Lord of the dance floor steps on up

Stefano Olivieri and Dancing with the Stars partner Geraldine Brophy, will be reunited on stage in the production of Oklahoma!

Musicals have been as much a part of Stefano Olivieri's life as dance, now he's combining the two.

Instantly recognisable as the slick, snake-hipped ballroom coach from New Zealand's Dancing with the Stars, Olivieri's revealing his other talents for singing and acting in the Kiwi version of Oklahoma!

A talented performer, he has been competing in dance since the age of 10, winning every major national Australian dancesport championship. He's a 10-time Australian Professional Champion and has taken out world titles to boot.

"Music and my ballroom dancing roots go hand in hand," he tells VIBE. "I have always liked being on stage and performing, I got a lucky break on Dancing with the Stars Australia, then I met the fabulous Candy Lane and Debra Kelleher, producer of the New Zealand version.

He whipped Suzanne Paul, Temepara George, and Geraldine Brophy into shape, winning back to back titles with Paul, 2007, and George in 2008.

But it was a connection with Brophy that brought him back to our shores.

"I loved working with her, we had this kindred spirit, if there was ever a chance to work together again, she would call me.

"True to her word, this audition came up and she said 'are you interested in doing this play with me?' I didn't even think - I just said 'yes!', I almost jumped down the phone."

Rehearsals began at the end of July in Christchurch, with the cast given three weeks to gel before their first performance, however Olivieri was putting in the hard yards long before that first gathering.

"As soon as I heard I started researching the movie, the musical, learning the songs and training with my vocal coach. It's iconic, I think a lot of people will know the music."

Penned in the early 1940s by the then new partnership of Rodgers and Hammerstein, songs such as - Oh What a Beautiful Morning, The Surrey with the Fringe on Top, I Just Can't Say No, and, of course, Oklahoma! - marked a shift in the genre.

Oklahoma! changed the face of theatre when it premiered on Broadway in 1943, paving the way for modern musicals.

The production was first to incorporate dance, music, and lyrics which told a story, that moved the action on.

It won a Pulitzer Prize for drama, holding the longest slot on Broadway at the time, ticking up an impressive 15 years.

Set in Oklahoma territory in the early 1900s, it tells a story of two cowboys vying with a rough ranch hand and a travelling peddler for the hearts of the women they each love.

There's Curly (Cameron Douglas), a handsome, shy cowboy who can't admit his feelings to Laurey (Tizane McEvoy); and Olivieri's character, Will Parker, a simple boy who is devoted to Ado Annie, played by real-life friend Ali Harper.

Veterans of the New Zealand stage, Paul Barrett and Geraldine Brophy, will play Ado Annie's father and Aunt Eller, with Brophy directing as well.

Olivieri had always been a fan of Parker, and enjoyed putting his stamp on the role.

"He's a bit hopeless, a bit of a clutz, he's a romantic rogue cowboy, there's a simpleness about him. I think Geraldine wanted to explore him and bring out the romantic out and the comic."

Producers called upon his dancing skills to help choreograph Oklahoma! though the main focus was on nailing his part.

This Sydney-based all rounder may not live here full time, but claims he will always be part Kiwi.

After his first taste of New Zealand lifestyle he took many more opportunities to return, but the chance to start his own business, Dance XS in Australia, was too good to pass up.

"I can call New Zealand my home, I had been over there with a musical before, but when I moved over for Dancing with the Stars I cemented my place, I still call it home. I'm Italian, I'm Australian and I'm a New Zealander."

• From 4pm September 7 at Napier Municipal Theatre.

• Tickets are $65 to $99.90, available from Ticketek.