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Brian Fortuna (born September 20, 1982) is an American professionalballroom dancer,choreographer andinstructor.
Brian Fortuna known as Fish is currently starring in Theatre Production's LimitedOver the Rainbow asDanny Cassidy.[1] He recently finished filming the emotional romantic short filmLove + 1[2] withAlison Carroll and Andy Barnes.
Fortuna was Principal Dancer inBurn the Floor during its 2010 run at theShaftesbury Theatre inLondon's West End.[citation needed] His performances earned him a 2011What's On Stage Award nomination as Best Newcomer.[3]
He wasLead Choreographer andConsulting Producer forDancing on Wheels.[4] This groundbreaking show premiered onBBC Three in February 2010 and was produced byFever Media.Dancing on Wheels pairs disabled and able-bodied contestants as they learn the art of Ballroom and LatinDanceSport. The show had the highest premiere ratings for a documentary in BBC history.
In 2008, Fortuna was invited to join theStrictly Come Dancing cast, where he competed withM People’sHeather Small[5] and finished eighth. Series 7 in 2009 saw Brian partnered with formerHollyoaks andThe Bill actress,Ali Bastian.[6] The pair placed danced their way to the semi-finals[7] and earned a perfect score for theirAmerican Smooth andViennese Waltz; the highest score for a Viennese Waltz inStrictly Come Dancing history. Affectionately known as ‘Strictly,’ it is the British name forDancing with the Stars, the franchise for which was created and is owned by the BBC.
Fortuna competed onDancing 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 nationalDancing 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'sDancing with the Stars…Online Encore.
Fortuna is an instructor and performer nationwide. Brian's other credits includeNational Ballroom and Latin Ten Dance finalist; choreographer and coach for the award-winningsalsa team, Ritmo Latino; performer with the musical sensation, “The Tramps;” champion of theNorth American Amateur Latin Championships in 2003; and a top pro-am teacher. Brian also excels inWheelchair DanceSport Wheelchair Ballroom and Latin DanceSport and is very proud to be a teacher and performer for theUnited States Wheelchair Dancing Association, founded by his mother,Sandra Fortuna. In 2004 he choreographed a very successful commercial for theBank of Madrid in Spain, which showcased wheelchair dancing.[9]
Fortuna was the featured dancer in the Oscar award-winning filmThe Aviator, withLeonardo DiCaprio; appeared in TV seriesSouth Beach withVanessa Williams; and had a starring role in the Canadian documentary, Live to Dance.
Fortuna participated in thefourth season ofABC'sDancing with the Stars, the American version of the UK showStrictly Come Dancing, with celebrity partnerShandi Finnessey, a formerMiss Universe contestant.
| Week | Dance / song | Judges' scores | Result | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inaba | Goodman | Tonioli | Total | |||
| 1 | Foxtrot / "The Power of Love" | 7 | 6 | 6 | 19 | n/a |
| 2 | Mambo / "Right Now" | 6 | 7 | 7 | 20 | Bottom 2 |
| 3 | Jive / "Crocodile Rock" | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 | Eliminated |
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 theDancing with the Stars winter 2007–2008 tour.[14][15]
Fortuna joinedStrictly Come Dancing for the 6th series, the UK show upon whichDancing with the Stars is based. His celebrity partner wasM People'sHeather Small.[16]
| Week | Dance / song | Judges' scores | Result | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horwood | Phillips | Goodman | Tonioli | Total | |||
| 1 | Cha Cha Cha / "Lady Marmalade" | Group dance – not scored | |||||
| 2 | Salsa/ "La Banda" | 5 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 26 | Safe |
| 3 | Swing / "Choo Choo Ch'Boogie" | Group dance – not scored | |||||
| 4 | Quickstep / "Old Man Time" | 6 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 23 | Bottom two |
| 5 | Samba / “Lola Lola” | 4 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 23 | Bottom two |
| 6 | Viennese Waltz / "Vision of Love" | 5 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 27 | Safe |
| 7 | Cha Cha Cha / "American Boy" | 5 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 23 | Bottom two |
| 8 | Tango / "Rebel Rebel" | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 27 | Eliminated |
The couple left the series on Sunday, 9 November.[17]
At Christmas 2008, Brian was partnered withKelly Brook. They danced theJive toRockin' 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 toJill Halfpenny andDarren Bennett.
Fortuna returned toStrictly Come Dancing for the 7th series. His celebrity partner wasAli Bastian known for playing PC Sally Armstrong onThe 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.
| Week | Dance / song | Judges' scores | Result | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horwood | Goodman | Dixon | Tonioli | Bussell | Total | |||
| 1 | Waltz / "Reach Out and Touch" | 7 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 30 | Safe | |
| Rumba / 'That's What Friends Are For' | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 30 | |||
| 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" | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 32 | Safe | |
| 4 | Salsa / "Quimbara" | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 32 | Safe | |
| 5 | Jive / "Tutti Frutti" | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 29 | Safe | |
| 6 | American Smooth / "A Foggy Day in London Town" | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 37 | Safe | |
| 7 | Paso Doble / "El gato montés" | 8 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 33 | Bottom two | |
| 8 | Viennese Waltz / "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man" | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 40 | Safe | |
| 9 | Cha Cha Cha / "I Gotta Feeling" | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 35 | Safe | |
| 10 | Foxtrot / "Haven't Met You Yet" | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 35 | Safe | |
| 11 | Charleston / "Pencil Full of Lead" | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 37 | Safe | |
| GroupViennese Waltz / "Piano Man" | 10[clarification needed] | |||||||
| 12 | Tango / "Born to Be Wild" | 8 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 42 | Safe |
| Samba / "Change" | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 44 | ||
| 13 | American Smooth | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 50 | Eliminated |
| Argentine Tango | 8 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 42 | ||
On Saturday, November 7, 2009, Fortuna andAli 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 GroupViennese 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 toStrictly Come Dancing for the 8th season due to format changes.[citation needed]
On May 28, 2009, the BBC issued a press release about their upcoming showDancing on Wheels which uses the same title as a documentary from April 2007. This project aims to promoteWheelchair DanceSport with Brian Fortuna as the lead choreographer. Competitors will be put through intense training, as seen onStrictly Come Dancing andDancing with the Stars, and will compete for a chance to represent the United Kingdom at theWheelchair 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 fromStrictly Come Dancing Series 6,M People'sHeather Small, as well asOlympic swimmerMark Foster, actressMichelle Gayle, actorKevin Sacre, rugby playerMartin Offiah, and presenterCaroline Flack.Dancing on Wheels is produced byFever 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.
Fortuna appeared in Royal & Derngate's production ofAladdin this holiday season.[21] The show will run from 9 December 2011 - 8 January 2012.
Fortuna is currently starring in Theatre Production Ltd'sOver the Rainbow as Danny Cassidy.[1] The show began touring the UK on 3 September 2011.[22]
Fortuna andAli Bastian headlinedBurn the Floor's run at theShaftesbury Theatre in London's West End. The show ran from July 21 to September 4, 2010.[23]
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]
Fortuna appeared as a featured dancer in the filmThe Aviator. He was also the choreographer and dancer in the television dramaSouth Beach starringVanessa L. Williams.[citation needed]
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