Dancing With The Stars favourites Samuel Johnson and Olympia Valance can’t seem to shake the groove since leaving Dancing With The Stars earlier this year. Now, the duo has teamed up with judge from the show, Tristan MacManus, as part of a glamorous live show Burn The Floor Gala held at the Sydney Opera House.
Ahead of the event, TV WEEK chatted to the all-star judge about hosting the stage show and working with Samuel and Olympia once more.
Tristan is thrilled to bring the show to the Sydney Opera House.
How special is it to do this at the Sydney Opera House?
Tristan: Oh, it’s fantastic! I joined Burn The Floor as a dancer almost 10 years ago and all I knew of Australia at the time was the Opera House. So I’m going to be coming back to do a show that has such an impact on my life already. To be able to do it on the iconic Opera House for the first time ever is pretty special.
How excited are you to see Olympia and Sam enjoy a true stage production after their time on Dancing With The Stars?
Tristan: There’s world-class dancers around the world who never get an opportunity to showcase, and that’s why we all have to be very grateful for these celebrities who put not so much their reputation but certainly their self-esteem for want of a better word [on the line].
Samuel, it’s great to have him back, being the winner of Dancing With The Stars.
I think the stage itself is well suited for Olympia. I think that’s where she belongs more so than on the television dancing. I think she’s really, really talented.
Burn The Floor arrives this Sunday.
As the host of Burn The Floor Gala, how does your role change and will you still dance?
Tristan: I’ve always thought I was a better speaker than I was a dancer, so it might be a benefit to me, and a benefit to my knees, but I imagine I’ll do some sort of dancing and you never know. I might try to make it a one-man show when I’m doing that. I’ll put a bit of everything into it, but it’s very, very exciting.
How is it working here for Burn The Floor and Dancing With The Stars and spending more time at home with your family and newborn?
Tristan: It’s very, very important. It’s a big, big factor in me having done Dancing With The Stars in the first place – it started the year previous in Ireland. The timing worked fantastically with Dancing With The Stars here because Oisin was due to be born. Um, he ended up coming in the middle of Dancing With The Stars, which we weren’t expecting!
Burn The Floor will take over the Sydney Opera House for two shows on July 28. For more information go to: https://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/events/whats-on/dance/2019/burn-the-floor-gala.html
