The BBC’s So You Think You Can Dance is the search to find the UK’s favourite dancer.
Over the last few months, the BBC has travelled the country in search of dancing talent.
Seven girls and seven boys made it through the auditions to be selected for the live shows. One of these 14 will be crowned the winner of So You Think You Can Dance and win the prize of £100,000 and the opportunity to dance in Hollywood in the US version of So You Think You Can Dance.
HOW SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE WILL WORK
The live shows for So You Think You Can Dance will begin on 9th January 2010 and run on BBC One each Saturday for a total of 6 weeks.
There will be a live main show followed by a live results show.
For the first two shows the dancers will be paired up by the Production Team, at their discretion, based on height and dancing ability.
From show three onwards, each week the dancers will swap dancing partners amongst them. Partners will be selected via a random draw. The draw will be independently verified.
For the Final only, competitors will be partnered with dancers from previous shows in the series.
After each couple have performed, they will receive comments from our judges: Nigel Lythgoe, Arlene Phillips, Louise Redknapp and Sisco Gomez. The BBC may invite a fifth judge at its discretion for any of the shows. The dancers will not receive scores from the judges.
Each week, the couples will perform a different style of dance, for example Broadway, Hip Hop, Contemporary, Pop, Ballroom. Each style will be selected via a random draw.
Throughout the competition, as well as performing in couples, our contestants will also perform solos and in group numbers.
After all couples have performed, telephone lines will be announced open and viewers will have the opportunity to vote as follows:
One of the UK's most respected TV talents, Nigel Lythgoe has spent the last few years in the USA, where he's been Head Judge on the American version of So You Think You Can Dance.
Nigel began his career as a dancer. Later, he became a choreographer for "The Young Generation" and "The Nigel Lythgoe Dancers" dance troupes, going on to choreograph over 500 TV shows for Shirley Bassey, the Muppets, and even the Royal Variety Performance. During the 1980s and 1990s, Lythgoe worked as Head of Entertainment and Comedy at London Weekend Television, where he commissioned and produced legendary TV shows including Gladiators and Blind Date.
In 2000, Nigel became a household name as a tough-but-fair judge on the TV series Popstars, rapidly earning himself the nickname "Nasty Nigel". He also produced Pop Idol in the UK and American Idol in the States.
In 2002, Nigel co-created a new dance series called So You Think You Can Dance (currently in its 8th series) and after six successful series in the USA, Nigel brought the show to the UK last year.
“This season we’re going to be expecting greater things from the dancers. All four of us are going to be tougher as judges. This could easily be a life-changing experience for some of the dancers on the show.”
Joining Nigel Lythgoe on the judges' panel is award–winning choreographer Arlene Phillips. No one knows more about dance and her work spans a range of musical, stage and screen credits. Phillips is a hugely successful jazz and musical theatre choreographer, having worked on some of the most successful musicals in West End and Broadway history and a number of successful films (such as Annie, Monty Python's The Meaning of Life and Legend). Most recently, she choreographed Andrew Lloyd Webber's production of 'The Wizard of Oz', which is currently enjoying a run at the London Palladium.
Phillips first became a household name in the UK as the director and choreographer of Hot Gossip, a risqué dance troupe which she formed in 1974. Hot Gossip were a regular fixture on The Kenny Everett Video Show and even had a chart hit with their song I Lost My Heart to a Starship Trooper (lead vocals provided by Sarah Brightman).
Arlene Phillips was awarded an OBE in 2001 for her services to Dance. She was, of course, a regular panellist for six series of Strictly Come Dancing.
Arlene agrees with Nigel that this series will demand more of the contestants: "The world of dance is full of invention and I want a dancer to come along and show me something I've never seen before. I want to be excited by the dance talent - if they can impress this old bird, then I know everyone else is going to be impressed!"
Louise was part of the mid 90's girl band phenomenon Eternal, before embarking on a highly successful solo career. Louise's warm bubbly nature endears her to male and female audiences alike and in 2004 she achieved the accolade of being named FHM's sexiest woman of the decade.
After launching her solo music career, Louise set off on her first UK tour, playing at over 20 sell out venues across the country including Wembley Arena. Pushing the boundaries and collaborating with some of the top US choreographers, Louise's dance routines were respected and well regarded as being ahead of their time.
In 2010, Louise became permanent co-host of the BBC2 cookery show Something for the Weekend.
"As a judge, you have to be honest. The general public isn't stupid and they can tell when someone is not up to standard. What I love about this programme is that it brings dance to the front and makes a star out of the dancer."
Sisco Gomez was born in London in 1985, and comes from a Latino heritage. Following in the footsteps of his dancer mother, he began to perform at the age of 11, attending the Westminster Dance Scene, the Sylvia Young Theatre School and Pineapple Performing Arts School.
In 2001 he joined the Hip Hop company Culture Shock, and later went to Los Angeles, New York and various countries around Europe to master different styles of Hip Hop & Jazz Funk.
At 16 he was cast as a dancer in Zoonation's Box Beat show at the Lilian Baylis Theatre, Sadlers Wells, before touring Europe as the youngest member of Bounce - The Street Dance Sensation.
From 2003 to 2009 Sisco was Artistic Director of Dance 2xs, which trains dancers in Hip Hop, Tap, Contemporary, Locking/Popping, Jazz Funk and Musical Theatre. He has also worked commercially with artists such as Janet Jackson, Madonna, Kylie Minogue and Alexandra Burke.
"We're looking for Britain's favourite dancer so the winner has to be likeable; they have to make the public pick up the phone and vote for them. I'll be looking for personality - I don't want to see dry boots on stage". And he warns: "This year the dancers are going to be tested from all angles. They're going to get no sleep because they have to practise and perfect their routines! But it's all going to be worth it because they're going to learn so much."
Cat Deeley returns to British TV screens to host the second series of So You Think You Can Dance - a role she also fulfils in America.
Originally known as the host of SMTV: Live, double-BAFTA award-winning Cat has since carved out an enviable transatlantic career. She became Jay Leno's first regular entertainment correspondent on The Tonight Show, subsequently performing the same role for Good Morning America.
During her time presenting shows for British television, Cat interviewed Madonna, Mariah Carey, U2, Prince, Marilyn Manson, Elton John, Joss Stone, Tom Jones and 50 Cent.
In 2010, she hosted the TV coverage of the Help for Heroes concert which featured Robbie Williams and Gary Barlow in their first performance together for 15 years.
