Inside the Live Music Driving Burn The Floor: Luminous
Musical Director Tyler Azzopardi, vocalist and musician Carlos C Major, and vocalist Elenoa Rokobaro on the sound, stamina and stage energy behind Burn The Floor: Luminous.
Tyler Azzopardi first saw Burn The Floor as a teenager, watching his father, Tony Azzopardi, perform percussion with the company. He was 14, and the impression stayed with him through high school.
Years later, after Charlie Hull introduced him to the producers, Azzopardi joined the company himself. Now, as Musical Director for Burn The Floor: Luminous, he is shaping the live sound of a production he once watched from the audience.
“The first day I watched the show, and Dad, I knew deep down that I always wanted to be part of the company,” he says. “I always thought about how cool it would be to be part of the show. It stayed in the back of my mind and was a dream I never forgot about all through my years at high school. Charlie Hull then introduced me to the producers at the age of 23, and I’ve been pinching myself ever since.”
Live music has always been part of Burn The Floor’s charge. In Luminous, the musicians and vocalists are on stage, inside the action, helping set the pace and mood of the night. Azzopardi is joined by Carlos C Major, recognisable to many from The Voice Australia and Dancing with the Stars Australia, and award-winning musical theatre performer Elenoa Rokobaro, whose credits include The Book of Mormon, Rent, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Hairspray and Fame.
Together, they speak about a show where rhythm is never background texture. It is part of the choreography’s engine.
Q&A
Dance Australia: You first encountered Burn The Floor as a child watching your father perform with the company, and now you are Musical Director. What does that full-circle moment mean to you?
Tyler Azzopardi:
The first day I watched the show, and Dad, I knew deep down that I always wanted to be part of the company. I always thought about how cool it would be to be part of the show, from the age of 14. It stayed in the back of my mind and was a dream I never forgot about all through my years at high school. Charlie Hull then introduced me to the producers at the age of 23, and I’ve been pinching myself ever since.
Dance Australia: What did the sound of Luminous need to do for the show?
Tyler:
Each new Burn The Floor concept usually starts with a creatives meeting. We all discuss the new styling and image, and how we can create a never-before-seen or heard show. Once the creative team has agreed upon the musical aspect, it’s up to the music producer to create the arrangements, record the music and book musicians based on the previous conversations. It’s really important to stay open-minded, so any new ideas can be implemented at any time during this process.
Dance Australia: How does arranging music for Burn The Floor differ from arranging for a concert, television performance or musical theatre setting?
Tyler:
There are musical aspects that are very similar and share the same foundation. The music in our show changes every year, keeping everything fresh, exciting and new. Our biggest point of difference is that our band members are on stage and included in every number in the show. We’re never just in the background or in a band pit. Burn The Floor includes the band as much as possible to create an even bigger energy on stage. Arranging music based on a live action band on stage enables us to keep the energy high and catchy at all times.
Dance Australia: In a production this physical, how closely do you have to think about breath, rhythm, recovery and the dancers’ stamina?
Tyler:
Sometimes, in a show this physical, it is hard to remember to take a breath or slow down. I’m lucky that I have an MD mic where I’m in constant communication with the band and singers. This allows me to, at specific points of the show, remind everyone to take a deep breath and think about their next job before the song starts. It can get quite overwhelming, so we’re lucky to have this useful tool.
Dance Australia: What are the moments where the musicians drive the dancers, and where do you leave space for the movement to lead?
Tyler:
We have numerous percussive-heavy moments that the dancers thrive off. These sections are my favourite points of the show. The harder we play, the crazier the dancing.
Dynamics are really important too. We have a few beautiful moments in this show where “less is more” really comes into effect, allowing the dancers to show how jaw-droppingly beautiful, elegant and graceful they are.
Dance Australia: How much can the music shift from night to night in response to the dancers and the audience?
Tyler:
We are always looking at new opportunities to accent and complement the dancers and the choreography, whether that be with a few drum fills or vocal changes. Of course, the louder the audience, the more we really feel the show.
Dance Australia: What should audiences listen for in Luminous that they might not consciously notice at first?
Tyler:
Some of these arrangements have five-plus songs in one. I would love if someone could guess each song in our mega-mixes.
Dance Australia: Carlos, what does singing inside Burn The Floor require that is different from a concert or musical theatre performance?
Carlos C Major:
Burn The Floor is a completely different and encouraging style of performing from what I’m used to.
Giving all my energy to the cast instead of the audience is a totally new and awesome experience. Also, being a singer and musician in the show has been super exciting and fun for me personally, as I am very passionate about live music.
Being surrounded by the best professional dancers really improves my movements and shapes on stage. As the show evolves, I can feel myself improving around all these amazing performers.
Dance Australia: How do you think about storytelling when the dancers are carrying so much of the drama physically?
Carlos:
Adding that same drama to my expressions and my voice is another new challenge for me. I imagine it like I’m the narrator telling the story that the audience sees from the dancers. I have to express the correct emotion and storytelling with my voice to add to what the dancers are portraying.
Dance Australia: What is the relationship like between the vocalists, musicians and dancers during a performance?
Carlos:
The relationship between all the elements is so strong and completely synchronised. The song choices and choreography flow together so amazingly.
Elenoa Rokobaro:
The A Team. Such generous artists.
Dance Australia: Are there moments in Luminous where you feel the audience response change because the music is live?
Carlos:
Yes, definitely. Live drums and percussion add so much to the drama and fun aspects of the show. The audience can’t help but tap along and feel the intensity of the drama within the show.
The piano and guitar add a melodic and emotional aspect. The fact that we can all harmonise and support each other vocally helps to create the dynamics in the show. The songs we sing are perfectly suited to our voices and when we sing and play together, it lifts the room.
Elenoa:
Absolutely. The last song, “Last Dance”, is an audience participation moment. They just love it.
Dance Australia: What do you enjoy most about being part of a production where music and dance are so tightly connected?
Carlos:
I am really enjoying the professionalism of a show like this. Everyone in all the departments within the show is so on it, from on stage and behind the scenes, to production and producers. Watching all of it come together every show is always exhilarating. There is always so much happening.
Elenoa:
How it moves the audience. It makes my day when I see them enjoying themselves as much as I do.
Dance Australia: For someone coming to Burn The Floor for the first time, how would you describe the role of the live music in the experience?
Carlos:
One word: incredible. The live music is completely enjoyable throughout the show and the talent is second to none.
Elenoa:
Riveting, emotional, joyous and entertaining.
The musicians of Burn The Floor: Luminous are not tucked away from the action. They are visible, responsive and part of the same surge of energy as the dancers. That matters in a show built on rhythm, attack and immediate audience response.
Azzopardi’s favourite moments are the percussive sections, where the exchange between band and dancers becomes most direct. Carlos C Major speaks of singing into the drama already carried by the bodies on stage. Rokobaro goes straight to the audience, to the pleasure of seeing people drawn into the experience.
For a production that depends so heavily on pace and physical heat, the live music does more than lift the room. It keeps Luminous alive from night to night.