Monday, June 23, 2008

Nickelodeon Show Brings Dance To Kids

Dance on Sunset, Nickelodeon's first reality TV dance show, premiered in March and aired its last episode on Saturday, June 21. Each week, choreographer Tony Testa choreographed two dances for a group of 6 professional dancers, ages 14 to 20, to perform at the beginning and end of the show. Also, throughout the show, Testa and the "Nick 6" broke down an original dance in a simple and easy format, so the audience and viewers at home could follow along. According to a recent article on http://www.enterteenmentnews.com/, Testa got his inspiration from "tap dancers like Gregory Hines, Fred Astaire, and Gene Kelly."

In a recent New York Times article, the Executive Producer of Dance On Sunset Jane Lipsitz was quoted as saying, “Kids love to dance, and they always have...We wanted to give them something interactive that they can’t get from computers. And we wanted to keep it pure, to focus on the joys of being a kid and the joy of music.” Testa's choreography was refreshingly age-appropriate for Nickelodeon's pre-teen viewing audience.

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