By Tyler Ody
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.
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
