Here’s a look at The Greatest Dancer 2020 contestants through to the live challenge shows.
In the audition stages, The Greatest Dancer saw dancers aged 7 and up, perform any dance style in The Greatest Dancer studio in their bid to impress the audience. If 75 per cent of the audience voted, the mirror opened, sending them through to the callbacks.
At the callbacks, the four superstar Dance Captains on series 2 – Cheryl, Matthew Morrison, Oti Mabuse and newcomer Todrick – had the tough job of whittling down the acts who the mirror opened for and deciding upon their Final 3 to mentor in the Live Challenge Shows.
The live shows will see each of the dancers take on a challenge with their Dance Captain to create an unforgettable performance.
For the first time the power is in the hands of the viewers at home as they vote to decide who stays in the competition each week and who will become The Greatest Dancer of 2020.
The Greatest Dancer live shows air on Saturday nights on BBC One.
Meet The Greatest Dancer teams below…
Cheryl
Lily & Joseph
Instagram username: @lilyandjoseph_official
Duo Lily & Joseph were Cheryl’s pick from the auditions. 10-year-old Lily & 8-year-old Joseph are best friends from North East England.
Lily & Joseph said: “We can’t believe Cheryl chose us! She danced from a young age just like us, and she is such an inspiration to us both. We can’t believe how lucky we are to get this amazing opportunity, we’re still pinching ourselves every day. We’re really excited to spend time with Cheryl and do what we love the most.”
Brothers of Dance
Instagram username: @brothersofdancecompany
Brothers of Dance are an all male contemporary dance group aged between 15 and 30 from all over the UK.
Brothers of Dance said: “To be chosen by Cheryl feels amazing, it’s a chance for us to show the nation that it’s okay for boys to dance. No matter what your background, upbringing or age, you can do whatever you want if you work hard enough. We are a brotherhood in and out of dance, and to be given this amazing opportunity feels like a dream come true.”
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The Queens (Eliminated in first live show)
Instagram username: @hellothequeens
The Queens are an all female Jazz group aged between 25 and 27 in London.
The Queens said: “To be chosen to be in Cheryl’s final three means everything to us. It means game on! The overwhelming feeling to have the support, recognition and acceptance by such an icon has given us such a confidence boost in who we are and what we do.”
Oti
Michael & Jowita
Instagram username: @michael_jowita
Michael, 27, and Jowita, 25, are a ballroom and Latin duo living in London.
They said: “To be in Oti’s final three means the world to us. This is a life changing opportunity and we will do our best to make Oti proud. She’s an amazing performer, dancer and choreographer and we are blessed to be under her wing in the competition. This is a dream come true for us.”
Vale (Eliminated in fourth live show)
Instagram username: @valedance27
Aged between 12 and 16, Vale are a contemporary group from Stockport who stunned the judges at their audition as they performed blindfolded.
Vale: “We are all extremely excited to be in Oti’s final three! She is such a dedicated, fun, diligent Dance Captain, which we admired in series one. We hope we make Oti proud as we enter the first live show as we have been working so hard in preparation for it. We also hope to make our choreographer proud and execute her choreography to the highest level up on that stage.”
Dark Angels (Eliminated in second live show)
Instagram username: @adadarkangels
Dark Angels are a hip Hop dance crew from Bristol aged between 14 and 27 who were chosen by Oti as her live show pick at the auditions.
They said: “Oti is an inspiration to us, so for her to choose us to be in her final three, is like a dream come true. To be able to showcase our style of dance and to have Oti guide us all the way will be an amazing experience especially with her level of expertise and knowledge.”
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Todrick
Dancepoint
Instagram username: @dancepoint_team
Aged between 11 and 18, Dancepoint is a theatrical, acrobatic and contemporary dance group from Glasgow.
Dancepoint: “It means the world to us! We are so excited that Todrick has chosen us to be in his final three because we’ve always looked up to him. We loved him when he went on Dance Moms and choreographed a Wizard of Oz dance – he’s a perfect fit for us! He thinks outside the box and as a dance company that’s what we strive to do.”
Ainsley Ricketts (Eliminated in third live show)
Instagram username: @ainsleyricketts
Ainsley is a 23-year-old contemporary performer from London who was Todrick’s live show pick at the auditions after a beautiful performance to Empara Mi song Shine On You.
Ainsley said: “Todrick is the Dance Captain who I admire the most, so to be chosen by him means the world to me. Todrick inspires dancers to be whatever and whoever they want and promotes having your own voice and creativity in the industry. To have the chance to be mentored by him is a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
Ryan Gibson (Eliminated in first live show)
Ryan is an 18-year-old commercial solo dancer from Sandhurst.
Ryan said: “I know it sounds cliché, but this has been a dream of mine since I was little boy, I haven’t been dancing long but performing has always been a passion of mine and something I’ve always loved doing. Todrick has been my biggest inspiration growing up, he showed me it’s okay to be myself and to express my individuality unapologetically. I can’t even comprehend that someone I idolise has faith in me and has given me this life changing opportunity.”
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Matthew
Hannah Martin
Instagram username: @hannahmartinrg
17-year-old Hannah was chosen as Matthew’s dancer of the day after she performed a fusion of rhythmic gymnastics, ballet and contemporary dance at her audition.
Hannah said: “Being on a show like this has been a childhood dream of mine. As a little girl I always pictured myself flying across the stage, giving my heart and soul to an audience. I feel so privileged to be a part of Matthew’s squad and to make these dreams a reality. Matthew has a breadth of experience in the industry across so many dance genres and I am so excited to learn from him. His professionalism both on and off stage is something I really admire both as a person and a performer.”
Harrison Vaughan
Instagram username: @harrisonvaughann
16-year-old Harrison is a contemporary soloist from Liverpool who simultaneously wowed and freaked out the judges with his audition where he dressed as a clown.
Harrison said: “To be in Matthew’s final three feels amazing. Seeing the mirrors open at the callbacks and seeing Matthew stood there was just the best feeling. We share the same interest in musical theatre and jazz style dancing so I’ve always looked up to him as a performer. For him to have faith in me makes me want to work even harder and give the live shows everything I’ve got to make him proud.”
Ross & Travis (Eliminated in second live show)
Instagram username: @rossandtravis
Ross, 19, from Portsmouth and Travis, 22, from Bournemouth are a street dance duo.
They said: “We are so excited and honoured to have been picked by Matthew. We feel we can learn so much from him with all the experience he has from the stage and screen. We know he grew up street dancing and breakdancing like us, so it’s going to be so much fun working together and sharing ideas. We can’t wait to get started and hopefully do him proud!”
The Greatest Dancer live shows continue February 29 at 6:30PM on BBC One
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