REVIEW
✭✭✭✭✭ 5/5
FIREDANCE
with Gorka and Karen
23rd March 2022
Cliffs Pavilion, Southend
✭✭✭✭✭ 5/5
FIREDANCE
with Gorka and Karen
23rd March 2022
Cliffs Pavilion, Southend
The long awaited Firedance starring Gorka Marquez and Karen Hauer exploded onto the Cliffs Pavilion, Southend stage last night with the hugely popular Strictly Come Dancing stars performing to an audience full of excited anticipation for what was to come. We are warned in a voice over, just before the show starts, to expect smoke, fire and haze effects and, boy, they weren’t kidding!
Firedance takes us on a fiery and romantic whirlwind with Marquez and Hauer playing the roles of lovers in all their red hot passion. It’s clear that the fire effects are not the only aspects of this production that will leave the audience sizzling.
The Strictly couple are a perfect combination; perhaps this is down to the fact that they come from similar cultures. With Karen coming from Venezuela and Gorka having Spanish roots, their tangos, salsas and paso dobles were always going to have plenty of Latin heat behind them. That said, they both give outstanding solo performances too.
The pair have a great band backing them throughout the show with singers, Paige Cook and Sandy Grigelis taking on some pretty hefty numbers, with many songs given a Latin inspired remix. There’s a wonderfully eclectic mix of music to compliment the dancers and please the varying ages of the audience, and the band and singers do a fantastic job. I loved their take on California Dreaming. These guys could absolutely have a show of their own.
Two of the 6 backing dancers provide the ‘firedance’ aspect to the production with some stunning routines and, I expect, some slight trepidation by anyone lucky enough to be in the front row. The dancer who performs with the giant steel hoop is clearly living his best life and is a joy to watch.
Costumes look stunning and give an eye-popping wow factor to the evening. There’s almost a 'Moulin Rouge' type vibe to this vibrant and exciting interpretation of a story of two lovers who dance their way through adversity, eventually bringing the show to it’s conclusion with a passionate, uplifting routine to Pink’s What About Us, which just exudes the hugest burst of happiness.
There’s clearly one helluva lot of hard work gone into Firedance and the audience were up on their feet dancing and whooping away for the Finale consisting of a medley of songs from the one and only Latin Queen of Pop, Gloria Estefan.
It’s always such a thrill to see the Strictly stars doing, and enjoying, what they do best and having the freedom to perform routines without limitations. Karen and Gorka have definitely scored a 10 for Firedance.
REVIEW: KIM TOBIN
Firedance takes us on a fiery and romantic whirlwind with Marquez and Hauer playing the roles of lovers in all their red hot passion. It’s clear that the fire effects are not the only aspects of this production that will leave the audience sizzling.
The Strictly couple are a perfect combination; perhaps this is down to the fact that they come from similar cultures. With Karen coming from Venezuela and Gorka having Spanish roots, their tangos, salsas and paso dobles were always going to have plenty of Latin heat behind them. That said, they both give outstanding solo performances too.
The pair have a great band backing them throughout the show with singers, Paige Cook and Sandy Grigelis taking on some pretty hefty numbers, with many songs given a Latin inspired remix. There’s a wonderfully eclectic mix of music to compliment the dancers and please the varying ages of the audience, and the band and singers do a fantastic job. I loved their take on California Dreaming. These guys could absolutely have a show of their own.
Two of the 6 backing dancers provide the ‘firedance’ aspect to the production with some stunning routines and, I expect, some slight trepidation by anyone lucky enough to be in the front row. The dancer who performs with the giant steel hoop is clearly living his best life and is a joy to watch.
Costumes look stunning and give an eye-popping wow factor to the evening. There’s almost a 'Moulin Rouge' type vibe to this vibrant and exciting interpretation of a story of two lovers who dance their way through adversity, eventually bringing the show to it’s conclusion with a passionate, uplifting routine to Pink’s What About Us, which just exudes the hugest burst of happiness.
There’s clearly one helluva lot of hard work gone into Firedance and the audience were up on their feet dancing and whooping away for the Finale consisting of a medley of songs from the one and only Latin Queen of Pop, Gloria Estefan.
It’s always such a thrill to see the Strictly stars doing, and enjoying, what they do best and having the freedom to perform routines without limitations. Karen and Gorka have definitely scored a 10 for Firedance.
REVIEW: KIM TOBIN
Back on our screens and soon to be Back Live On Stage! Strictly Come Dancing’s Karen Hauer and Gorka Marquez are finally able to bring their Latin spectacular FIREDANCE to a stage near you in 2022.
How did Firedance come about?
Gorka: Karen is Venezuelan, and I am Spanish, so we both come from a similar culture and have similar personalities, so we have always got on really well and connected with each other when we dance, so we were really keen to do our own show together. I completely trust her, and I think she trusts me just as much.
Karen: There’s very few times in your life that you find another artist that you connect to on a level that Gorka and I have. We work perfectly as a partnership both on and off the stage. We have the same ideas, the same flows, the same energy and I love the way that he interprets things, which I learn a lot from. He’s from Spain and I’m from Venezuela, so we both have that fire and heat within us, which I think is what makes us exciting to see onstage together. It’s quite an explosive partnership that we have, but it’s very tender too. He’s like a brother to me, so the fact I get to share the stage with him is something I’m so grateful for.
What can you tell us about the show itself?
Karen: Gorka and I got together a couple of years ago after working on Strictly for a while before that, as we thought it would be a good idea to team up and do something new and exciting. Firedance is something that we are both really passionate about, because it has all the dances that people love and we know that people will gravitate to quickly, like the tangos, the salsas, the paso dobles and so on. All those fiery dances that have a lot of heart and a lot of heat behind them!
Gorka: There’s zero chit-chat in it too, so it’s 90 minutes of pure intense dancing that I know people will love. You won’t see us getting on the mike and talking about ourselves or anything like that. It’s dance show, not a musical or an interview. There’s a very light storyline though, which is told purely through the choreography and music. It’s about two lovers and it has a Carmen/West Side Story feel to it, but it’s all told through dance and the better you dance, the better people can understand the story. We’re communicating with our bodies. The passion that we have for what we do is already in us, so to be able to put that onstage, exactly the way we want it, is really amazing.
Karen: We didn’t want to press pause at any point, so once the show starts, it just goes. We are feeding you dance 100% at 100 miles an hour. For me that’s beautiful, as that’s what we love to do, just express ourselves through our dancing, so we can tell the story without having to touch the microphone once.
It sounds like Firedance is giving you the opportunity to throw off the constraints of the ballroom and just cut loose?
Karen: Absolutely. Nothing is holding us back when it comes to choreography, themes or just what we feel comfortable with as professional dancers. We’re putting it all on the stage. We have some amazing vocalists, a really cool band and lots of big stage effects, so it’s not your usual Strictly-type show. It’s a bit more stripped back, but with the same qualities, agilities and top-notch dancing. Both Gorka and I feel we are at the top of our game now, so the choreography is slick, but heartfelt as well.
Gorka: As much as we love doing Strictly and other shows, Firedance is our baby, so it lets us do exactly what we want, in whatever way we want. We are free to express ourselves in ways we have never been able to before.
Of course, Firedance isn’t just about the dancing, as it has a huge production with no small amount of actual fire on the stage with you?
Karen: As well as the dancers, we have firebreathers too, which I love. The fact we are able to mix dance and fire is incredible. I know it sounds dangerous, but when you come and see it, the force behind it is quite spectacular. It feels a little like Cirque De Soleil, as it has that little hint of danger behind it. That adds another bit of magic to it for me. It gets really hot when we’re up there, though! I’ve never been so aware of my surroundings than I am on this production. As a dancer you are always aware of everything around you onstage, but for this you have to be 200% aware! It’s the most amazing thing I’ve ever experienced onstage. It’s not something we would normally do, but it really makes sense with the production and the story, it’s not there just for show.
How much of a benefit has it been having Strictly as a platform to spring off?
Gorka: Being on Strictly has been like a dream come true. I think if you asked any of the professionals working on it, everyone would agree that it has changed our lives for the better. Without Strictly, we wouldn’t be able to be doing anything that we are doing now, as it opens so many doors. I doubt I’d be doing Firedance with Karen without it for a start. I owe it so much, so I’m so grateful for everything that it has given me, not just professionally, but in my personal life too. I met my partner and started a family by being on the show, so I couldn’t be more grateful to be involved with it.
Karen, with Anton now a judge, that makes you the longest serving professional dancer doesn’t it? How does that feel?
Karen: Now that Anton is a judge, he’s left the reigns to me! Every year I go in there though, I just don’t know what to expect, which is really refreshing and why I think I’ve stayed there for the last ten years. I have no expectations, I just love what I do, I love teaching people and seeing their development. Just being part of a show that makes people feel good is wonderful. So many people love Strictly as it’s a feel-good show, there’s no sadness about it, just sheer positive emotion. What better way to spend a Saturday night with your family than watching a dancing show that you can all discuss and engage with?
The original Firedance tour was stopped after only a few shows when the pandemic kicked in back in 2020. That must have been tough after you all put so much work into getting it out there?
Karen: It was heart-breaking, it really was. Obviously it wasn’t just our show that went down, it was everyone’s. All our lives and careers came to a sudden halt across the world. Naturally, we understood, and it was the right thing to do, but after putting so much planning and work into getting it to the stage, to be stopped so soon after it was really hard. To be honest though, it just makes being able to finally do it properly all the more exciting and a joy for all of us.
Gorka: The one good thing that came from it was that we knew we had a show that worked, but had only been seen five times. It was like having five full audience dress rehearsals, so we could tweak certain numbers or replace some with new ones. That’s a luxury you never get normally, so it was a terrible disappointment to have it all come to a halt, but we made the best of it by listening to all the feedback we had received on the shows we did get to do and making the whole thing even better.
Do you have any plans or ideas for where you would like to see Firedance going in the future?
Gorka: There’s so many things I want to do, but at the moment, the main thing is I just want Firedance to become huge. Just for it to get bigger and better all the time. My Mum, Dad and the rest of my family all live in Spain, where there are no successful ballroom or Latin shows. There’s a culture of competition, but not show-wise. So, for me, I would love to be able to take our show over to Spain, even for just two or three nights. Taking it to Las Vegas would be nice too!
Interview: Jules Boyle
FIREDANCE TOUR DATES
22-Feb-22 Peterborough New Theatre 7.30pm
24-Feb-22 London Wimbledon New Theatre 7.30pm
26-Feb-22 Stockton Globe 7.30pm
27-Feb-22 Glasgow Royal Concert Hall 3pm
28-Feb-22 Dunfermline Alhambra 7.30pm
3-Mar-22 Cambridge Corn Exchange 7.30pm
4-Mar-22 Grimsby Auditorium 7.30pm
6-Mar-22 Cardiff St David's Hall 3pm
9-Mar-22 High Wycombe Wycombe Swan 7.30pm
10-Mar-22Leicester De Montfort Hall 7.30pm
11-Mar-22 Manchester The Bridgewater Hall 7.30pm
12-Mar-22 Brighton Theatre Royal 7.30pm
13-Mar-22 Dartford Orchard Theatre 5pm
16-Mar-22 Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre 7.30pm
17-Mar-22 Basingstoke The Anvil 7.30pm
18-Mar-22 Northampton Royal & Derngate 7.30pm
19-Mar-22 Oxford New Theatre 7.30pm
23-Mar-22 Southend Cliffs Pavilion 7.30pm
25-Mar-22 Guildford G Live 7.30pm
Tickets available from firedancelive.co.uk
How did Firedance come about?
Gorka: Karen is Venezuelan, and I am Spanish, so we both come from a similar culture and have similar personalities, so we have always got on really well and connected with each other when we dance, so we were really keen to do our own show together. I completely trust her, and I think she trusts me just as much.
Karen: There’s very few times in your life that you find another artist that you connect to on a level that Gorka and I have. We work perfectly as a partnership both on and off the stage. We have the same ideas, the same flows, the same energy and I love the way that he interprets things, which I learn a lot from. He’s from Spain and I’m from Venezuela, so we both have that fire and heat within us, which I think is what makes us exciting to see onstage together. It’s quite an explosive partnership that we have, but it’s very tender too. He’s like a brother to me, so the fact I get to share the stage with him is something I’m so grateful for.
What can you tell us about the show itself?
Karen: Gorka and I got together a couple of years ago after working on Strictly for a while before that, as we thought it would be a good idea to team up and do something new and exciting. Firedance is something that we are both really passionate about, because it has all the dances that people love and we know that people will gravitate to quickly, like the tangos, the salsas, the paso dobles and so on. All those fiery dances that have a lot of heart and a lot of heat behind them!
Gorka: There’s zero chit-chat in it too, so it’s 90 minutes of pure intense dancing that I know people will love. You won’t see us getting on the mike and talking about ourselves or anything like that. It’s dance show, not a musical or an interview. There’s a very light storyline though, which is told purely through the choreography and music. It’s about two lovers and it has a Carmen/West Side Story feel to it, but it’s all told through dance and the better you dance, the better people can understand the story. We’re communicating with our bodies. The passion that we have for what we do is already in us, so to be able to put that onstage, exactly the way we want it, is really amazing.
Karen: We didn’t want to press pause at any point, so once the show starts, it just goes. We are feeding you dance 100% at 100 miles an hour. For me that’s beautiful, as that’s what we love to do, just express ourselves through our dancing, so we can tell the story without having to touch the microphone once.
It sounds like Firedance is giving you the opportunity to throw off the constraints of the ballroom and just cut loose?
Karen: Absolutely. Nothing is holding us back when it comes to choreography, themes or just what we feel comfortable with as professional dancers. We’re putting it all on the stage. We have some amazing vocalists, a really cool band and lots of big stage effects, so it’s not your usual Strictly-type show. It’s a bit more stripped back, but with the same qualities, agilities and top-notch dancing. Both Gorka and I feel we are at the top of our game now, so the choreography is slick, but heartfelt as well.
Gorka: As much as we love doing Strictly and other shows, Firedance is our baby, so it lets us do exactly what we want, in whatever way we want. We are free to express ourselves in ways we have never been able to before.
Of course, Firedance isn’t just about the dancing, as it has a huge production with no small amount of actual fire on the stage with you?
Karen: As well as the dancers, we have firebreathers too, which I love. The fact we are able to mix dance and fire is incredible. I know it sounds dangerous, but when you come and see it, the force behind it is quite spectacular. It feels a little like Cirque De Soleil, as it has that little hint of danger behind it. That adds another bit of magic to it for me. It gets really hot when we’re up there, though! I’ve never been so aware of my surroundings than I am on this production. As a dancer you are always aware of everything around you onstage, but for this you have to be 200% aware! It’s the most amazing thing I’ve ever experienced onstage. It’s not something we would normally do, but it really makes sense with the production and the story, it’s not there just for show.
How much of a benefit has it been having Strictly as a platform to spring off?
Gorka: Being on Strictly has been like a dream come true. I think if you asked any of the professionals working on it, everyone would agree that it has changed our lives for the better. Without Strictly, we wouldn’t be able to be doing anything that we are doing now, as it opens so many doors. I doubt I’d be doing Firedance with Karen without it for a start. I owe it so much, so I’m so grateful for everything that it has given me, not just professionally, but in my personal life too. I met my partner and started a family by being on the show, so I couldn’t be more grateful to be involved with it.
Karen, with Anton now a judge, that makes you the longest serving professional dancer doesn’t it? How does that feel?
Karen: Now that Anton is a judge, he’s left the reigns to me! Every year I go in there though, I just don’t know what to expect, which is really refreshing and why I think I’ve stayed there for the last ten years. I have no expectations, I just love what I do, I love teaching people and seeing their development. Just being part of a show that makes people feel good is wonderful. So many people love Strictly as it’s a feel-good show, there’s no sadness about it, just sheer positive emotion. What better way to spend a Saturday night with your family than watching a dancing show that you can all discuss and engage with?
The original Firedance tour was stopped after only a few shows when the pandemic kicked in back in 2020. That must have been tough after you all put so much work into getting it out there?
Karen: It was heart-breaking, it really was. Obviously it wasn’t just our show that went down, it was everyone’s. All our lives and careers came to a sudden halt across the world. Naturally, we understood, and it was the right thing to do, but after putting so much planning and work into getting it to the stage, to be stopped so soon after it was really hard. To be honest though, it just makes being able to finally do it properly all the more exciting and a joy for all of us.
Gorka: The one good thing that came from it was that we knew we had a show that worked, but had only been seen five times. It was like having five full audience dress rehearsals, so we could tweak certain numbers or replace some with new ones. That’s a luxury you never get normally, so it was a terrible disappointment to have it all come to a halt, but we made the best of it by listening to all the feedback we had received on the shows we did get to do and making the whole thing even better.
Do you have any plans or ideas for where you would like to see Firedance going in the future?
Gorka: There’s so many things I want to do, but at the moment, the main thing is I just want Firedance to become huge. Just for it to get bigger and better all the time. My Mum, Dad and the rest of my family all live in Spain, where there are no successful ballroom or Latin shows. There’s a culture of competition, but not show-wise. So, for me, I would love to be able to take our show over to Spain, even for just two or three nights. Taking it to Las Vegas would be nice too!
Interview: Jules Boyle
FIREDANCE TOUR DATES
22-Feb-22 Peterborough New Theatre 7.30pm
24-Feb-22 London Wimbledon New Theatre 7.30pm
26-Feb-22 Stockton Globe 7.30pm
27-Feb-22 Glasgow Royal Concert Hall 3pm
28-Feb-22 Dunfermline Alhambra 7.30pm
3-Mar-22 Cambridge Corn Exchange 7.30pm
4-Mar-22 Grimsby Auditorium 7.30pm
6-Mar-22 Cardiff St David's Hall 3pm
9-Mar-22 High Wycombe Wycombe Swan 7.30pm
10-Mar-22Leicester De Montfort Hall 7.30pm
11-Mar-22 Manchester The Bridgewater Hall 7.30pm
12-Mar-22 Brighton Theatre Royal 7.30pm
13-Mar-22 Dartford Orchard Theatre 5pm
16-Mar-22 Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre 7.30pm
17-Mar-22 Basingstoke The Anvil 7.30pm
18-Mar-22 Northampton Royal & Derngate 7.30pm
19-Mar-22 Oxford New Theatre 7.30pm
23-Mar-22 Southend Cliffs Pavilion 7.30pm
25-Mar-22 Guildford G Live 7.30pm
Tickets available from firedancelive.co.uk
Back on our screens and soon to be Back Live On Stage! Strictly Come Dancing’s Karen Hauer and Gorka Marquez are finally able to bring their Latin spectacular FIREDANCE to a stage near you in 2022, in association with Raymond Gubbay & Kilimanjaro Live.
Two Latin dancers from rival Houses meet at The Festival of Fire. Full of passion, bravado and rhythm, when their eyes lock there is an instant connection. Through a mix of Latin, Commercial and Contemporary dance, eclectic musical styles and hypnotic rhythms, we see a passionate affair unfold.
Having completed a handful of shows on the original tour at the start of 2020, last year’s Strictly finalists, Karen and Gorka will returning to turn up the heat with a host of new dates in Spring 2022.
With an incredible live band featuring Latin musicians and a dynamic dance ensemble performing Tango, Flamenco, Contemporary, Paso Doble, Samba and Salsa, audiences can expect a captivating show of fresh and exciting dance from two of the world’s finest. The constraints of the ballroom are thrown off, making way for hot pulsing beats, seductive choreography and passionate performances that will take your breath away. Featuring iconic songs such as In the Air Tonight, Sway, Bad Romance, Sweet Dreams, Relight My Fire, Bamboleo and many more.
FIREDANCE is Back Live On Stage for 2022 and is the hottest ticket in town.
Karen said, I am incredibly excited to be back on stage with FIREDANCE next year. So much passion was poured into the show in early 2020, we performed 7 totally electric shows before Covid stopped us in our tracks. Now we are coming back with a bang to stages across the UK heating up those winter months. With hypnotic beats, stunning choreography and our very own feisty Latin dance production - I cannot wait! See you in 2022!
Born in Venezuela and having grown up in New York from the age of 10, Karen Hauer is the longest serving professional dancer on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing. Joining the series in 2012 she has been partnered with household names including Jeremy Vine, Mark Wright and comedian Chris Ramsey. Karen and her partner Jamie Laing reached the 2020 Series 18 final. Hoping to repeat the feat this year, Karen is partnered with The Crown actor Greg Wise, who is no stranger winning himself, having won 2019’s The Great British Bake Off celebrity Stand Up to Cancer series.
Karen has an amazing presence on stage and is one of the most expressive and charismatic dancers on the current dance scene. Able to express emotion through each and every movement right through to her fingertips, Karen takes choreographed routines to new heights and she has that rare talent to attract the eye of every audience member whenever she dances.
Gorka said, “After a long wait FIREDANCE is back on stage and back on tour. Karen and I are so passionate about this show, a fusion of Latin, contemporary and commercial dance. We were gutted when Covid hit in 2020. Now along with our amazing company of dancers, musicians and fire artists, this hot show returns and I am thrilled! I can’t wait to see you all as we travel across the UK in 2022.”
Gorka’s flair for dancing started from a very young age. Originally from Bilbao, Spain, aged 11 he attended Ballroom and Latin dance classes where he quickly excelled and became one of the top dancers representing Spain across the world.
Most famously known for his appearance on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, Gorka Marquez has continuously displayed outstanding talent and charisma since first gracing the Strictly dancefloor in 2016. He has been partnered with Alexandra Burke, Katie Piper and reached the final of the 2020 season with Eastenders actress, Maisie Smith. For 2021, Gorka was partnered with Manchester born actress Katie McGlynn, best known for her current role on Hollyoaks and of course Coronation Street and Waterloo Road.
The making of the production was documented in an in-depth BBC Four programme ‘Danceworks – Firedance: Latin Fever’, showcasing the intricacy, skill and astonishing physical demand behind the show produced jointly by Raymond Gubbay & Kilimanjaro Live. Detailing the creative process from rehearsal to behind the scenes of the opening nights, it gave an insight into Karen and Gorka’s sheer technical ability and passion for the discipline, pushing the boundaries of what is known of Latin dance. Watch here.
Two Latin dancers from rival Houses meet at The Festival of Fire. Full of passion, bravado and rhythm, when their eyes lock there is an instant connection. Through a mix of Latin, Commercial and Contemporary dance, eclectic musical styles and hypnotic rhythms, we see a passionate affair unfold.
Having completed a handful of shows on the original tour at the start of 2020, last year’s Strictly finalists, Karen and Gorka will returning to turn up the heat with a host of new dates in Spring 2022.
With an incredible live band featuring Latin musicians and a dynamic dance ensemble performing Tango, Flamenco, Contemporary, Paso Doble, Samba and Salsa, audiences can expect a captivating show of fresh and exciting dance from two of the world’s finest. The constraints of the ballroom are thrown off, making way for hot pulsing beats, seductive choreography and passionate performances that will take your breath away. Featuring iconic songs such as In the Air Tonight, Sway, Bad Romance, Sweet Dreams, Relight My Fire, Bamboleo and many more.
FIREDANCE is Back Live On Stage for 2022 and is the hottest ticket in town.
Karen said, I am incredibly excited to be back on stage with FIREDANCE next year. So much passion was poured into the show in early 2020, we performed 7 totally electric shows before Covid stopped us in our tracks. Now we are coming back with a bang to stages across the UK heating up those winter months. With hypnotic beats, stunning choreography and our very own feisty Latin dance production - I cannot wait! See you in 2022!
Born in Venezuela and having grown up in New York from the age of 10, Karen Hauer is the longest serving professional dancer on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing. Joining the series in 2012 she has been partnered with household names including Jeremy Vine, Mark Wright and comedian Chris Ramsey. Karen and her partner Jamie Laing reached the 2020 Series 18 final. Hoping to repeat the feat this year, Karen is partnered with The Crown actor Greg Wise, who is no stranger winning himself, having won 2019’s The Great British Bake Off celebrity Stand Up to Cancer series.
Karen has an amazing presence on stage and is one of the most expressive and charismatic dancers on the current dance scene. Able to express emotion through each and every movement right through to her fingertips, Karen takes choreographed routines to new heights and she has that rare talent to attract the eye of every audience member whenever she dances.
Gorka said, “After a long wait FIREDANCE is back on stage and back on tour. Karen and I are so passionate about this show, a fusion of Latin, contemporary and commercial dance. We were gutted when Covid hit in 2020. Now along with our amazing company of dancers, musicians and fire artists, this hot show returns and I am thrilled! I can’t wait to see you all as we travel across the UK in 2022.”
Gorka’s flair for dancing started from a very young age. Originally from Bilbao, Spain, aged 11 he attended Ballroom and Latin dance classes where he quickly excelled and became one of the top dancers representing Spain across the world.
Most famously known for his appearance on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, Gorka Marquez has continuously displayed outstanding talent and charisma since first gracing the Strictly dancefloor in 2016. He has been partnered with Alexandra Burke, Katie Piper and reached the final of the 2020 season with Eastenders actress, Maisie Smith. For 2021, Gorka was partnered with Manchester born actress Katie McGlynn, best known for her current role on Hollyoaks and of course Coronation Street and Waterloo Road.
The making of the production was documented in an in-depth BBC Four programme ‘Danceworks – Firedance: Latin Fever’, showcasing the intricacy, skill and astonishing physical demand behind the show produced jointly by Raymond Gubbay & Kilimanjaro Live. Detailing the creative process from rehearsal to behind the scenes of the opening nights, it gave an insight into Karen and Gorka’s sheer technical ability and passion for the discipline, pushing the boundaries of what is known of Latin dance. Watch here.
22-Feb-22 Peterborough New Theatre 7.30pm
24-Feb-22 London Wimbledon New Theatre 7.30pm
26-Feb-22 Stockton Globe 7.30pm
27-Feb-22 Glasgow Royal Concert Hall 3pm
28-Feb-22 Dunfermline Alhambra 7.30pm
3-Mar-22 Cambridge Corn Exchange 7.30pm
4-Mar-22 Grimsby Auditorium 7.30pm
6-Mar-22 Cardiff St David's Hall 3pm
9-Mar-22 High Wycombe Wycombe Swan 7.30pm
10-Mar-22 Leicester De Montfort Hall 7.30pm
11-Mar-22 Manchester The Bridgewater Hall 7.30pm
12-Mar-22 Brighton Theatre Royal 7.30pm
13-Mar-22 Dartford Orchard Theatre 5pm
16-Mar-22 Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre 7.30pm
17-Mar-22 Basingstoke The Anvil 7.30pm
18-Mar-22 Northampton Royal & Derngate 7.30pm
19-Mar-22 Oxford New Theatre 7.30pm
23-Mar-22 Southend Cliffs Pavilion 7.30pm
25-Mar-22 Guildford G Live 7.30pm
Tickets available from firedancelive.co.uk