When you can’t stop your feet tapping after the curtain, keep clapping – that’s the hint from choreographer Jason Gilkison. But it’s not as if the World Ballroom and Latin Dance Champion is fishing for applause – he is just remembering what happened at a recent performance of Burn the Floor in Osaka. “We had all gone backstage, got changed and were cooling down. But after 12 minutes, one of the theatre staff came in and told us the audience was still clapping and wouldn’t leave!” Amazed, the cast threw down towels and slippers, hurriedly redonned costumes and scrambled back on stage to send the Japanese audience off with another round of spectacular moves. And so, he says, if you like it that much, do as the Japanese do.

Burn the Floor is a blend of samba, salsa, waltz and tango with swing and jive that started life as a ballroom demonstration at Elton John’s 50th birthday party. It was such a hit – “It was probably the most exciting thing that happened on Elton’s birthday,” grins Jason – Australian producer Harley Medcalf came up with the idea to put it on stage – and the rest is history. Not only dazzling Sir Elton’s revellers, when the show hit the nation’s stages it was hailed as “so hot that it probably contributes to global warming” by the UK press. Since then it has sizzled over 3 million people in 32 countries around the world – even the Japanese.

Before he and his award-winning dancers from 15 countries toured Japan, Jason was warned not to expect much noise from the Nipponese audiences. “But that,” he says, “was totally not the case for us. I was surprised by their reaction!” And similar experiences in Beijing and Shanghai have heightened his expectations for the Hong Kong shows. Having dropped around a few times before – you may remember Jason from performances during the handover – he describes the city as a “…complete balance of old and new. There is a stronger understand of ballroom dancing in Hong Kong. There is a strong level of connection here.”

And then with a twinkle in his eye, he mentions two Burn the Floor scenes to hang out for. The first closes act one with a recreation of Harlem in the 1930s – big band sound and all. “You know in those days it was absolutely wild in Harlem…” he grins. And then somewhere in act two the whole venue may just transform into a nightclub – at 2am. And we all know what that means. “That’s when the dancers really come alive because they can be themselves then.”

And so can the audience. With the dancers giving, as Jason says, 200%, the audience won’t be allowed to sit back and marvel as they sweat. “On a particularly good night we will jump into the audience and ask people up to dance. Sometimes they are shy and sometime I can’t get rid of them,” Jason laughs. Which will you be?

Burn the Floor will be performed from May 4-6 at Hong Kong Exhibition and Convention Centre. Shows start at 8pm. Tickets are $990, $590 and $290 from HK Ticketing, 31 288 288.