November 14, 2008
Nigel Lythgoe announced earlier this year that he would be leaving his position as executive producer of American Idol but keeps his hands full with Dancing With The Stars and So You Think You Can Dance. This week, he told TVGuide.com that he’s developing yet another reality show, tentatively titled Dance Stars of the World. The show is being described as a dance Olympics and Lythgoe says that it would "bring dancers from all different countries in teams that include soloists, pas de deux and groups to represent their country." He plans to search the globe for the world’s best dancers and will also bring on judges from each country, who won’t be allowed to vote for their own.
November 6, 2008
FOX’s hit summer reality show, So You Think You Can Dance, is already casting for its 5th season and searching the country for the next crop of amazing dancers. The show makes its first stop in New York City next week, on November 13th, in Brooklyn. The show plans to announce more audition dates and cities in the coming weeks. Judge Mary Murphy currently has her hands full, judging the Canadian version of the show while casting for the upcoming U.S. season. This week, she spoke with The Province, a Canadian newspaper, about what she looks for in a winning dancer. No matter where you’re from, if you’re an aspiring dancer looking to try out for the show, you listen when Mary Murphy talks.
October 28, 2008
It’s hard to believe it but it’s already time for So You Think You Can Dance to head out in search of their dancers for season 5. Registration for the New York City auditions will begin at 8am on Thursday, November 13, at the Mark Morris Dance Center. The dance center is located at 3 Lafayette Avenue in Brooklyn, NY. Callbacks for the New York auditions will be held on November 14 and 15. Producers will also travel to Denver, Los Angeles, Memphis, Miami and Seattle in search of dancers. The dates in other cities have yet to be announced but registration will begin at 8:00 AM at each venue. Read on for more season 5 casting details as well as eligibility requirements.
October 23, 2008
When the pairs of Dancing With The Stars were first announced this season, it seemed that Lance Bass and Lacey Schwimmer would easily sail to the finale but the road there has not been easy thus far. The judges have come down hard on them, particularly Len, for not sticking to traditional ballroom while tabloids have thrust Lacey’s weight (and Cheryl Burke’s) into the spotlight, sparking heated debates. The show runs the contestants at a constant, strenuous pace so every now and then, it must be nice to sit down, relax, and have a little fun. This week, Lance and Lacey interviewed each other for Entertainment Tonight and we learned more about the pair than ever before. Read on to find out what they had to say!
October 3, 2008
Making the Top 10 is a goal for any contestant on FOX's So You Think You Can Dance. Reaching that milestone means heading out on an extensive national tour, which keeps the contestants dancing for large audiences long after the cameras have turned off. The tour kicked off last month, September 20, in Tacoma, WA. Tickets are on sale for upcoming dates through Ticketmaster, though many venues are long sold out. At each stop, the dancers not only talk to the press, but meet with fans as well. This week, Zap2It headed to catch the tour and caught up with Josh, Courtney and Jessica.
August 26, 2008
I don't know much about dance, but based on my knowledge of reality shows, I can only assume that the dance world is very small. This might be surprising given the shear volume of dance shows on TV. 2008 has already seen at least a half dozen different reality competition shows exclusively about dancing, but the overlap and interconnectedness of talent in terms of judges, hosts and contestants is rather astounding.
This realization finally crystallized in my mind when I noticed that the new cast of Dancing with the Stars features three sets of related professional dancers. Alec Mazo and Edyta Sliwinska are husband and wife, Derek and Julianne Hough are siblings and new professional Corky Ballas is Mark Ballas' father. This alone should prove that the world of professional dancing is an incestuous endeavor, but there's so much more.