By Stephanie Wolf.
We love it, we hate it, we love to hate on it…Dance is popping up all over the television stratosphere and everyone has plenty to say about it. This spring is chock full of dance-centric programming. Here are some of this season’s offerings, proving that America is thirsting to see more dance on the boob tube.
So You Think You Can Dance
Last summer, America picked ballet dancers Chehon Wespi-Tschopp and Eliana Girard as their Season 9 winners. Now, auditions are already underway for the tenth season of Fox’s reality competition So You Think You Can Dance. Dancers from around the country and a variety of different dance backgrounds are leaving it all on the stage in the hopes that they’ll be crowned “America’s Favorite Dancer”.
Season 10 returns to the small screen this summer.
Dance Moms
Now in its third season, the reality series Dance Moms is still going strong. Abby Lee Miller’s style of ‘tough love’ teaching isn’t for everyone, but the ratings are showing that viewers come back for more of her antics each week. The series follows the drama and dance happening at Miller’s competitive dance school in Pittsburgh, PA. It even inspired a spin-off series, set in Miami at Victor Smalley and Angel Armas’ Stars Dance Studio.
Dance Moms airs on Lifetime Tuesdays at 9/8c.
Cyrus Spencer and Melanie Moore dance in Season 9 of SYTYCD. ©2012 FOX Broadcasting Co. Photo by Mike Yarish
Breaking Pointe
Breaking Pointe premiered last May on the CW Network and, despite low ratings, returns this summer for a second season. It’s a reality series that promises to provide an inside glimpse into the elite world of professional ballet, highlighting Salt Lake City’s Ballet West.
The first season was heavier on the drama rather than the dancing, but Season 2 is rumored to deliver new ‘characters’ and more insight into the rigors of a professional ballet career.
Dancing with the Stars
ABC’s smash hit reality series Dancing with the Stars returns for its sixteenth season Monday, March 18, 2013. The network has yet to announce which TV personalities, celebrities, athletes and singers/musicians will be dancing for America’s votes this season—you can actually visit the website and contribute your thoughts on who you think should have a chance at the big disco ball.
Recently, the show has expanded its dance genres to reach beyond the ballroom staples with styles like Bollywood, ‘Freestyle’, the Hustle, Jazz and even Bhangra; thus giving the show a more SYTYCD-esque feel.
Bunheads
With witty writing by Amy Sherman-Palladino and quick dialogue delivery from Broadway veteran Sutton Foster, ABC Family’s Bunheads is a surprisingly funny and interesting show. Sherman-Palladino builds an odd, insular world in Paradise, CA, where the residents are a little loopy: your ballet teacher might accidently spray you with mace, the whole town comes out for trivia night and the local barista takes hours to make your latte. You’ll see many familiar faces from Sherman-Palladino’s previous quick-witted series, Gilmore Girls. The series doles out plenty of snarky lines that are often pulled from pop culture, politics, and literature as well as well choreographed dance sequences. ABC Family just aired its “Winter Finale”, but all the episodes can be seen online at http://beta.abcfamily.go.com/shows/bunheads.
Dance Academy
This teen-oriented, scripted Australian drama can be caught this spring on TeenNick or you can catch up with all of the seasons on Netflix. The show is about Australian teenaged dancers attending the prestigious National Academy of Dance. The characters come from varying backgrounds and dance experience, making an eclectic group of individuals that become quick friends. A guilty pleasure for sure, the show has an abundance of dancing to counteract the romantic and friendship entanglements. The cast and crew just wrapped on filming the third season, which is set to premiere in Australia in mid-2013.
Photo (top): Tom Green dancing as ‘Sammy’ in Dance Academy Season 2. Photo courtesy of ABC TV Australia.
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