F. J. Hartland

Describing itself as “Ballroom.  Reinvented,” Burn the Floor is igniting the stage at Heinz Hall this week.

Divided into four segments (“Inspiration,” “Things That Swing,” “The Latin Quarter” and “CODA”), Burn the Floor highlights a variety of dance form, including: the cha cha, Viennese Waltz,  foxtrot, samba, swing, tango, paso double, lindy and the rumba.

And the show is sure to delight fans of dance.

There are breaks between each of the segments.  But thanks to director/choreographer Jason Gilkinson, within each segment, the show moves flawlessly from number to number.

Featuring nearly twenty dancers, the cast is headlined by Mark Ballas (of Dancing with the Stars) and Giselle Peacock.  In truth, all the performers work up a sweat and are given the chance to shine.

Accompanying some of the numbers are outstanding vocalists Peter Saul and Vonzell Solomon (of American Idol fame).While all the numbers are high-energy and highly entertaining, I did prefer the ones which included Saul and Solomon.

Everyone will be sure to have their personal favorites, but for me, the stand-out numbers include the sensuous “Burn for You,” a raucous rendition of ”Proud Mary,” and an abbreviated history lesson in the development of ballroom dance entitled “History Repeating.”

The music is pre-recorded, but Burn the Floor feature two live, on stage percussionists Joseph Malone and Henry Soriano, who do their part to keep the temperature rising.

Kudos also to the strong lighting design of Rick Belzer.  Lighting can make or break a dance performance, and Belzer’s work certainly compliments Burn the Floor.

If you enjoy dance (or sexy, shirtless men), this is the show for you!

After a very chilly December, temperatures this week in Pittsburgh are scheduled to climb.  Certainly Burn the Floor is partly responsible for that!

Burn the Floor continues through January 2.