Television channel NBC recently announced that the next live musical to be broadcast on its popular and wide-reaching channel would be The Wiz, an iconic version of the legendary Wizard of Oz. Following an annual live musical series on the channel, The Wiz will be broadcast and will then return to Broadway, New York City, for the 2016-17 season.
Earlier in 2015, Robert Greenblatt, the chairman of NBC’s entertainment division, announced that after “The Sound of Music Live” in 2013 and “Peter Pan Live” in 2014, the network would next see The Wiz as the next live musical production. “The Music Man” was a close contender in the running, however this may be seen in 2016 instead. The Wiz will be broadcast live on 3 December, making its debut on the network, produced in partnership with Cirque du Soleil’s theatrical division.
The yearly tradition is enjoyed by a large number of American audiences; for 2015, the channel will see yet another Broadway musical brought to America’s living rooms, with the added bonus that it will then be performing on Broadway for an even larger audience pool. Broadcasting the musical live adds an extra theatrical element to the production, enabling even wider audiences to see musical theatre productions, and from the comfort of their homes.
The Wiz, as a welcome version of the “Wizard of Oz” story featuring an African-American cast, first appeared on Broadway in 1975. The 1978 movie version, co-produced by the movie strand of Motown Records, was directed by Sidney Lumet and starred Diana Ross as Dorothy, Michael Jackson as the Scarecrow and Nipsey Russell as the Tin Man.
Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Following its premiere on 30 May, the competitors of NBC’s ‘World of Dance’ have tough competition. World of Dance is a new dance competition series which will see 47 dance acts compete in three categories – Upper (groups of one to four dancers, 18 and older), Junior (any size act, 17 years old and under) and Team (groups of five or more, 18 and older). The dancers are competing for a prize of $1 million and will be judged by an all-star panel of experts, including Jennifer Lopez, Derek Hough, NE-YO and host Jenna Dewan Tatum.
New hit La La Land, starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, is a movie musical for the 21st century full of tap, waltz, foxtrot, and with a huge nod to the 20th century musical classics. Choreography is a strong element in any musical, and the opening of La La Land depicts a typical, Los Angeles traffic jam, bumper-to-bumper traffic until the drivers get out of their cars and begin to sing and dance!
CBBC is offering young dancers aged 9-15 from across the UK a special opportunity – to audition for the chance to be part of a television show, performing with the cast of the hugely successful series, The Next Step. In order to apply, after gaining parental permission, all dancers need to do is complete an application form and send in a video of their best dance moves. Dancers must be aged between 9 and 15 years old on 1 April 2017.
Strictly Come Dancing is always a highly anticipated event in both the dance and the popular culture calendar. With celebrities vying to win the contest ahead of their star-studded peers – and impress the panel of judges too – it makes for entertaining viewing full of wonderful costumes and eye-catching routines. The professional dancers taking part in this year’s Strictly Come Dancing have already been announced, with three brand new dancers joining the returning favourites. New to the line up are World Champion Katya Jones, Ukrainian Champion Oksana Platero and Spanish dance professional Gorka Marquez.
American Ballet Theatre principal Misty Copeland is set to star as the lead ballerina in the live-action version of The Nutcracker created by Disney. She is well on her way to becoming a household name with what might be her biggest job yet. Having already identified herself as accomplished in a number of balletic roles, this Nutcracker gig is not the first time Copeland has been on screen but is one of a kind for the ballerina.
The BBC recently announced its professional dancer line up for the hit television show series Strictly Come Dancing 2016. A highlight of the dancing year for many, the series is always highly anticipated and has gone from strength to strength year on year. With other celebrity talent competition, such as Dancing on Ice, falling by the wayside, Strictly has continued to be popular.
English National Ballet’s Le Corsaire is now available on-demand in HD for the first time, courtesy of DigitalTheatre.com Collections. To rent, the cost is £3.99, and to buy, it is £10.99, expanding the ballet content of DigitalTheatre.com. Le Corsaire is the first production to be captured live for English National Ballet.
A new series of ‘discovering dance’ programmes will hit our television screens ahead of Christmas, courtesy of BBC 4, dancing dandy of Strictly Come Dancing fame Len Goodman and historian Lucy Worsley. Throughout three episodes they will take to the floor to reveal the untold story of British dance, and show how Britain’s historical dances offer a fascinating window into society and relationships with one another. Worsley is adamant that dance ultimately is a metaphor for relationships, and in two hundred years time, the historical dances – which would encompass those today – would still be viewed in that way.