On Sunday, I went to an Irish dancing show, and a mambo broke out. And a cha-cha, a tango, some hip hop, flamenco and a few other things thrown into the cross-cultural shuffle and tap fest that is Heartbeat of Home, an explosive and colourful new show from the folks behind Riverdance.

This is not Riverdance and that is made clear from the opening number when the traditional tappity-tap hard shoe shindig of epic proportions kicks things off. A couple minutes into the number, a procession of dancers in the Latin and Afro-Cuban styles join the fray, with the Irish troupe playing a complementary role. Although there are a few traditional numbers of pure Irish dance brilliance, most scenes play out in a similar fashion. Some work, some don't.

The stars of the show, Ciara Sexton and Bobby Hodges, are incredible. I'd like to have seen more of Sexton who, flitting in and out of scenes, was suitably brilliant, but gone again before we could thoroughly absorb the wonderment. Hodges was omnipresent, and we could have used a little less of him to balance things out. The dancers from the Latin and African troupes we good. The pair of Flamenco dancers in particular were breathtaking and suitably sultry. Everyone was easy on the eyes, so there's always the pure, eye-candy factor.

The first act includes more traditional Irish numbers including a powerful scene called "Tempest," that ranks as one of the high points of the entire show. The bodhrán drum and hard shoe choreography in "Stardance" will also be high on the traditionalist's highlight reel of memories.

As the show progresses, the contributions from other genres increases.

The fusion works well in a number of scenes, especially early in the second act when Irish and Latin dancers combine in a scene set high atop a skyscraper, which puts the massive projection screen serving as a backdrop for the show to good use. It was funny, personal, and wildly entertaining. Slower numbers were less compelling, as Irish dancers tried to combine their movements with traditional Latin dance. It worked well enough, but just wasn't all that interesting.

The musical interlude in the first act featured very capable vocalist Lucia Evans having to carry a scene that included choral accompaniment projected on a screen. More than a little odd, and certainly it didn't work. In the second act, the musical number was instrumental and included images of what appeared to be a desert somewhere in the United States—Nevada or California? It was a head-scratcher and I hope the dancers got a bit of rest, because there is really no other good reason to show something as out of touch with the rest of the show. The program describes the scene as a "symphony of wide open wilderness," but the camera followed a route marked by rail and power lines. Weird, but only a few minutes long.

Once rested, the dancers are back at it leading up the finale, and all is forgiven. The second act's big number, "Latin Groove," is a non-stop, cross-cultural dance jam that packs five separate numbers into one massive explosion — serious "wow" factor." It was ferocious, athletic, sexy and moving.

Heartbeat of Home is very entertaining. The melding of styles works more often than not, and the sheer visual spectacle alone is worth the price of admission. I'd be happier if we saw much more of Sexton, the pacing and the tempo were improved, and the two musical numbers were erased from existence, but overall it gets very high marks.

$35-$130. Heartbeat of Home, Ed Mirvish Theatre, runs until March 2