So you Think You Can Dance is the latest TV show to use Harlequin floors. The recent popular success of a number of light entertainment television shows, particularly those featuring live dance, has also put the spotlight on British Harlequin dance floors.
When Art Director Joshua Grace was commissioned to provide dance floors for So You Think You Can Dance ’, which started on BBC One this month, he turned to leading suppliers British Harlequin plc. Dance floors were called for at each of the main stages of the competition, beginning with the grey/black version of Harlequin Reversible for the audition phase. Reversible is simple to unroll across the stage and thanks to rolls being a generous 2 metre width requires relatively few taped joints to cover the dance area. It can be used either way up, allowing a choice of colour for the dance surface, each side having a slip-resistant surface. After each audition the Harlequin Reversible floor could be rolled up for transporting to the next venue. For the Choreography Camp a Harlequin Liberty sprung floor was hired and Harlequin Fiesta used as the dance surface. Fiesta offers a realistic oak strip patterned surface and works in conjunction with the Liberty sprung sub-floor. Liberty panels link together using a patented latching mechanism to create a floating floor system on which the dance surface can be laid, which again was Reversible for the live shows.
Launching the show, the BBC announced the return of Nigel Lythgoe “to British shores to find the nation's hottest dancing talent on BBC One with the award-winning So You Think You Can Dance , starting on Saturday 2 January 2010. Fresh from six seasons of the hit show in the US, Lythgoe will take up his position as head judge along with renowned choreographer Arlene Phillips and a third judge to critique finalists competing for the title of Britain's Favourite Dancer. The culmination of a national audition tour which dancers from all disciplines attended, the top 14 have been selected for the live Saturday night studio shows. The series winner will receive a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Hollywood where they will get to perform live on the US version of the show, plus £100,000. But, in order to get there, the top 14 will be pushed right out of their comfort zones.”
The BBC announcement continued, “Each week they'll be challenged to dance different styles like hip-hop, jazz, Broadway, lyrical and contemporary, with a new routine taught by world-renowned choreographers and mentors. And it won't be just the judges they have to impress: viewers will have the ultimate power to vote for their favourite dancer at the end of each live show.”
