The new Broadway production Burn the Floor. Ballroom. Reinvented hits Hong Kong on October 18. As its name suggests, the show is described as a supercharged Latin and ballroom dance spectacular. I am not seeing the show until October 25 but I got to hang out with the cast and crew for a couple of hours before their Friday show. A picture is worth a thousand words and it seemed to make sense to document my experience with the highly photogenic cast and crew in a photo essay.

The cast stretches twice a day for one and a half hour each time to keep themselves warm and to avoid injuries.

Janette, a finalist in US show So You Think You Can Dance and Robbie, current winner of Australia’s version of the same show rest in a split position.

Above is Aljaž , who has been the Slovenian champion in ballroom and Latin dancing 19 times. He is posing in the changing room behind the stage. There are six dressers altogether who help change the 18 cast members. The fastest change is 30 seconds before they hit the stage again.

Bret, a former dancer, has no formal fashion design training, but he designs all the wonderful costumes in Burn the Floor and have them made in Australia. This is one of his favourite outfits. It may not be easy performing on stage, but a lot of work happens backstage as well. There is a lot of wear and tear from the performances and therefore a lot of repairing to do.The dance shoes, for example, get worn out every two months. And in between, the straps and buckles constantly need to be replaced.

Beautiful Kallyanne, 10-time Australian ballroom dancing champion and South Pacific champion strikes a pose for the camera.

The brains behind the show: Jason (in checkered shirt) and Peta (in all black) in a meeting to discuss logistics and ways to improve the show. Who would have thought that after performing in 30 countries, they would still be reviewing the routine on a daily basis. Jason and Peta have been working together since the age of seven and were the first principal dancers in Burn the Floor.

‘Burn the Floor. Ballroom. Reinvented’ is playing from October 16-28 2012 at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.