The buzz of the audience dies down as the house lights dim and the stage lights reveal a spinning disco ball. BAM! Ballroom dancers appear on the stage and in the aisles wearing sexy costumes.  Not the typical Broadway production. “Burn the Floor” played at the San Diego Civic Theater from Oct. 12 to Oct. 17.

The show was promoted to be “ballroom reinvented,” but in reality “Burn the Floor” wasn’t anything audiences haven’t seen before on reality TV. There is no denying the talent of the producers and the cast, but the show wasn’t all it was made out to be.

The show, which had the feel of a dance recital, was separated into four sections. All of the sections added their own unique styles of ballroom dance, including Latin style dances like the Paso Doble and the Rumba. However, each of the sections could have been cut shorter, especially for those who don’t have long attention spans.

From a technical aspect, some of the group numbers were lacking in precision and synchronization. Fortunately, it was only noticeable in fast paced dances like the jive, where missing a beat can make the rest of the dance look messy.

Mary Murphy, “Queen of Scream” and former judge of “So You Think You Can Dance,” was the special guest star.  She was the most graceful dancer on the floor when it came to the Viennese Waltz, but she was awkward-looking and seemed to struggle for the fast-paced numbers.

The dance numbers themselves were nicely choreographed and well put together. The fact that some dances had story lines added to the entertainment level. Watching six guys fall in love with the same girl engaged the audience.

The lifts were one of the best parts of the show.  A few times the guys would let their partners fall and catch them within inches of hitting their heads on the floor.  No wonder they were sweating bullets.

The singers definitely belong on Broadway, especially Vonzell Solomon, the runner up for “American Idol” season four.  It was cool how both the singers interacted with the audience. Solomon would often come down from the high rise and the dancers would dance around her. At one point the male singer, Peter Saul, gave one of the dancers a high five to go along with the song’s story line.

“Burn the Floor” will be touring for the rest of this year and close with performances in LA and Riverside in May of 2011. The show was eventful and is recommended to anyone who enjoys watching modernized ballroom. It was hot, but not hot enough to burn the floor.