singers, who perform 25 songs ranging in genre from jazz to pop to Latin pop and R&B.
[Interview : Peta Roby, Artistic Director] "The spectrum of the vocals is very broad. It's from the 1940s, to modern day jive, we have contemporary numbers such as Whitney Houston's songs. There really is such a broad range, there's something for everybody".
For the past thirteen years since its premiere, "Burn The Floor" has been creating a place of communication between performer and audience through music and dance.
Dancer Gary Wright says he's happy to be back in Korea for a second run.
[Interview : Gary Wright, Dancer] "This is my second time now in Korea and the first time we've actually done this together and I just would like to say come and check 'Burn the Floor' out. It's an amazing show. The energy is so high, there's so many different cultures in the show, we've got people from all over the world, and there's some exciting new numbers since the last time we were here so come and check it out".
"Burn The Floor" will be showing at the Sungnam Arts Center until November 25th.
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So Michelle, what did you think of the show[Reporter : ] Overall it was a very exciting production. I remember coming home feeling energized, which is always a good feeling to have after going to the theater. "Burn the Floor" is not just the kind of show where you're just watching people dance, but you get this great energy from the performers and it makes you want to get out of your seats and go up on stage and dance with them. It was also great to see people so passionate about what they do.
Sounds like you had a great time. Could you tell us the dates again[Reporter : ] Certainly. The show runs until the 25th, which is this Sunday, at the Sungnam Arts Center, and then the team will move on to the Incheon Culture & Arts Center, where they will perform from November 30th to December 1st.
Great. I'm definitely going to check it out this weekend.
[Reporter : ] That's great. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
I hope so, too. Thank you for telling us about the show, and we'll see you again on Monday.
[Reporter : ] You're welcome. Have a great weekend and see you then.
Reporter : dainee@arirang.co.kr