Fred Astaire Dancers in 'Superstars of Dance'

From the nwfdailynews.com:

Georgia Ambarian and Eric Luna hope they won't be home for Christmas this year.

Their separate professional dancing careers and partnership of more than three years has paid off with them being chosen to represent the United States in a new reality television show from the producers of "So You Think You Can Dance."

"We're excited," Ambarian said before she and Luna left for Los Angeles on Wednesday. "We aren't even sure of all the details yet."

The pair, who dance at Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Cinco Bayou, boast three world and three U.S. cabaret championship titles. They also were the featured dancers with pop singer James Blount on an episode of "Dancing with the Stars" last season.

"It's nice that our hard work was noticed," Luna said. "Nigel Lythgoe himself called us to ask us if we'd participate." Lythgoe and Simon Fuller are two of the masterminds behind "American Idol" and "So You Think You Can Dance." Their new show, "Superstars of Dance" will be an international competition hosted by "Lord of the Dance" Michael Flatley.

Eight countries will participate. Each team will have two soloists, one duo and one larger group. Ambarian and Luna will perform as the U.S. duo.Teams from Ireland, India, Argentina, China, Russia, South Africa and Australia are also scheduled to compete.Although Ambarian and Luna are expert ballroom dancers, they'll vie against ballet dancers and acrobats, too. The Americans must compete against whomever the participating countries choose to send, regardless of style.

How long they stay in Los Angeles depends on how well they do in the contest. "That will be hard, especially because of my children," said Luna, who added that he'll do everything possible to keep in touch with his family during the show's taping. He said he wasn't sure how much he will be able to talk because of competition rules.

Although the NBC Web site doesn't mention an air date, Ambarian said she believed the premier will be Jan. 4, with the competition moving to its formal prime-time slot Jan. 5.

"We're just going to go and perform the best way we can," Ambarian said. "You can't think of it as a competition. You have to think of it as your personal best." Ambarian and Luna specialize in cabaret dancing, a theatrical style that involves aerial movements and lifts. Both partners are married and Luna is a father of three.