In making its first Middle East appearance at Dubai’s Global Village, Burn the Floor found a venue that complements its scope and ambition.
Since its first UK performance in 1997, the ballroom dance show has built a steady and international buzz, selling out tours in Europe, the US and Japan.
That success also translated on screen, with more than 70 of its alumni appearing in and, in some instances, winning various international versions of television shows Strictly Come Dancing and Dancing with the Stars.
But it is on the main stage of Global Village where the kinetic energy of Burn the Floor is best appreciated.
“The venue is absolutely perfect for what we do,” says creator and producer Harley Medcalf.
“Many times, we play in smaller theatres where we don’t have as much room. But the Global Village stage, which is about 30 metres, is ideal because there is enough space for the full cast to really shine.”
A slick show
For those attending the month-long season, there is a lot to see and hear.
Eleven pairs of dancers twirl, dart and maraud across the stage, moving to a blaring and eclectic soundtrack that includes hits by Michael Jackson, Pharrell Williams and Ella Fitzgerald.
The colourful set and fast-paced show is Medcalf’s forte. Over a 40-year career, he has produced concerts for Elton John, Lionel Richie and Billy Joel.
He recalls how the concept was triggered after meeting a group of ballroom dancers after a performance in London.
“I was just inspired by the passion, commitment, drive and work ethic in what they do and I just fell in love with them,” he says.
“It made me think of ways I can take the qualities they possess and really blend them with my rock and roll world, with all its theatre, technology, costuming and modern music.”
Aside from creating a hit show that has toured the world, Burn the Floor’s biggest legacy lies in including dance forms that date back hundreds of years.
“It was viewed as old fashioned because some of the dances, such as the Austrian waltz, go back to the 1700s,” Medcalf says.
“That's why it took us a couple of years to get the show right and why everyone initially thought I was crazy in trying to do this.
“But I was absolutely determined to make this work, not for myself, but really for the dancers.”
A cast of champions
Accelerating that trajectory to the mainstream was the UK’s Strictly Come Dancing and the US spin-off Dancing with the Stars, launched in 2004 and 2005, respectively.
The immediate success of the shows spawned various international versions including in the US, Australia and South Africa.
While Burn the Floor can’t take full credit for contributing to the enduring appeal of the programmes, Medcalf states the show and television franchise share a non-official but tight bond in that it supplies dozens of dancers to appear on the programmes.
“They work with us because they know they can find dancers who have that great personality and physicality, as well as a deep understanding of the art form and its history,” he says.
One dancer that made the temporary crossover is Jorja Freeman, who won the 2019 season of the Australian version of Dancing with the Stars alongside fellow Aussie Samuel Johnson.
While the achievement resulted in the kind of attention that could have led to a new solo career, Freeman elected to stay with the company.
“I started with Burn the Floor when I was 19 and now I am 30, so I have pretty much grown up here,” she says.
“While I understand the allure of making it to television, it is when you are in a professional and international dance company that you can truly express yourself because you are always challenging yourself.”
Freeman’s tie to the company is also personal, as her husband, Italian ballroom dance champion Gustavo Viglio, is a fellow cast member.
However, don’t expect the couple to showcase that chemistry on stage. “The show also has other real-life couples and we are the only one who chooses not to dance together,” she says. “We just made the choice that it’s just better that way.”
Burn the Floor will perform several shows a day at Dubai's Global Village main stage from Tuesday to Sunday, until March 31, from 6pm onwards. Performance times vary. More information is available at globalvillage.ae or call +971 4 362 4114.
Water waste
In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.
Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.
A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.
The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.
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Company profile
Name: Back to Games and Boardgame Space
Started: Back to Games (2015); Boardgame Space (Mark Azzam became co-founder in 2017)
Founder: Back to Games (Mr Azzam); Boardgame Space (Mr Azzam and Feras Al Bastaki)
Based: Dubai and Abu Dhabi
Industry: Back to Games (retail); Boardgame Space (wholesale and distribution)
Funding: Back to Games: self-funded by Mr Azzam with Dh1.3 million; Mr Azzam invested Dh250,000 in Boardgame Space
Growth: Back to Games: from 300 products in 2015 to 7,000 in 2019; Boardgame Space: from 34 games in 2017 to 3,500 in 2019
Towering concerns
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National Editorial: Suleimani has been killed, now we must de-escalate
Mina Al Oraibi: Air strike casts a long shadow over the decade ahead
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Tomorrow 2021
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
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What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
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Sunrisers Hyderabad 178-6 (20 ovs)
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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Race card
1.45pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,200m.
2.15pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,200m.
2.45pm: Handicap Dh95,000 1,200m.
3.15pm: Handicap Dh120,000 1,400m.
3.45pm: Handicap Dh80,000 1,400m.
4.15pm: Handicap Dh90,000 1,800m.
4.45pm: Handicap Dh80,000 1,950m.
The National selections:
1.45pm: Galaxy Road – So Hi Speed
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2.45pm: Call To War – Taamol
3.15pm: Eqtiraan - Bochart
3.45pm: Kidd Malibu – Initial
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4.35pm: Compliance - Muqaatil
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Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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GP3 race, 12:30pm
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Tomorrow 2021
Korean Film Festival 2019 line-up
Innocent Witness, June 26 at 7pm
On Your Wedding Day, June 27 at 7pm
The Great Battle, June 27 at 9pm
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Romang, June 28 at 6pm
Mal Mo E: The Secret Mission, June 28 at 8pm
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Essentials
The flights
Whether you trek after mountain gorillas in Rwanda, Uganda or the Congo, the most convenient international airport is in Rwanda’s capital city, Kigali. There are direct flights from Dubai a couple of days a week with RwandAir. Otherwise, an indirect route is available via Nairobi with Kenya Airways. Flydubai flies to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, via Entebbe in Uganda. Expect to pay from US$350 (Dh1,286) return, including taxes.
The tours
Superb ape-watching tours that take in all three gorilla countries mentioned above are run by Natural World Safaris. In September, the company will be operating a unique Ugandan ape safari guided by well-known primatologist Ben Garrod.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, local operator Kivu Travel can organise pretty much any kind of safari throughout the Virunga National Park and elsewhere in eastern Congo.
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Places to go for free coffee
- Cherish Cafe Dubai, Dubai Investment Park, are giving away free coffees all day.
- La Terrace, Four Points by Sheraton Bur Dubai, are serving their first 50 guests one coffee and four bite-sized cakes
- Wild & The Moon will be giving away a free espresso with every purchase on International Coffee Day
- Orange Wheels welcome parents are to sit, relax and enjoy goodies at ‘Café O’ along with a free coffee
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Tomorrow 2021
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If you go
The flights
Fly direct to London from the UAE with Etihad, Emirates, British Airways or Virgin Atlantic from about Dh2,500 return including taxes.
The hotel
Rooms at the convenient and art-conscious Andaz London Liverpool Street cost from £167 (Dh800) per night including taxes.
The tour
The Shoreditch Street Art Tour costs from £15 (Dh73) per person for approximately three hours.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
National Editorial: Suleimani has been killed, now we must de-escalate
Mina Al Oraibi: Air strike casts a long shadow over the decade ahead
Jack Moore: Why the assassination is such a monumental gamble
Matthew Levitt: Iran retains its ability to launch terror attacks
Damien McElroy: A CEO tasked with spreading Iran's influence
Hussein Ibish: Trump's order on solid constitutional ground
Simon Waldman: Cautious Israel keeping a low profile
