By Greg Simay
BurbankNBeyond Entertainment Editor
Dancers endure the blisters, bruises and years of sweat for what’s been taking place at the El Portal Theatre since January 19: those moments when the dancer and the dance become effortlessly one. And the rest of us watch this miracle of moving beauty and grace for two astonishing hours.
Classical ballroom. Hip Hop. Samba. Break dancing. Dances without brakes. Dances I never even imagined. Leaps of sheer joy. Fever. Heartbreak. Palpable, living energy throughout. And a standing ovation at the end.
The brainchild of LOUIS VAN AMSTEL, Ballroom With A Twist distills Dancing With The Stars and So You Think You Can Dance into non-stop live excitement, along with vocals from American Idol finalists.
BWT’s caliber of dancing is the kind that launches celebrity rather than leans upon it. All the same, fans of DWTS, SYTYCD and other performances may be pleased to recognize ALEC MAZO, JONATHAN ROBERTS, EDYTA SLIWINSKA, ANNA TREBUNSKAYA, ALEXANDER ANDREEV, LILIT AVAGYAN, C.J. BLAIR,PAUL BARRIS, IRENA BOUBNOVKAIA,VERONIKA CHERNYAVSKA,RANDI LYNN EVANS,ANYA FUCHS, PATRICIA KANIOWSKI,ALLA KOCHERGA, TESSA MARIE, SNEJANA PETROVA, JONATHAN PLATERO, LEONIDUS PROSCUROV, GEV MANOUKIAN, TONY PUTUTAO and LEO ROTENBERG. American Idol fans will be pleased to once again hear finalists GINA GLOCKSEN and DAVID HERNANDEZ.
And last Friday night, it was nice to see TV goddess JANE SEYMOUR host the event and remind DWTS fans that she still has her dance on. (Note: Louis Van Amstel will host after February 6.)
During intermission, a beaming stranger turns to me and says, “Amazing, isn’t it?”
Yes it is. Go see it at the El Portal Theatre by February 13. And if the gods of Vegas and Broadway have been paying attention, they should be soon contending to have Ballroom With A Twist dancing in their domains.
El Portal Theatre. 5269 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood. Call the Box Office at 818-508-4200 or visitwww.elportaltheatre.com.
Below are some pictures from
“Ballroom With a Twist”
