Nickelodeon: Get off the Couch and Dance!

Lindsay Live | Mar 11, 2008 | there are 1 comments

The Nick 6 Dancers

Nickelodeon has officially jumped on the reality dance show bandwagon.

But Vice President Majorie Cohn told the Daily News not to expect a "Dancing with the Stars" knockoff. "Dance on Sunset," which is scheduled to premiere March 29 at 9:30 pm after the 2008 Kid's Choice Awards, is an action packed "lifestyle show" aimed at getting kids involved and off the couch.

These days, easier said than done, right?

Well, not according to Cohn who says that "Dance on Sunset" will be one of the "hottest parties on the air" replete with musical performances by current stars like Ashlee Simpson, Sean Kingston, and Natasha Bedingfield.

With a competition aspect as well as a freestyle aspect, the show offers something a little different from the tired, played out formats of most dance programs currently on the air.

Producers plan to keep the energy level up with opening and closing performances by the "Nick 6," a newly formed group of professional dancers ages 14-20. Each week, choreographer Tony Testa and the "Nick 6" dancers will break down the steps so viewers at home can jump up and follow along.

"I'm not trying to use a whole bunch of dancer lingo; I'm trying to use the most basic terminology and I'm giving the steps new names so people can easily follow," said Testa. "I'm teaching this mostly for people who have never danced - because I want to inspire kids to get off the couch and dance."

In past years, dance shows that focused on breaking down choreography for viewer participation were relatively unsuccessful. So even with its unique variety show format, what makes "Dance on Sunset" so sure of itself? According to Vice President Cohn, timing is everything.

"Music and dance are very important to kids right now..." said Cohn. "We haven't done anything like this in a while, and we felt it was time."

Following the premiere, "Dance on Sunset" will move to its regular timeslot, Sundays at 8:30 pm.