Superstars of Dance co-host, Michael Flatley, says that this new dance competition show is a celebration of dance and he doesn’t think there’s a style or a country out there that couldn’t participate in it. Executive producer Nigel Lythgoe, who also produces Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance, agrees and he told reporters this week, “There has never been a show like this anytime, anywhere in the world, ever.”
Superstars of Dance , premieres on NBC January 4 at 9 PM ET, and is built on professional dancers from eight nations competing in front of a panel of world-class judges. Grouped together as teams, duets and soloists, the dancers will perform the styles of their country, including ballet, hip-hop, ballroom and much more.
Some of the performances audiences can expect are the Shaolin Monks from China working with real swords, a South African troupe that wears gum boots and performs a slapping/bashing routine, a tap dancer from America, and a ballerina who actually spins while on top of her partner’s head.
The show is not like, So You Think You Can Dance, as it is not a live performance and doesn’t rely on viewers votes.
Michael Flatley explained the reasoning behind the lack of viewer participation, “These are professional dancers; it would be very difficult for someone at home in their living room to pass judgment on the prima ballerina from Russia,” he said. “It’s very difficult to see how she might have done her pirouette or how she may have stood en pointe properly. It takes a specialist.”
Even with professional judges critiquing the performances, the particpants had difficulty listening to harsh comments.
“They’ve come here to show how brilliant they are and represent their country,” Nigel Lythgoe said. “They do not want to be told that they didn’t do it well!”
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