Karina Smirnoff Attached To Lead In "In Light Of The Dance Film"

LOS ANGELES - Feb. 7, 2014 - PRLog -- – In Light of the Dance, a feature film being produced by Curliss Entertainment and Hey Girl Hey Entertainment has attached Karina Smirnoff, ballroom’s top female dancer to the production.  Smirnoff best known for her accolades on Dancing With The Stars has recently branched out as an actress, starring in the lead role in the theatrical short Across Grace Alley that was produced by her former DWTS partner Ralph Macchio.

The film evolves around the stage show hit Burn The Floor. Since 1999 Burn the Floor has thrilled audiences around the world. Years before Dancing With The Stars and So You Think You Can Dance turned ballroom dancing into must-see TV, this sizzling Ballroom and Latin dance spectacular was setting stages ablaze and will now be making its debut on the silver screen.

Those familiar with the Burn The Floor stage show know that it doesn’t have a storyline.  It is pure dance entertainment for two hours.  In adapting it, screenwriter Steve Curliss has written a touching story of a lost soul that interweaves dance, love and life struggles. In Light Of The Dance exhibits all the elements of the ballroom community-the elegance of the Viennese Waltz, the exuberance of love, the intensity of the Paso Doble and the innocence of friendships that soar into relationships.

“When I first read the script I was on a plane and the flight attendants and fellow passengers must have thought I was crazy because I was laughing and crying, it was really quite something. When I was done I felt like I had just read my life story, as the similarities were quite strange for me. It became something I just had to do,” says Smirnoff.

Screenwriter and producer Steve Curliss knew Smirnoff was perfect for the role and actively sought her out. "One of the difficulties we faced going into this was that we needed not only strong acting talent in the lead roles, but they had to have world-class dance ability. Karina is one of, if not the, top female ballroom dancer in the world and we are so excited her potential in this film,” Curliss commented.

The producing team of Steve Curliss and Gayle Dickie will bring In Light of the Dance to the screen. Dickie, President of Red Global Media and Entertainment and Hey Girl Hey Entertainment, brings over 20+ years in the television and film business. Her credits include Writer and Producer as well as extensive experience in syndication, distribution, animation, toy licensing and marketing. Curliss has a diverse background in all phases of entertainment from producing a wide variety of network sports music and regional TV programs to managing major label recording artists and talent on top network television shows. Aside from penning In Light of the Dance, Curliss has written two network TV pilots, a film and a novel.

Currently the project is aligning a cast and director. Distribution and production have been solidified.