Brian Fortuna

Last updated
Brian Fortuna in November 16, 2008 Brian fortuna Nov 16 08 1.jpg
Brian Fortuna in November 16, 2008

Brian Fortuna (born September 20, 1982) is an American professional ballroom dancer, choreographer and instructor.

Contents

Biography

Brian Fortuna known as Fish is currently starring in Theatre Production's Limited Over the Rainbow as Danny Cassidy. [1] He recently finished filming the emotional romantic short film Love + 1 [2] with Alison Carroll and Andy Barnes.

Fortuna was Principal Dancer in Burn the Floor during its 2010 run at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London's West End.[ citation needed ] His performances earned him a 2011 What's On Stage Award nomination as Best Newcomer. [3]

He was Lead Choreographer and Consulting Producer for Dancing on Wheels . [4] This groundbreaking show premiered on BBC Three in February 2010 and was produced by Fever Media. Dancing on Wheels pairs disabled and able-bodied contestants as they learn the art of Ballroom and Latin DanceSport. The show had the highest premiere ratings for a documentary in BBC history.

In 2008, Fortuna was invited to join the Strictly Come Dancing cast, where he competed with M People’s Heather Small [5] and finished eighth. Series 7 in 2009 saw Brian partnered with former Hollyoaks and The Bill actress, Ali Bastian. [6] The pair placed danced their way to the semi-finals [7] and earned a perfect score for their American Smooth and Viennese Waltz; the highest score for a Viennese Waltz in Strictly Come Dancing history. Affectionately known as ‘Strictly,’ it is the British name for Dancing with the Stars , the franchise for which was created and is owned by the BBC.

Fortuna competed on Dancing with the Stars during its 4th season; partnering former Miss USA, Shandi Finnessey. [8] His television success allowed him to dance as a principal dancer in the next two national Dancing with the Stars tours. Brian did double duty on the tour and was chosen to also host the third DWTS tour in front of sold out audiences of 15,000 people per night. His hosting talents captured the attention of ABC who chose Brian as series co-host with his Dancing with the Stars partner Shandi for ABC's Dancing with the Stars…Online Encore.

Fortuna is an instructor and performer nationwide. Brian's other credits include National Ballroom and Latin Ten Dance finalist; choreographer and coach for the award-winning salsa team, Ritmo Latino; performer with the musical sensation, “The Tramps;” champion of the North American Amateur Latin Championships in 2003; and a top pro-am teacher. Brian also excels in Wheelchair DanceSport Wheelchair Ballroom and Latin DanceSport and is very proud to be a teacher and performer for the United States Wheelchair Dancing Association, founded by his mother, Sandra Fortuna. In 2004 he choreographed a very successful commercial for the Bank of Madrid in Spain, which showcased wheelchair dancing. [9]

Fortuna was the featured dancer in the Oscar award-winning film The Aviator , with Leonardo DiCaprio; appeared in TV series South Beach with Vanessa Williams; and had a starring role in the Canadian documentary, Live to Dance.

Television

Dancing with the Stars

Fortuna participated in the fourth season of ABC's Dancing with the Stars , the American version of the UK show Strictly Come Dancing , with celebrity partner Shandi Finnessey, a former Miss Universe contestant.

WeekDance / songJudges' scoresResult
InabaGoodmanTonioliTotal
1 Foxtrot / "The Power of Love"76619n/a
2 Mambo / "Right Now"67720Bottom 2
3 Jive / "Crocodile Rock"77721Eliminated

The couple was the second to be voted off the competition on March 19, 2007. [10] [11] [12] [13]

Fortuna was a cast member of the Dancing with the Stars winter 2007–2008 tour. [14] [15]

Strictly Come Dancing

Fortuna joined Strictly Come Dancing for the 6th series, the UK show upon which Dancing with the Stars is based. His celebrity partner was M People's Heather Small. [16]

WeekDance / songJudges' scoresResult
HorwoodPhillipsGoodmanTonioliTotal
1 Cha Cha Cha / "Lady Marmalade"Group dance – not scored
2 Salsa/ "La Banda"568726Safe
3 Swing / "Choo Choo Ch'Boogie"Group dance – not scored
4 Quickstep / "Old Man Time"656623Bottom two
5 Samba / “Lola Lola466723Bottom two
6 Viennese Waltz / "Vision of Love"577827Safe
7 Cha Cha Cha / "American Boy"557623Bottom two
8 Tango / "Rebel Rebel"677727Eliminated

The couple left the series on Sunday, 9 November. [17]

At Christmas 2008, Brian was partnered with Kelly Brook. They danced the Jive to Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree and scored 39 out of 40. They were one of four couples to get the same score, and after the judges ranked the couples they were left in fourth place. When the judges' scores were added to the audience vote, they came second overall to Jill Halfpenny and Darren Bennett.

Fortuna returned to Strictly Come Dancing for the 7th series. His celebrity partner was Ali Bastian known for playing PC Sally Armstrong on The Bill . [6] They were eliminated in the semi-final on 12 December 2009 after a public vote, even though they had been awarded a perfect 50 score by the five judges.

WeekDance / songJudges' scoresResult
HorwoodGoodmanDixonTonioliBussellTotal
1 Waltz / "Reach Out and Touch"788730Safe
Rumba / 'That's What Friends Are For'778830
2 Michael Jackson tribute / "Billie Jean" and "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)"Group dance – not scored
3 Quickstep / "I Get a Kick Out of You"888832Safe
4 Salsa / "Quimbara"888832Safe
5 Jive / "Tutti Frutti"678829Safe
6 American Smooth / "A Foggy Day in London Town"9991037Safe
7 Paso Doble / "El gato montés"898833Bottom two
8 Viennese Waltz / "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man"1010101040Safe
9 Cha Cha Cha / "I Gotta Feeling"989935Safe
10 Foxtrot / "Haven't Met You Yet"899935Safe
11 Charleston / "Pencil Full of Lead"9910937Safe
Group Viennese Waltz / "Piano Man"10[ clarification needed ]
12 Tango / "Born to Be Wild"8898942Safe
Samba / "Change"9899944
13 American Smooth 101010101050Eliminated
Argentine Tango 8988942

On Saturday, November 7, 2009, Fortuna and Ali Bastian's Viennese Waltz received a perfect score of 40.[ citation needed ]

On Saturday, November 28, 2009, Brian and Ali Bastian]'s performance in the Group Viennese Waltz earned them another perfect joint score from the judges.

On Wednesday, June 9, 2010, it was announced that Brian has decided not to return to Strictly Come Dancing for the 8th season due to format changes.[ citation needed ]

Dancing on Wheels

On May 28, 2009, the BBC issued a press release about their upcoming show Dancing on Wheels which uses the same title as a documentary from April 2007. This project aims to promote Wheelchair DanceSport with Brian Fortuna as the lead choreographer. Competitors will be put through intense training, as seen on Strictly Come Dancing and Dancing with the Stars , and will compete for a chance to represent the United Kingdom at the Wheelchair Dance Sport European Championships in Israel in the Fall of 2009. [18] The programme began transmission on BBC3 on Thursday 11 February 2010. [4]

Also joining the show will be Fortuna's celebrity partner from Strictly Come Dancing Series 6, M People's Heather Small, as well as Olympic swimmer Mark Foster, actress Michelle Gayle, actor Kevin Sacre, rugby player Martin Offiah, and presenter Caroline Flack. Dancing on Wheels is produced by Fever Media. [19] [20]

The BBC OneLife documentary, Dancing on Wheels (broadcast in England on BBC1 at 10.35pm on 17 April 2007), followed some of the teams at the Championships, including the Inverclyders and Concorde Wheelchair Dancers, exploring some of the reasons that people enjoy wheelchair dance in the UK.

Stage

Aladdin

Fortuna appeared in Royal & Derngate's production of Aladdin this holiday season. [21] The show will run from 9 December 2011 - 8 January 2012.

Over the Rainbow

Fortuna is currently starring in Theatre Production Ltd's Over the Rainbow as Danny Cassidy. [1] The show began touring the UK on 3 September 2011. [22]

Burn the Floor

Fortuna and Ali Bastian headlined Burn the Floor 's run at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London's West End. The show ran from July 21 to September 4, 2010. [23]

Achievements

In 2004 and 2005, Brian won the North American Top Teacher competition. [24] and in the same years, he was the Imperial Dance Sport Champion. Fortuna is a certified judge by the United States Terpsichore Association.[ citation needed ] [25]

Filmography

Fortuna appeared as a featured dancer in the film The Aviator . He was also the choreographer and dancer in the television drama South Beach starring Vanessa L. Williams.[ citation needed ]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arlene Phillips</span> English choreographer (born 1943)

Dame Arlene Phillips is an English choreographer, talent scout, television judge and presenter, theatre director, and former dancer, who has worked in many fields of entertainment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shandi Finnessey</span> American model (born 1978)

Shandi Ren Finnessey is an American actress, model, TV host and beauty pageant titleholder. She is best known for winning the Miss USA title, as Miss Missouri USA. She previously held the title of Miss Missouri 2002 and competed in Miss America, where she won a preliminary award. She placed as first runner-up at the Miss Universe 2004 competition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ali Bastian</span> English actress

Alexandra Louise Bastian is an English actress, known for her roles as Becca Dean in the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, Sally Armstrong in the ITV drama series The Bill and Becky Clarke in the BBC soap opera Doctors. She has also competed in the seventh series of Strictly Come Dancing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zöe Lucker</span> English actress (b. 1974)

Zöe Elizabeth Lucker is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Tanya Turner in the ITV drama series, Footballers' Wives; Vanessa Gold in the long-running BBC One soap opera, EastEnders; Carol Barry in the BBC One school-based drama series, Waterloo Road; and Reenie McQueen in the Channel 4 soap opera, Hollyoaks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bruno Tonioli</span> Italian choreographer (born 1955)

Bruno Tonioli is a British-Italian television personality, choreographer and dancer. He has judged on the British television talent shows Strictly Come Dancing (2004–2019), DanceX (2007) and Britain's Got Talent (2023–present), and the American television talent shows Dancing with the Stars (2005–present) and Dance War: Bruno vs. Carrie Ann (2008).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wheelchair dancesport</span> Partner dance competition where at least one of the dancers is in a wheelchair

Wheelchair dancesport, also known as Para dance sport, is a form of competitive dancesport where at least one of the dancers is in a wheelchair. The sport corporates the rules of the World DanceSport Federation (WDSF).

James Jordan is an English ballroom dancer and choreographer. His dance partner is his wife Ola Jordan, with whom he turned professional in 2000. Jordan appeared as a professional on Strictly Come Dancing from 2006 to 2013. In August 2014, he participated in the fourteenth series of Celebrity Big Brother. He finished in third place. He returned as an All-Star for the nineteenth series, where he was evicted in thirteenth place.

<i>quiznation </i>(American game show) American TV series or program

quiznation was a live interactive game show on GSN. The official host was Shandi Finnessey, with Angelle Tymon, Jessica York, Jeff Thisted filling in. Featured in the two-hour program were interactive games where the viewers could win cash prizes. The show aired from 12 midnight - 2 a.m. Eastern every Wednesday night through Saturday night. The program was nearly identical to the original PlayMania.

Pavel "Pasha" Kovalev is a Russian professional Latin and ballroom dancer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kristina Rihanoff</span> Russian dancer (born 1977)

Kristina Rihanoff is a world finalist professional ballroom dancer, instructor, choreographer and author. She has a degree in Tourism and Hospitality; after finishing public school she studied with St Petersburg Branch of Modern Humanitarian Academy which has several colleges around Russia including Vladivostok.

Strictly Come Dancing returned for its seventh series on 18 September 2009 on BBC One. Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly returned as presenters of the main show on BBC One, while Claudia Winkleman presented the spin-off show Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two on BBC Two. Len Goodman, Craig Revel Horwood, and Bruno Tonioli returned as judges. Series 5 winner Alesha Dixon joined the judging panel as a replacement for Arlene Phillips. Darcey Bussell served as a guest judge beginning with the quarterfinal.

Janette Manrara Škorjanec is a Cuban-American television presenter, choreographer and professional dancer from Miami, Florida, US. Born to her Cuban parents Luis and Maritza, Janette is the oldest of three. Originally a singer, learning from her Cuban family, she formally studied dance from the age of 19. Manrara is best known for her appearances on the US series So You Think You Can Dance and British dance reality television competition, Strictly Come Dancing. She is married to Slovenian dancer and co-star Aljaž Škorjanec. In June 2021, it was announced that Manrara would co host Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two with Rylan Clark and later Fleur East.

Artem Vladimirovich Chigvintsev is a Russian professional dancer, specializing in Latin dancing.

Robin Jamie Windsor was an English professional Latin and ballroom dancer, best known for appearing as a professional dancer on the BBC television series Strictly Come Dancing.

Kevin James Clifton is an English professional dancer and actor who was a professional dancer on the BBC TV series Strictly Come Dancing, having previously worked as an assistant choreographer. He has also featured on Burn the Floor. He was given the nickname "Kevin from Grimsby" by Bruce Forsyth.

Burn the Floor is a live dance show which has performed around the world, including on Broadway in New York City and the West End in London. Since 1997, Burn the Floor has performed in over 130 countries worldwide. The show has also featured several alumni of various international versions of Strictly Come Dancing and So You Think You Can Dance.

Neil Jones is a British dancer and choreographer, best known for his role as a professional dancer in the BBC One dance series Strictly Come Dancing.

Kai Widdrington is an English dancer and choreographer. In 2010, he was the Junior World Latin American champion. In 2012, he reached the final of the sixth series of Britain's Got Talent. Between 2017 and 2020, he was a professional dancer on the Irish version of Dancing with the Stars, and in 2021, he became a professional dancer on the BBC show Strictly Come Dancing.

Strictly Come Dancing Live! is a nationwide arena tour in the United Kingdom which was first staged in 2008 and has continued every year since. It is directed and co-choreographed by Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood.

References

  1. 1 2 "Cast". Theatre Productions. Archived from the original on 2012-03-30. Retrieved 2012-07-06.
  2. "About - LOVE + 1". Loveplus1.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2012-03-30. Retrieved 2012-07-06.
  3. "Awards Nominees Announced - 2011 Whatsonstage.com Awards at Prince of Wales Theatre - London - News". Whatsonstage.com. Archived from the original on 2011-01-05. Retrieved 2012-07-06.
  4. 1 2 "BBC Three - Dancing on Wheels". Bbc.co.uk. 2010-03-25. Retrieved 2012-07-06.
  5. "Strictly Come Dancing 2008 - Heather Small". BBC. 1970-01-01. Retrieved 2012-07-06.
  6. 1 2 "Strictly Come Dancing 2009 - Ali Bastian & Brian Fortuna: Video and bios of the Strictly contestants". BBC. 1970-01-01. Archived from the original on 2010-11-03. Retrieved 2012-07-06.
  7. "BBC Mobile | Television | Strictly Come Dancing | Contestants | Ali Bastian & Brian Fortuna". Bbc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2012-07-29. Retrieved 2012-07-06.
  8. "Brian Fortuna - DWTS - Dancing With The Stars". DWTS. Archived from the original on 2011-09-04. Retrieved 2012-07-06.
  9. http://www.brianfortuna.com/FORTUNA-Brian-Resume-2011.pdf [ bare URL PDF ]
  10. 1953.php [ permanent dead link ]
  11. "ABCNews.com - Breaking News, Latest News & Top Video News - ABC News". I.abcnews.com. Retrieved 2012-07-06.[ permanent dead link ]
  12. "Former Miss USA Shandi Finnessey Booted From 'Dancing With the Stars'". Fox News. 2007-04-04. Archived from the original on 2010-09-14. Retrieved 2009-07-05.
  13. Tan, Michelle (2007-04-04). "Shandi Finnessey Booted From Dancing with the Stars - Dancing With the Stars". People.com. Retrieved 2012-07-06.
  14. "Dancing with the Stars Tour Hitting the Road Again". Buddytv.com. 2007-05-08. Archived from the original on 2012-10-19. Retrieved 2012-07-06.
  15. "Yuku Forums Showcase". Archived from the original on 2011-07-18. Retrieved 2008-11-25.
  16. Archived September 12, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  17. ht-Christmas-special.html
  18. "Press Office - Dancing On Wheels". BBC. Retrieved 2012-07-06.
  19. "Lifestyle - TV - Stars set for 'groundbreaking' Dancing On Wheels show". WalesOnline. 2009-05-28. Archived from the original on 2012-10-06. Retrieved 2012-07-06.
  20. "Heather Small in Dancing On Wheels". This is Plymouth. 2009-05-28. Archived from the original on 2013-05-05. Retrieved 2012-07-06.
  21. "Aladdin". Royal And Derngate. Archived from the original on 2012-09-17. Retrieved 2012-07-06.
  22. "Over The Rainbow - The Eva Cassidy Story". Theatre Productions. Archived from the original on 2012-03-30. Retrieved 2012-07-06.
  23. Archived June 13, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  24. http://www.brianfortuna.com/resume.pdf [ bare URL PDF ]
  25. "United States Terpsichore Association". United States Terpsichore Association. Retrieved 5 December 2009.