Strictly professional Nikita Kuzmin is out on the road around the UK with a brand-new production Midnight Dancer, his first solo effort, .
Kuzmin has endeavoured to deliver something different from the usual Strictly pro-dancer fare. Introducing it as: “sexy, spicy and from the heart”, Midnight Dancer tells a modern-day Cinderella story following the highs and lows of the classic romance but with a contemporary twist. The star-crossed lovers navigate love, heartbreak, and fate, culminating in a masked ball where their future hangs in the balance. There are dazzling costumes, high-energy choreography, and anthemic dance floor hits.
Scenes take place in the street, the club, the cinema, and of course, the ball. There’s high drama in the street and club with impressive sequences of complex choreography. It’s inventive and above all, impressively energetic. The jive sequences are outstanding, so energetic that Kuzmin pauses at the scene change to declare: “my knees are writing a resignation letter”. The well-chosen music is a real smorgasbord from classic pop hits to Swing to Latin to cinema soundtrack to classical, there really is something for everyone. West End singer Rebecca Lisewski provides impressive live vocals throughout.
For all the serious content there are as many lighter moments: within the cinema scene there are comedy dance skits on Titanic, The Barbie Movie, Dirty Dancing and Footloose to name a few. There are fantastic dramatic sequences paying homage to La La Land and Moulin Rouge too. There’s some audience participation and even time for Kuzmin to directly address the audience, where he confesses his nerves as he pays tribute to his Glaswegian dance teacher Carolyn Smith who is in the audience and who has taught him since childhood (along with Strictly pros Vito Coppola and Giovanni Pernice and who, for nearly twenty years has been the head judge on the Italian version of Strictly, Ballando con le Stelle).
In presenting a show with a narrative thread, Kuzmin has set himself apart from his fellow pro-dancers. His youth and exuberance and the insertion of contemporary choreography along with the more familiar Latina and Ballroom adds a freshness to the material.
When watching the professional dancers on Strictly it is plain to see their talents, but live, up close and personal like this, they are more than impressive, they are exceptional, and Kuzmin is certainly that.
Continues to tour the UK | Image: Contributed
The Reviews Hub Score
Exceptional energy
