Showcasing some of the best of British dance talent, BBC 1’s new Saturday night show The Greatest Dancer is offering contestants a chance to win £50,000 and a coveted slot performing on Strictly Come Dancing.
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The audition stages of the competition are on air for the first four weeks, with hopefuls who manage to earn more than 75 per cent of the audience vote going through to the Callback stages of the competition.
At this stage, dance captains Cheryl, Matthew Morrison and Oti Mabuse will decide who to take through to the live finals.
So who’s made it through? Here’s a list of who’s heading to the Callbacks…
Frobacks
Dance style: Street
What did the judges have to say? Matthew was hugely impressed, asking to be their dance captain from the get go. “I want to win you that £50,000,” he said.
Described on their website as a “flash mob comedy act”, the Frobacks got everyone hot under the collar when their saucy routine saw them bare their chiselled torsos, leading host Alesha Dixon to say to Oti, “If we weren’t black, we’d be red right now.”
KLA
Dance style: Latin Formation
What did the judges have to say? Naturally, as a Latin and Ballroom champion, Oti was thrilled to see the all-girl group go through, even heading up on stage to have a little dance with them.
“I was so happy!” she said. “You did a cha cha, you did a jive, and you kept us all entertained.”
Welsh dance group KLA were fan favourites on Twitter, with viewers loving the young girls’ smiling faces as they took to the floor.
James Clifton
Dance style: Contemporary
What did the judges have to say? Cheryl was flattered to see James put all his energies into her 2014 hit song, Crazy Stupid Love.
“Everyone was on your side from the get go,” said Cheryl. “Such an energetic performance.”
At first glance, we didn’t have much hope for James in his sparkly gold waistcoat. But he proved us all wrong with his hugely energetic and mightily sassy performance.
Ellie
Dance style: Contemporary
What did the judges have to say? Oti praised teenager Ellie on how beautiful her solo routine was, and was keen to sign her up to her team.
“I love how emotional that was,” she said, wiping her eyes. “I’d love to work with you because we could take it up a notch.”
Shy teenager Ellie seemed stunned when the mirror opened during her beautiful performance – could she be an early frontrunner with her incredible skills?
Urban Jokers
Dance style: Street
What did the judges have to say? Matthew was a huge fan of their energetic, jokey routine.
“I just want to get in the dance studio with you and have fun,” he said. “You seem like great guys.”
Don’t let their name mislead you, Urban Jokes are nothing but serious about the dance competition. Their energetic routines incorporate comedy factors for a rounded, fun performance.
TJ and Hamish
Dance style: Tap
What did the judges have to say? Cheryl was enamoured with their performance, calling their modern tap-style dance “fresh”.
TJ and Hamish said they could perform a number of different styles, but opted for a more modern take on tap for their mirror audition.
Andrew
Dance style: Freestyle
What did the judges have to say? Andrew received a standing ovation from all three dance captains.
“I just feel really moved by it, and to watch you and to see your excitement and how much you thrive from an audience is just extraordinary,” Cheryl said. “You should be doing this more as it does something for your soul.”
Strictly super-fan Andrew fell in love with dance ever since he watched the show as a toddler. His mother explained that dancing helped Andrew, who has Down’s syndrome, gain more confidence in his abilities. A clear winner – and we’re only in week one…
The Greatest Dancer continues Saturdays on BBC 1.
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