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76 of 78 found the following review helpful:
 Explosive, BrilliantJun 19, 2000
By R. Maynard
"Burn the Floor" (DVD), is a film of the stage play "Burn the Floor" and burn the floor they do. Wow! It's a year 2000 salute, a tribute to dancing couples. Many of the dances are interpretations, abstractions of the milestone dance styles of the 20th Century, performed by 23 couples, the world's newest crop of ballroom champions. The choreography is brilliant and dazzling, with each couple sharing the limelight in individual routines, but somehow it works together, as one. A time machine that whisks the viewer back to the smooth waltz, Hollywood and Broadway of the thirties, the Lindy, Fred Astaire, World War II and Glenn Miller. Then the Jitterbug, Zoot Suit, Reet Pleat and right cuff to look sharp enough to see your Sunday gal. Holy Moly Batman, we eventually zoom back to the 21st Century. "Hot", the finale, is a hand-clapping, finger snapping, mind boggling Mambo/Salsa of the 21st Century. It is all new, fresh, sexy, wet and hot. The music, the moves, the artistry of the dancers and the ambiance of the stage, draws the spellbound viewer into the action. After seeing this film, many will browse the Yellow Pages in search of dance lessons from their nearest studio. This DVD is a keeper: you can play it over and over and never tire of watching it.
27 of 27 found the following review helpful:
 It will make you want to DANCE!!May 21, 2001
By V. Garlock
"Radical Feminist"
Any sort of ballroom dancing is terrific to watch, but this will blow you away. The video box will in no way prepare you for the exciting dancing, dancing, dancing that follows. THIS IS NOT FOR THE TIMID AND TRADITIONAL. Even I, at times, was jawdropped at the uninhibited sexual nature of it. Now, it isn't the whole show, but several sequences are indeed rather racy--in terms of clothing and dancing. But it you can get past that, it is a treat for anyone. Special favorites for me are the swing sequence and the Fred and Ginger bit. But all of it is spectatular and worth watching.
20 of 20 found the following review helpful:
 Burn the Floor: Camera Work and Editing Is DismalApr 22, 2000
By Horton Mccurdy
"Gadgetaholic"
Both the dancing and music is superb, BUT.... Unfortunately, this live performance was almost ruined by the way it was videotaped and then chopped-up when the tape was apparently edited by idiots. Also, I saw it on DVD and it appeared quite fuzzy to me in places. It's still worth watching, just be prepared to get a headache from the editing jumping from place to place about every 2 seconds. And if you want to see any of the dancer's faces, forget that too.
14 of 15 found the following review helpful:
Hot, hot hot!Jan 03, 2006
By Meriam Matthews
Prepared to be disappointed, my husband and I were awed by the dancing in this unusual and unique stage performance and too wired to sleep. We were not at all disappointed, though. "Burn the Floor" is a fusion of ballroom dancing with Fred & Ginger, Martha Graham, Bob Fosse, boogie-woogie, Buzby Berkely, Riverdance, ballet and jazz. The resulting amalgam is something entirely new and heart-racing. I cannot recall seeing so many fabulous dancers in one place at one time.
The costuming was sensational, especially for "The Continental" number. It would be hard to get more elegant. The music was pounding but not overly so, the sound rendition was excellent, and the editor, Nick Morris, should get a special award for excellence. While he could have utilized far fewer slo-motion cuts which tend to throw the music track off rhythm just a fraction - enough for purists to be annoyed - he was mercifully judicious about his camera cuts. They were not overdone as in the Michael Flatley DVD's. In future DVD's of new "Burn the Floor" shows, should there be any, I hope Morris is used again -he is an artist in his own right except for a slight overzealousness about using slo-mo.
As to the content, with the exception of the second number, a black-lipsticked punk-rock number that struck a discordant note among an otherwise stellar program, the rest of the numbers were mesmerizing. The variety of themes and choreography are superbly innovative, especially the use of props, and both create a pleasant tension by being unpredictable; you never know what's coming next.
Just as John Curry raised ice dancing to a new level and made it a new creature known as ice ballet, "Burn The Floor" has also taken ballroom dancing, tweaked and enhanced it, made it tell a story, and made it a new creature. Don't expect straight ballroom dancing in this program; it's more, much more, but the ballroom influence is ever-present.
Having said that, the strong sexual nature of bits and pieces of the program, plus some of the costuming, make it unfit for family viewing unless you don't care that young children see nearly-naked butts and a good deal of cleavage. The self-groin-grabbing in the otherwise wildly exciting finale could (and should) have been left on the cutting room floor and for certain, should not have been a deliberate part of the otherwise fantastic family viewing.
All things considered, this is a spectacular dance DVD and will wipe the floor, let alone burn it, with all the others.
10 of 11 found the following review helpful:
A GREAT SHOW!Jan 18, 2001
By David M. Ice
A friend brought over the VHS, and I was so blown away that I immediately ordered the DVD. The dancing is so fun, energetic, and the cast is OBVIOUSLY having the time of their lives. It makes me regret sneering at dance classes when I was a kid! Like the live audience, I wanted to stand up and cheer--and start dancing in the aisles. Some people have quibbled about the camerawork and editing. Speaking as a professional film editor, I found the camerawork and editing to be first rate. The editing follows your eye, in much the same way you would if you were at a show live. Of course your eyes cannot give you zooms, crane shots, or closeups, but I felt the editing was inspired. It increases the energy of the show AND gives you a real "feel" for the dance...as opposed to the "Fred and Ginger" school of the uncut long shot master take. Yes, the cutting is quick at times, but you certainly see enough of the footwork that it's a joy to also see the closeups of the dancers faces and bodies. A static proscenium or rostrum camera would have destroyed the energy and rhythm. This video takes it's place with the DVD of "Cats", in my book, in terms of wonderfully conveying the freedom, joy, and liberation of dance.
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