-By Kim Parnell-
Having grown up as a dancer from an incredibly early age, acclaimed Artistic Director and Choreographer Jason Gilkison knows just how tough the world of dance can be – but also how incredibly rewarding it is too.
I caught up with the very busy man himself via phone during a quick break from choreographing Burn The Floor – Luminous.
Jason says, “I was really lucky to have such lovely memories of growing up in dancing schools, and of course, my family had a big dance studio in Perth.
“I danced for fun, and it’s virtually given me a life that I never could have dreamed of. It’s taken me all over the world, it’s taken me to do movies, television, and of course, Burn The Floor, which has been kind of my dream job over the last almost 28 years.
“It’s one of those professions that it’s either you’re all in or you’re not.”
That dedication is something Jason sees every day in the dancers joining Burn The Floor.
“They live like gypsies, just because they want to dance. It’s an exciting, infectious group to be around, and I get to go to work with dancers like that every day, which is nice.”
In the past, Jason has described Burn The Floor as reinventing ballroom and Latin dance for a new generation.
“We likened it always to finding a piece of your grandmother’s jewellery, taking out the stone, and putting it in a modern setting.
“When Burn The Floor began, Ballroom and Latin dancing was an almost obsolete genre,” Jason explains.
“It was something that people did in competitions or on a Sunday at the church hall. Everybody’s grandparents had done ballroom dancing. There wasn’t much street cred.”
Almost three decades later, the landscape has changed dramatically.
Shows such as Dancing with the Stars and So You Think You Can Dance later helped propel ballroom into the mainstream, but that success has also challenged Burn The Floor to keep evolving.
“The reinvention was very easy in the beginning because people just weren’t used to seeing ballroom dancing done in a more contemporary way. Now all those shows are doing that, so it sort of forces us to try and push our bodies even further.”
And that is where the extraordinary diversity of today’s dancers comes in.
Produced by Burn the Floor founder Harley Medcalf, Luminous features dancers from around the world and includes Dancing with the Stars favourites Jorja Freeman and Gustavo Viglio, bringing together championship-level ballroom and Latin technique with influences from a multitude of other dance styles.
Jason says, “The dancers that come into Burn The Floor now are sort of multi genre incredible hybrids that have all these different strings to their instruments, so, it’s quite exciting to see where it’s going to go next.”
That fusion makes the creative process even more exciting.
“They’re not just Ballroom and Latin dancers; they might have really quite accelerated careers in other dance forms as well.
“And so, the fusion of all those different dance styles coming together makes the range of the show really exciting, and it makes choreographing the show a joy as well.”
Some of the company’s youngest dancers have particularly impressed him.
“We’ve got 2 18-year-olds in the company at the moment, and every day when they come in, they experiment with their bodies, and they’re doing different things. Some of the stuff they’re pulling out, I’m like, oh my God!”
Jason’s choreography combines the technical precision of competitive ballroom with the emotion and storytelling of theatre, but authenticity remains important.
“When the dancers come in to Burn The Floor, they still need to take classes in the ballroom, the Latin, and all the fundamentals, that’s important, because that’s their foundation.”
His years working in television have also influenced the way he approaches storytelling. Best known internationally as the Creative Director and Choreographer of the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, Jason has spent almost two decades working in television, and also worked on Broadway, the West End, Las Vegas and choreographed for major artists including Céline Dion, Robbie Williams, Lady Gaga and Kylie Minogue.
“When you tell a story on television, you have to make sure that you’re always exciting your audience and that you’re always clear as a bell with your narrative.”
“I find dancers make really good storytellers because it’s their way of communicating with each other.
“I mean, upstairs at the moment in rehearsal, I don’t think we’ve got two people that speak the same language, but they do when they dance.”
Although television has shaped his creative approach, Jason says nothing quite replaces live theatre.
“In the theatre it’s there, it’s in the moment, you see it once, and it’s different every night, that’s what excites me about dancing in the theatre. It’s never going to be the same twice.”
His passion for dance also reaches back to the legends who inspired him as a young Australian dancer – particularly Gene Kelly.
“Growing up in the 60s and 70s in Australia, Saturday afternoon, after dancing, we’d always be watching musicals on television, you know, Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire.”
Years later, Jason was given an extraordinary opportunity to step inside Gene Kelly’s world when he was invited to visit the home of Gene’s widow, Patricia Ward Kelly, and see items from the legendary dancer’s life.
“There were handwritten letters from Fred Astaire, all of Gene’s rehearsal shoes, which I’ve got photos of me holding like a baby.
“Even little things like the Anchors Aweigh sailor suit that was in a box. Patricia made me put the white gloves on so I could pick it up. I was just like a kid in a candy store.”
And then came an unforgettable Singin’ in the Rain moment.
“Dancer and performer Cyd Charisse wore the beautiful white dress from that musical. I mean, just to see it, to hold it. Under the arm the stitching had come undone, and it had Cyd’s name on it and then you could see the sweat marks, oh my gosh, I couldn’t believe it.
“My heart was beating so fast. It was definitely one of those pinch me moments.”
Moments like this are a reminder of just how far a career in dance can take you. For young Australian dancers dreaming of an international career, Jason’s advice is simple: take every opportunity.
“Go to every open audition that you can. You never know when you’re going to come across a director who sees you in the back row. Go to every class, go and watch dance, go and watch live theatre.
“Just expose yourself as much as you can to every opportunity. It’s all out there.
“You get used to rejection; you get used to criticism but use that feedback to spur you onwards.”
For those who have never experienced Burn The Floor, Jason promises an evening that will leave you feeling very much alive.
“When you leave the theatre, I’d like to think you will feel euphoric and uplifted.
“The show is a great fusion of different types of music, it’s exciting, it’s definitely high energy. The dancers leave everything on the stage every night.
“You will definitely have a spring in your step when you’re walking out of the theatre.”
BURN THE FLOOR – LUMINOUS
Tuesday, September 29 | 7pm
Brolga Theatre, Maryborough
Tickets: www.brolgatheatre.org
Front cover image -Jason Gilkison – Artistic Director and Choreographer
