Brian Fortuna (born September 20, 1982) is an American professional

ballroom dance Ballroom dance is a set of European partner dances, which are enjoyed both socially and competitively around the world, mostly because of its performance and entertainment aspects. Ballroom dancing is also widely enjoyed on stage, film, and te ...

choreographer Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which Motion (physics), motion or Visual appearance, form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A chor ...

and instructor.

Biography

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

Alison Carroll Alison Carroll (born 21 May) is an English gymnast, model and actress. She was the live-action model of the video game character Lara Croft from 2008 to 2010. Biography Carroll was born on 21 May. She trained at the Urdang Academy in Music ...

and Andy Barnes. Fortuna was Principal Dancer in ''

Burn the Floor Burn the Floor is a live dance show which has performed around the world, including on Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway in New York City and the West End of London, West End in London. Since 1997, Burn the Floor has performed in over 130 countries ...

'' during its 2010 run at the

Shaftesbury Theatre The Shaftesbury Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Shaftesbury Avenue, in the London Borough of Camden. It opened in 1911 as the New Prince's Theatre, with a capacity of 2,500. The current capacity is 1,416. The title "Shaftesbury Theat ...

London's West End The West End of London (commonly referred to as the West End) is a district of Central London, England, in the London Boroughs of Camden and the City of Westminster. It is west of the City of London and north of the River Thames, in which ma ...

. His performances earned him a 2011 What's On Stage Award nomination as Best Newcomer. He was Lead Choreographer and Consulting Producer for ''

Dancing on Wheels ''Dancing on Wheels'' is a British Reality TV show made by production company Fever Media and first broadcast on BBC Three on 11 February 2010. The concept of the show is that an able-bodied celebrity dances with a wheelchair user. The couples ...

''. This groundbreaking show premiered on

BBC Three BBC Three is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes for a 16 to 34-year-old target aud ...

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 Dancesport is competitive ballroom dancing, as contrasted to social or exhibition dancing. In the case of Para dancesport, at least one of the dancers is in a wheelchair. Dancesport events are sanctioned and regulated by dancesport organizat ...

. The show had the highest premiere ratings for a documentary in BBC history. In 2008, Fortuna was invited to join the ''

Strictly Come Dancing ''Strictly Come Dancing'' (commonly referred to as ''Strictly'') is a British dance contest show in which celebrities partner with professional dancers to compete in mainly Ballroom dance, ballroom and Latin dance, Latin dance. Each couple is ...

'' cast, where he competed with

M People M People (stylised as ''M''People) are an English dance music band that formed in 1990 and achieved success throughout most of the 1990s. The name M People is derived from the first letter of the first name of band member Mike Pickering, who f ...

’s

Heather Small Heather Marguerita Small (born 20 January 1965) is an English soul music, soul singer and lead vocalist of the band M People. Her subsequent debut solo studio album, ''Proud (Heather Small album), Proud'', was released in 2000. Her second and ...

and finished eighth. Series 7 in 2009 saw Brian partnered with former ''

Hollyoaks ''Hollyoaks'' is a British soap opera which originally began airing on Channel 4 on 23 October 1995. It was created by Phil Redmond, who had previously conceived the soap opera ''Brookside (TV series), Brookside''. From 2005 to 2023, episodes h ...

'' and ''

The Bill ''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, broadcast on ITV (TV network), ITV from 16 October 1984 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, "Woodentop (The Bill), Woodentop" (part of the ''Storyb ...

'' actress,

Ali Bastian Alexandra Louise Bastian (born 27 February 1982) 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 ...

. The pair placed danced their way to the semi-finals and earned a perfect score for their

American Smooth This is a list of dance terms that are not names of dances or types of dances. See List of dances and List of dance style categories for those. This glossary lists terms used in various types of ballroom partner dances, leaving out terms of hig ...

and

Viennese Waltz Viennese waltz () is a genre of ballroom dance. At least four different meanings are recognized. In the historically first sense, the name may refer to several versions of the waltz, including the earliest waltzes done in ballroom dancing, dance ...

; 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 ''Strictly Come Dancing (widely known as Dancing with the Stars)'' is an international television franchise based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing,'' itself a successor to the show ''Come Dancing'' (1950–1998) ...

'', the franchise for which was created and is owned by the BBC. Fortuna competed on ''

'' during its 4th season; partnering former Miss USA,

Shandi Finnessey Shandi Ren Finnessey (born June 9, 1978) 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 com ...

. 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 Dance is an art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoire of movements or ...

. 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 Salsa most often refers to: * Salsa (food), a variety of sauces used as condiments * Salsa music, a popular style of Latin American music * Salsa (dance), a Latin dance associated with Salsa music Salsa or SALSA may also refer to: Arts and ent ...

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 United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two fi ...

, 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. Fortuna was the featured dancer in the Oscar award-winning film '' The Aviator'', with

Leonardo DiCaprio Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio (; ; born November 11, 1974) is an American actor and film producer. Known for Leonardo DiCaprio filmography, his work in biographical and period films, he is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received ...

; appeared in TV series ''

South Beach South Beach, also nicknamed colloquially as SoBe, is a Neighborhoods of Miami Beach, Florida, neighborhood in Miami Beach, Florida. It is located east of Miami between Biscayne Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. The area encompasses Miami Beach south ...

'' with

Vanessa Williams Vanessa Lynn Williams (born March 18, 1963) is an American singer, actress, model, producer and dancer. She gained recognition as the first Black woman to win the Miss America title when she was crowned Miss America 1984. She would later Vanes ...

; 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 ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

's ''

'', the American version of the UK show ''

'', with celebrity partner

, a former

Miss Universe Miss Universe is an annual international major beauty pageant that is run by a Thailand and Mexican-based Miss Universe Organization.Natalie Tadena (July 2, 2015"Donald Trump's Miss USA Pageant Lands on Reelz Cable Channel". ''The Wall Stree ...

contestant. The couple was the second to be voted off the competition on March 19, 2007. Fortuna was a cast member of the ''Dancing with the Stars'' winter 2007–2008 tour.

''Strictly Come Dancing''

Fortuna joined ''

'' for the 6th series, the UK show upon which ''

'' is based. His celebrity partner was

. The couple left the series on Sunday, 9 November. At Christmas 2008, Brian was partnered with

Kelly Brook Kelly Brook (born Kelly Anne Parsons, 23 November 1979) is an English model, actress, and media personality. She began her career modelling for a range of advertising campaigns, which led to her discovery by the editorial team of the '' Daily ...

. They danced the Jive to

Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" is a Christmas song written by Johnny Marks and recorded by Brenda Lee in 1958; it has since been recorded by numerous other music artists. By the song's 50th anniversary in 2008, Lee's original version had ...

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 Jill Halfpenny (born 15 July 1975) is an English actress who first garnered attention playing Nicola Dobson in the coming-of-age BBC drama series '' Byker Grove'' (1989–1992). She became more widely known for her roles as Rebecca Hopkins on ...

and Darren Bennett. Fortuna returned to ''Strictly Come Dancing'' for the 7th series. His celebrity partner was

known for playing PC Sally Armstrong on ''

''. 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. On Saturday, November 7, 2009, Fortuna and

's Viennese Waltz received a perfect score of 40. On Saturday, November 28, 2009, Brian and Ali Bastian]'s performance in the Group

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.

''Dancing on Wheels''

On May 28, 2009, the BBC issued a press release about their upcoming show ''

'' which uses the same title as a documentary from April 2007. This project aims to promote

Wheelchair DanceSport 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). Sport Wheelchair couple ...

with Brian Fortuna as the lead choreographer. Competitors will be put through intense training, as seen on ''Strictly Come Dancing'' and ''

'', 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. The programme began transmission on BBC3 on Thursday 11 February 2010. Also joining the show will be Fortuna's celebrity partner from ''Strictly Come Dancing'' Series 6,

, as well as

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece bet ...

swimmer Mark Foster, actress

Michelle Gayle Michelle Patricia Gayle (born 2 February 1971) is a British singer, songwriter, actress and writer. Gayle had success as a Contemporary R&B, soul and R&B singer in the 1990s, having achieved seven top 40 single (music), singles in the UK Single ...

, actor

Kevin Sacre Kevin Sacre-Dallerup (born Kevin Bignell on 23 March 1978), accessed 30 May 2007 is a British actor. He is most famous for his performance as Jake Dean in the Channel 4 British soap opera ''Hollyoaks'', a role he played from 2002 to 2010. Ear ...

, rugby player

Martin Offiah Martin Nwokocha Offiah MBE ( (''original pronunciation''), (''commonly used'')); born 29 December 1965) is an English former professional rugby league and rugby union footballer who played in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. Offiah was inducted ...

, and presenter

Caroline Flack Caroline Louise Flack (9 November 1979 – 15 February 2020) was an English television presenter and actress. Flack grew up in Norfolk and took an interest in dancing and theatre while at school. She began her professional career as an actress, ...

. ''Dancing on Wheels'' is produced by Fever Media. 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 Aladdin ( ; , , ATU 561, 'Aladdin') is a Middle-Eastern folk tale. It is one of the best-known tales associated with '' One Thousand and One Nights'' (often known in English as ''The Arabian Nights''), despite not being part of the original ...

this holiday season. 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. The show began touring the UK on 3 September 2011.

''Burn the Floor''

Fortuna and

headlined ''

''s run at the

in London's West End. The show ran from July 21 to September 4, 2010.

Achievements

In 2004 and 2005, Brian won the North American Top Teacher competition.http://www.brianfortuna.com/resume.pdf and in the same years, he was the Imperial Dance Sport Champion. Fortuna is a certified judge by the United States Terpsichore Association.

Filmography

Fortuna appeared as a featured dancer in the film '' The Aviator''. He was also the choreographer and dancer in the television drama ''

'' starring

Vanessa L. Williams Vanessa Lynn Williams (born March 18, 1963) is an American singer, actress, model, producer and dancer. She gained recognition as the first Black woman to win the Miss America title when she was crowned Miss America 1984. She would later res ...