Episode 8 Taking the Next Step

Welcome to Canada, where the battle to win a guest role

on the hit TV dance drama The Next Step continues.

1,300 dancers applied...

I'm going to do my audition for Taking The Next Step.

..over 200 came to regional auditions...

Show us what you've got.

..but only the best won a place at Nationals.

We're making dreams come true in here!

THEY SCREAM

Now the judges have chosen their finalists.

You're coming to Canada!

LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE

Today, these six dancers will meet

their Next Step heroes on set...

CHEERING AND LAUGHTER

-Are you crying?!

-Marker.

..and come face-to-face with the show's creator.

-Action!

-But who will make a great first impression?

-You think you're 100?!

-No, I don't. There's always room for improvement,

-but...

-Yes, so where are you?

Six incredible dancers impressed our judges at Regionals

and wowed them at Nationals.

Now they have to prove they've got what it takes to join this lot.

Here in Canada, the Next Step set is ready for our finalists.

Studio A, the iconic dance space where battles to join A-Troupe

have been lost and won, awaits.

And 6,000km away, our six dancers prepare

for the most exciting journey of their lives.

Modern dancer Erin...

..contemporary dancers Julia and Khalid...

..ballerina Harriet

and street dancers Khyrese...

..and Joe.

14-year-old Joe's ticket to Canada is the peak of weeks of auditions,

that all started with a single video, filmed in his back garden.

I just was freestyling and then sent it in.

Yes!

In the audition, John didn't like my stank face, so he made me do...

Happy face.

Angry face.

Moody face.

Yeah!

My friends see me as quite funny.

Very irritating most of the time.

I make them laugh.

When I got to Nationals, the acting challenge wasn't my strong point.

-What's up?

-Hey, man!

It put me out of my comfort zone, which I like.

-You know we're going to kill it.

-You know it!

It made me think that I can do it on the TV show if I got through.

You're going to Canada, mate!

We're final six, we're so close to getting to The Next Step.

-Hats.

-I just think the challenges will be much harder than before.

All our dancers have been on an incredible journey

and it definitely isn't over yet.

-ALL:

-We're going to Canada!

With an eight-hour flight ahead of them,

let's hope our six finalists

save some of that energy for Canada.

I've been counting down for this day for ages and it's finally here.

For our talented dancers, the waiting is finally over.

Two days ago, they were in school.

Now they are only hours away

from competing for a part on The Next Step.

It's a role acrobatic dancer Khalid believes he was born to play.

My parents and family say that I have always danced,

even from when I was able to walk.

Dancing and gymnastics, I could just never pick one.

I just think the two together just work so well.

At the regional auditions, I was so nervous.

When I walked in and I saw Kimberly Wyatt first, I was like,

"Oh, no, I am doing contemporary and this is her field.

"This is going to flop completely."

What we could maybe bring out in you is really special.

Are you ready, are you hungry to learn and improve yourself?

Definitely.

You are going to Nationals.

My mind was all over the place, I was mixed with emotions,

I couldn't even control how I was feeling,

and going from Regionals to Nationals,

I felt like I needed to try harder this time.

There is a lot of work that you still need to do.

You're going to have to pull more of that performance out

because you are going to Canada!

APPLAUSE

I've never been taught professionally before

so I want to show them I am here and I am going to really try my best.

This could change my life for the better.

It's amazing.

CHEERING

We're landing, guys.

And it looks so cold.

It's touchdown in Canada.

-ALL CHANT:

-Canada, Canada, Canada...

But the excitement of dancing on the other side of the world

is about to take off.

Right, the first to see the CN Tower.

-What is that?

-It's like a building with a round thing on the top.

And ready to prove she's got what it takes

to make it in a global hit TV show,

it's our hard-working ballerina, Harriet.

Ballet is so physically demanding.

You're distorting your body into weird positions

that you are not meant to do.

I really like teaching younger students from my dance school

because it's really nice to see them develop.

And, I mean, they are really cute, so that's fun!

At the regional auditions,

the judges gave me some really good comments in constructive ways.

Harriet, I don't want to see this shy ballet girl.

I need something else other than that.

I made sure I went back to Nationals and showed them my true personality.

The challenges we had to do were hard

but I really got to show that I wasn't just a ballet dancer.

Pack your bags, you're coming to Canada.

Getting to Canada...

..even on the day, I didn't know how to react, so...let alone now.

-JUDGES CHEER

-Thank you so much! Thank you!

-Yes, there!

-There it is!

I saw it first.

-I saw it!

-No, it was me, guys.

The judges have given our finalists two days

to acclimatise and get ready for the challenges ahead.

Once Kimberly, John and Simeon arrive from the UK,

the pressure will be on.

Let's hope they get a good night's sleep -

they're going to need it, because tomorrow I'm taking them

for an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of The Next Step studios

and a taste of what it's like to be part of a global hit TV dance show.

I can't believe I'm actually saying this

but we are officially behind the scenes, in Canada,

of The Next Step. Can you believe it?!

-ALL:

-No!

For one day only,

our six dancers are on a fact-finding mission like no other.

So excited!

They'll be access-all-areas...

..coming face-to-face with the stars

and discovering exactly what it takes to be in A-Troupe.

Just through this door is A-Troupe's brand-new hang-out.

-Do you want to see it? ALL:

-Yes!

-It's called Java Junction.

Are they real?

-No, it's real!

-It's real!

-The cake is real.

-This stuff is real!

-Guys, what do you think this is? ALL:

-A script!

"James brings Riley a drink and asks her what's going on..."

These top six finalists from Taking The Next Step are on set right now,

so I thought I was going to maybe surprise them.

"Riley says she just finds it funny

"that their hang-out place changes every year.

"James says it's not what she's thinking about."

I know Riley is...

-Oh!

-Oh!

Guys, look who it is!

Everyone started going... And I was like, "What, what?"

You guys are reading scripts without me?!

I am the only person who can play Riley.

Riley is my favourite.

I started crying. I couldn't believe it.

-I was just reading your part and then I turned round and...

-Are you crying?!

Julia was so sweet. When they saw me, they were so shocked

and super excited as well, which was really amazing.

And no-one is more keen to impress Brittany, also known as Riley,

than huge Next Step fan Julia.

Riley inspires me because she is amazing at dancing.

I can't believe you'll be on that set!

'She does all the styles, like me, as well, so I can connect to her.'

-That's amazing!

-So cool!

It's going to be weird without you at dance, because you're so loud.

-Are you going to miss me?

-I'm going to miss you, obviously.

-Good.

I'm going to miss everyone so much.

Just imagine I'm there and what I'd be saying to you.

My sister does give me good advice

cos she's really good at performing.

She tells me how to use my face more and if I need to point my toe,

she'll tell me to point my toe. She's only trying to help me.

When I turned up at Regionals, I was really nervous.

Me and my sister were sitting there and we were both terrified.

In the waiting room, it was really tense.

How much would it really mean to you to get through to the Nationals?

It would mean everything to me because I want to

get every opportunity I can before I have an operation, so...

'I've got scoliosis.'

It's a curvature of the spine.

Mine's quite bad, but I think it makes me want to dance even more.

When I dance, I just forget about everything.

It's the best thing in the world.

-Thank you.

-There you go.

And Julia's determined to make the most of her chance

to glean Next Step insider info from Riley.

When you and James were going out together, did you actually like him?

Do I actually like James?

No, no... No, I'm kidding!

He's a really cool guy. We're just friends in real life, but I love...

We have such good chemistry and we work really well together.

I've always loved working with him.

-So are you all classically trained in dance?

-ALL:

-Yeah.

From dance studios?

-Yes.

-Sort of?

-Did you guys teach yourselves a little bit?

-Yeah.

Hanging out with Brittany has been a real thrill for the finalists.

But today isn't just about having fun backstage.

Later on, they'll face an audition with the show's creator,

Frank Van Keeken.

And with the huge on-screen dance role up for grabs,

learning what happens behind the scenes

could really make a difference.

So when our finalists come across the diary chair,

an iconic piece of Next Step set,

they can't resist the chance to take the place of their Next Step heroes.

Everyone, get in the picture.

I've just been so busy with my stuff

and Riley has been so busy with her stuff.

Maybe we should walk a mile in each other's shoes.

It might be nice to see the other person's perspective.

I feel, like, honoured!

-Think who has sat in there.

-Everyone!

It will be me that breaks it.

-Who shall I be?

-Riley.

CANADIAN ACCENT: I'm just so stressed about James right now.

-Is that quite good?

-What?!

There is only one Riley! I am the only one that can be Riley.

That is true. I'm sorry.

-Was it a good impression, though?

-It was...OK.

Today's tour is a dream come true for our finalists

but each of our six talented dancers is here with just one goal -

to win that sought-after Next Step guest role.

Delivering on the dance floor will be key,

so next stop is a sneak peek at the show's brand-new rehearsal room.

OK, it is just through these doors.

But they are probably going to be more impressed

with who is behind the door...

..and nobody more so than Khyrese.

How's it going? I'm good. How's it going, man?

Just seeing him there, I literally fell to the floor.

I actually couldn't believe it.

He's the real guy.

He's not a stunt double.

It was just...brilliant.

Dance-obsessed Khyrese has his sights set

on that Next Step guest role,

but can he prove his performance is the complete package?

As a dancer, I'm kind of a mix of all.

I don't even know what I'm going to do.

But when it all comes together, it's just amazing.

Basketball is kind of like a break from dance

but I'd never be afraid to bust out into some dance moves

if I score a cool three-pointer.

The judges' feedback,

it wasn't a straightaway three yeses, as I hoped.

I also need it to be real right here.

This is a TV show as well.

I just had to persuade them.

I'll show you in here and I'll show you that I want it.

To go from all the hard work to Johnny saying...

-It's a yes from me.

-..it was like a scene from The Next Step.

Knowing that there are six people going through,

I knew this was one of the most important 45 seconds of my life

that I'm ever going to dance.

I want you to smile right now because you are going to Canada.

You are in our final six!

All right, so you guys have just seen my moves

and now it's time to see your moves.

This is the first time our finalists

have ever danced for Brittany and Lamar, also known as West.

LAMAR BEATBOXES

They are now 6 out of the 1,400 people that auditioned for this,

so that alone is an accolade in itself.

I think they should definitely be very happy with how far they came.

Whoa! Hey!

CHEERING

I just tried to whip out all my best moves to impress him.

Whoo!

'When I saw them freestyling...'

Yeah!

..the technique and even just the flair and the style...

..I was very impressed.

You could create a cast with just these six people.

They are all so different and you could work with any one of them.

It's going to be a tough call, I think.

Nice! Sweet.

You guys are amazing.

-So good!

-Are you impressed?

-They are incredible.

For our final six,

today's set visit is a brilliant opportunity

to learn everything they can about The Next Step.

It's a heavy door.

-Hey!

-Come on in. Grab a seat.

But being behind the scenes is reminding the dancers

of the big prize at stake and the nerves are kicking in.

How I look at nervousness is...

You getting nervous about something means you care.

If you are not nervous about it,

then you don't really care because I want to do the best I can, right?

And no-one is feeling more nervous than Erin,

who nearly didn't make it past her regional audition.

I'm not sure I'm seeing your personality.

I didn't feel like you have that edge.

My gut feeling was, "This is it. This is over."

I think Kimberly and I both see something in you.

Would this not be a question for a call-back?

The call-back which was the best thing that has happened to me.

-Bring some fire when you come back, OK?

-I will. Thank you.

It gave me so much more of a push and made me fight more for it.

We've decided...

..to take both of you through to Nationals.

-BOTH:

-Thank you!

CHEERING

My parents normally get annoyed at me dancing around the house.

When they are trying to watch TV, I am just flinging my arms around.

They're like, "Erin, get out!" I'm just like...

To prepare for Nationals, I chose a very jazzy song...

..because I got told in my comments

that I needed to show more personality.

In the solo challenge I wanted to show off my sassiness

and really go for it.

You're coming to Canada!

It was amazing! I couldn't believe it!

Now she's made it on to the set,

she is determined to find out everything she can.

Has there ever been a disaster or a funny thing

that's happened when you're trying to film?

The chandelier in Studio A.

Oh, my gosh, I remember this.

There was one time James - Trevor - was doing this flip

so he kicked his foot and knocked the chandelier.

Glass fell all over.

Yeah, it shattered the chandelier.

Next on our whistle-stop fact-finding mission

is the legendary Studio A.

The stage is set to meet the one man

who can make or break their Next Step dreams...

I would flip V2.

..the creator of the show, Frank Van Keeken.

Here we go, here we go, here we go.

It's time to shine the spotlight on each finalist.

They will compete to impress Frank

during a genuine audition...

..just like every other Next Step cast member once had to.

My name is Lamar Johnson and I am 17 years old.

At my audition, Frank asked me questions

that really put me on the spot.

What would you say is outside of your comfort zone?

Em... Well, I mean, things I'm not comfortable...

As I said, I'm a hip-hop dancer,

so really just doing jazz ballet.

He's very creative and he thinks in very abstract ways

but it just always works.

-What's your name?

-Joe.

-Joe?

-Yeah.

What part of England are you from?

With just minutes for our dancers to prove they've got what it takes,

the pressure is on.

Why did you decide to dance?

My mum said to me that when Madonna came on,

I started doing hand movements like this,

and I was dancing since I was little.

Actually meeting the creator, I was a bit scared.

How often are you dancing now?

Three hours nearly every day.

How do you juggle that with all your schoolwork?

I don't watch TV, don't go on the iPad, don't go on my phone.

Go, do my homework straightaway and just get it done.

That's good, yeah.

What is your best dance move?

Probably the back tuck, or...

this little move that I like to do.

-Oh, yeah, are you going to do it?

-I like doing a little foot thing

and then...backflips on my elbows.

-Unbelievable!

-All sorts of stuff.

Yeah. That's amazing!

-Thank you!

-How old were you when you first did that move,

the flippy thing?

-About when I was 11.

-How did you feel when you first did it?

Over the moon, definitely. I just never knew I could do that.

Yeah, well, you can and it's unbelievable.

-Great meeting you.

-Thank you.

-Thank you so much.

-Who's next?

-Erin.

-All right, come on up.

When we first heard we were meeting Frank,

who is the creator of the show,

I was so scared because obviously he is the one who made it up.

What, for you, is the worst part of dancing?

Em...

Probably getting tired because I get tired quite easily.

Why do you get tired easily?

Because I try really hard, I think.

-You just go full out?

-Full out.

-Right.

-Hi.

-Nice to meet you.

-Nice to meet you.

-What is your name?

-I'm Julia.

How are you on square roots?

Erm...

When everyone talked to him, he just said

random questions like, "Do you like maths?" I was like, "Yeah."

64. The square root of 64.

-Eight.

-Eight?

-No...

-Yeah.

-Yeah? Yes or no?

Final answer. Do you need to call a friend?

-Yeah, you made me second-guess myself!

-I know!

You didn't think this was going to be a maths class, did you?

-I didn't!

-No.

I really hope I impressed Frank

because he's probably got a really big say in it.

What has been the most glorious moment

that you have had as a dancer?

Dancing with the Royal Ballet Company.

-You did that?!

-Yes, when I was ten.

Really? What was that like?

It was so cool because the Royal Opera House

is somewhere I've always wanted to dance in.

What advice would you give someone

wanting to audition or be in show business,

because you seem so self-possessed and natural?

Just...do it.

You'll regret it otherwise and...

There you go. You might regret it. That's good advice.

On a scale of 1 to 100,

100 being the best dancer in the world and 0 being...me,

where are you on the continuum of how good you are?

Em...

I don't know.

You must know, you must have some notion!

I was so nervous.

-I don't know.

-Yeah, say something.

'Every dancer is unique. You can't just put somebody'

on a scale of 1 to 100.

It's like, what do you say? What do you do?

-Hopefully 100.

-You think you're 100?!

-No, I don't think I'm 100.

-I think there is always room for improvement.

-Yes, so where are you?

I would hopefully say, like...90.

What do you need to do to get that 10%?

-What are you not good at?

-Em...

I think my confidence is not the best

but once I'm in something and I'm engrossed with it, I just go for it.

-It was nice meeting you.

-Nice to meet you, too.

Thank you so much. You were the final victim.

First impressions count.

So did any of our six finalists convince Frank

they are ready to take The Next Step?

So, how was that preliminary audition? How did you feel in it?

-It was quite scary, but...

-Really?!

-Well, I liked it.

-Yeah, it was fun.

Questions done but we're not finished yet.

Brittany and Lamar have teamed up

with fellow Next Step cast member Trevor, also known as James,

for one final surprise.

Hey! What's up, guys?

Can you believe it?! Our finalists have had

an access-all-areas tour of The Next Step studios.

They've come face-to-face with the creator

and now they're actually about to dance with The Next Step cast.

It does not get better than this.

Someone smash it right here.

There it is.

They just hopped in and like, "Who wants to go first?"

I think that alone takes a lot out of someone

and the fact they did that is incredible. It was amazing.

I didn't quite know what to expect, but, man, those kids can dance!

The judges definitely have a hard job.

They're all so incredible and they all bring

something different and new, which is like The Next Step cast.

What an amazing day for our finalists!

They've had the most incredible experience here on set

that they can take through to the next stage of the contest.

Today has been fun, but next time they're in the studio,

the pressure is on because they're going to face the judges

and take on some pretty tough challenges

and two of them will be going home.

Next time...

Six must become four. Our finalists fight to stay in the running

for a prized guest role on The Next Step.

That's how we roll around here.

They all want it...

If I go through to the final four...

..I'll be speechless.

But only the judges can decide who stays and who goes.

They're really even to me.

It's two against one on this.

I can't judge this person and this person together.

It breaks my heart into pieces.

Stand up!