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Interview with Brian Fortuna
About Brian Fortuna's Dancing On Wheels and Brian Fortuna's viewpoint and accomplishments
Brian learned wheelcahir dancing at Universal Dance Center while I was writing the wheelchair dancing manual.
About Brian Fortuna's Dancing On Wheels and Brian Fortuna's viewpoint and accomplishments
Brian learned wheelcahir dancing at Universal Dance Center while I was writing the wheelchair dancing manual.
Brian Fortuna, a product of the dance education, dance atmosphere and dance community of the Philadelphia area, had a couple of weeks off and was home visiting his family and taking a well-deserved break from his dancing duties in London. He is pictured below dancing with Julianne Hough during a DWTS Tour and with Snow Urbin also in a DWTS Tour, and with Kristina Rihanoff during their summer tour in UK.
He has started rehearsals for Strictly Come Dancing, the original and UK version of DWTS and the excitement and pressure snowballs til the show ends December 23. The SCD Tour, (professional dancers and celebrities) will start after that, followed directly by the SCD Professional Tour. About the time the SCD Professional Tour begins, his show, Dancing On Wheels, will begin a six week run on BBC Three.
How do you feel about the show now that it's ended?
I have a feeling that it's something special that will have impact on a lot of lives. It is a revolutionary and unique show. I know for a fact that it has already had impact on the lives of the participants, both the dancers and the celebrities. Once the viewing audience has been exposed to the show, even if affects the audience 1/100th the amount it has affected the dancers and celebrities, we can consider the mission accomplished.
How many people do you think will really like the show?
You know there has been quite a bit of negative feedback published in response to the BBC's announcement of this show and its format. Not everyone appreciates the premise or the mission of the show.
People should tune in and give the show a fair chance. The stories of the dancers will touch the audience. The quality of the dancing, especially since it is acheived in such a short time, should impress them. I can't see how people could look past that and focus on the negative.
Where did the idea for this show come from?
It came from someone in Fever Media, the production company.
Why did they choose you?
I'm the kind of person they are looking for. They appreciate my incentives and they are aware of my experience with wheelchair dancing that I learned at my mother's dance school, Universal Dance Center.
What do you think will happen with Dancing On Wheels?
I believe Dancing On Wheels will be enough of a success to go at least another year and after that move to other countries. Alot depends on how it is edited.
What is the balance of the program?
It is a one hour program, no commercials, that will feature the stories of the wheelchair dancers. The program will follow the jouney of the wheelchair dancers, the celebrities and me through the preparations and the actual dance contests. It will also show how the dance project impacted all the participants lives, including mine. The show will also focus on the winners as they prepare and participate in the Wheelchair Dancing European Championships.
What is the most fulfilling part of this experience for you?
Harry's mother thanked me for the hard work I did, and she said her son is a different man now. All for the better. Di said that she hasn't felt this way, so alive, since her accident in the early 90's. She made me a book that traces the project, beginning to end.
Personally, it is the first time in my life that I have given so much of myself, intellectually, emotionally, creatively to any project. Plus, I took it on alone and did it, and did an excellent job.
Will the SCD dance pro's look at you differently since you did this show?
Not necessarily. They all did something special this summer. Darren Bennet and Lilia Kopylova produced, choreographed and starred in a successful theater production, Latin Fever. Brendan Cole judged New Zealand's DWTS. Anton Dubeke hosted a TV show. Karen Hardy opened her new studio. James and Ola Jordan judged Dancing On Wheels. Kristina Rihanoff, my professional partner did some dancing on Dancing On Wheels, did about 20 performances and workshops with me, and finished the editing of her book on comeptition fashion and style for female dancers.
Are there changes you would make to the show?
Well, you can always make changes, but you don't need to fix what isn't broken. I would make some very specific changes to the wheelchairs. I would have a staff of highly trained professional dancers from the beginning through the end of the show to develop choreography.
You are going back to start SCD soon.
Sometime in August I return to London. They will do what is called the title shoot, meeting of the celebrities, I'll do some dancing....I hope to get a celebrity partner who is fun-loving, easy to get along with and a hard worker. Those things are more important than getting a partner who is a good dancer.
Dancing with people with disabilities is a pretty unusual activity for celebrities. How did the celebrities feel about their roles in the show?
I can tell you that one of them hated it at first and didn't even want to attend the rehearsals. But, she fell in love with it. It wasn't long before she let that show in her personality and her dancing, everything. She was a real star.
As judges, you had two experienced professional dancers who are very popular on SCD and who have had a pretty successful career as Latin competitors, James and Ola Jordan. Another judge. Ade Adepitan is a paralympic champion, but not a dancer. How do you think they all did as judges and spokes-people on the show?
Exceptional!!! I would have done their job the same way.
How much speaking do you do on Dancing On Wheels?
I do a good amount. You will see me on camera a lot too. I am the conduit between the scenes.
I am sure you expect Dancing On Wheels to be a stepping stone for you and for wheelchair dancing.
This could be a stepping stone for the show, the activity, the celebrities, the dancers and for me as a performer and choreographer. For the wheelchair dancing, I want to see the show recommissioned and then spread to other countries. For myself, I want to become the number one prime-time television host.
Now, I have an especially keen awareness of the fact that people who live with disabilites, no matter how the disability is acquired, or how it manifests itself, have more difficulties than some of the rest of us. Besides the challenges created by the disability, a person with a disability faces discrimination everyday. Access to jobs, recreation, venues, transportion is limited. On top of that, they aren't always able to participate in great activities like dancing and it is extremely unusual for them to be the focus of a television show that millions of people might watch and enjoy.
To be instrumental or even involved in a show like Dancing On Wheels is remarkable. Here is a program that allows and supports people with disabilities to be able to break out of unecessary limitations. It is a beautiful thing to be part of the show and every moment has given me one rewarding experience after another.
He has started rehearsals for Strictly Come Dancing, the original and UK version of DWTS and the excitement and pressure snowballs til the show ends December 23. The SCD Tour, (professional dancers and celebrities) will start after that, followed directly by the SCD Professional Tour. About the time the SCD Professional Tour begins, his show, Dancing On Wheels, will begin a six week run on BBC Three.
How do you feel about the show now that it's ended?
I have a feeling that it's something special that will have impact on a lot of lives. It is a revolutionary and unique show. I know for a fact that it has already had impact on the lives of the participants, both the dancers and the celebrities. Once the viewing audience has been exposed to the show, even if affects the audience 1/100th the amount it has affected the dancers and celebrities, we can consider the mission accomplished.
How many people do you think will really like the show?
You know there has been quite a bit of negative feedback published in response to the BBC's announcement of this show and its format. Not everyone appreciates the premise or the mission of the show.
People should tune in and give the show a fair chance. The stories of the dancers will touch the audience. The quality of the dancing, especially since it is acheived in such a short time, should impress them. I can't see how people could look past that and focus on the negative.
Where did the idea for this show come from?
It came from someone in Fever Media, the production company.
Why did they choose you?
I'm the kind of person they are looking for. They appreciate my incentives and they are aware of my experience with wheelchair dancing that I learned at my mother's dance school, Universal Dance Center.
What do you think will happen with Dancing On Wheels?
I believe Dancing On Wheels will be enough of a success to go at least another year and after that move to other countries. Alot depends on how it is edited.
What is the balance of the program?
It is a one hour program, no commercials, that will feature the stories of the wheelchair dancers. The program will follow the jouney of the wheelchair dancers, the celebrities and me through the preparations and the actual dance contests. It will also show how the dance project impacted all the participants lives, including mine. The show will also focus on the winners as they prepare and participate in the Wheelchair Dancing European Championships.
What is the most fulfilling part of this experience for you?
Harry's mother thanked me for the hard work I did, and she said her son is a different man now. All for the better. Di said that she hasn't felt this way, so alive, since her accident in the early 90's. She made me a book that traces the project, beginning to end.
Personally, it is the first time in my life that I have given so much of myself, intellectually, emotionally, creatively to any project. Plus, I took it on alone and did it, and did an excellent job.
Will the SCD dance pro's look at you differently since you did this show?
Not necessarily. They all did something special this summer. Darren Bennet and Lilia Kopylova produced, choreographed and starred in a successful theater production, Latin Fever. Brendan Cole judged New Zealand's DWTS. Anton Dubeke hosted a TV show. Karen Hardy opened her new studio. James and Ola Jordan judged Dancing On Wheels. Kristina Rihanoff, my professional partner did some dancing on Dancing On Wheels, did about 20 performances and workshops with me, and finished the editing of her book on comeptition fashion and style for female dancers.
Are there changes you would make to the show?
Well, you can always make changes, but you don't need to fix what isn't broken. I would make some very specific changes to the wheelchairs. I would have a staff of highly trained professional dancers from the beginning through the end of the show to develop choreography.
You are going back to start SCD soon.
Sometime in August I return to London. They will do what is called the title shoot, meeting of the celebrities, I'll do some dancing....I hope to get a celebrity partner who is fun-loving, easy to get along with and a hard worker. Those things are more important than getting a partner who is a good dancer.
Dancing with people with disabilities is a pretty unusual activity for celebrities. How did the celebrities feel about their roles in the show?
I can tell you that one of them hated it at first and didn't even want to attend the rehearsals. But, she fell in love with it. It wasn't long before she let that show in her personality and her dancing, everything. She was a real star.
As judges, you had two experienced professional dancers who are very popular on SCD and who have had a pretty successful career as Latin competitors, James and Ola Jordan. Another judge. Ade Adepitan is a paralympic champion, but not a dancer. How do you think they all did as judges and spokes-people on the show?
Exceptional!!! I would have done their job the same way.
How much speaking do you do on Dancing On Wheels?
I do a good amount. You will see me on camera a lot too. I am the conduit between the scenes.
I am sure you expect Dancing On Wheels to be a stepping stone for you and for wheelchair dancing.
This could be a stepping stone for the show, the activity, the celebrities, the dancers and for me as a performer and choreographer. For the wheelchair dancing, I want to see the show recommissioned and then spread to other countries. For myself, I want to become the number one prime-time television host.
Now, I have an especially keen awareness of the fact that people who live with disabilites, no matter how the disability is acquired, or how it manifests itself, have more difficulties than some of the rest of us. Besides the challenges created by the disability, a person with a disability faces discrimination everyday. Access to jobs, recreation, venues, transportion is limited. On top of that, they aren't always able to participate in great activities like dancing and it is extremely unusual for them to be the focus of a television show that millions of people might watch and enjoy.
To be instrumental or even involved in a show like Dancing On Wheels is remarkable. Here is a program that allows and supports people with disabilities to be able to break out of unecessary limitations. It is a beautiful thing to be part of the show and every moment has given me one rewarding experience after another.
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