The Greatest Dancer 2020 concludes on BBC One this Saturday night but how does it work and what’s the prize?
The new series comes from Simon Cowell’s Syco production company together with the makers of The X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent.
Currently airing Saturday nights on BBC One, the Greatest Dancer features a host of talent from across the world of dance from ballet to jazz and hip hop to Bollywood as they give the performances of their lives.
Hosted by current BGT judge Alesha Dixon and Diversity star Jordan Banjo, the show features a unique audition format.
Dance hopefuls perform in front of a giant two way mirror, much like in a dance studio. On the other side, unseen by them, is a studio audience who can see through and watch their performance.
If the audience like what they see, they can hit a buzzer and if more than 75% of the audience do so the mirror will open, sending the act through to the callback stages.
“I think everyone sitting at home, watching TV, already feels like a judge,” Alesha said. “And the fact that they get to be the judge – I think they feel that sense of responsibility, which is what I think separates it.”
Also watching on for 2020’s second series are four dance captains: Singer Cheryl, Strictly Come Dancing professional Oti Mabuse, Broadway star Matthew Morrison and performer, choreographer and director Todrick Hall.
Once the auditions were complete, it was time for the call backs as the Dance Captains had the difficult task of choosing just nine of the dancers they wanted to mentor onto the next stage of the competition – the live challenge shows.
At this stage, the show goes LIVE for the first time. Over six weeks, each of the dancers are set a challenge that they must take on with their Dance Captain to create a performance that will impress the viewers at home and keep them in the competition.
At the end of each live challenge show, viewers vote for their favourite and at least one act is eliminated.
Then in the Live Grand Final, the remaining acts will all perform TWICE – including a routine with their dance captains – before the voting lines open one last time.
Viewers at home get to choose who they want to be named The Greatest Dancer, win £50,000 and perform as a very special guest on Strictly Come Dancing.
The Greatest Dancer airs Saturday nights on BBC One.
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