Regionals: The Competition Heats Up Taking the Next Step

MARK: Taking The Next Step is back.

Over 2,300 dancers from across the UK applied to win the

opportunity of a lifetime and appear on the hit Canadian TV show

The Next Step.

The Taking The Next Step team travelled all over the UK.

Let's go, Glasgow!

Manchester! Manchester!

We have arrived in London.

Bore da! That means good morning because today we are in Cardiff.

Only the very best will perform for our formidable judges.

Actor and dancer Jonny Labey.

Your technique is outstanding.

-SAM:

-Founder of dance group Flawless, Marlon "Swoosh" Wallen...

So, just chill with it and then attack.

MARK: And returning as head judge, professional dancer and former

Pussycat Doll, Kimberly Wyatt.

You have got sass for days.

But who will make it all the way to Canada?

The search is on.

-We've got work to do.

-Yeah, we do.

Mm-hmm.

Holy Moley!

LINDSEY: This is Taking The Next Step.

Across the country, regional auditions are well underway.

-SAM:

-Our dancers must impress all three judges to secure

a place at Nationals and the competition is heating up.

What?!

I don't know what else I can say to that.

Do you want to just take my place and do you want to judge

the rest of the show?

-MARK:

-In Manchester, the judges have arrived

and our auditionees are ready to go.

It's like a dream come true being here.

I'm feeling nervous and excited.

So, kind of a mix of nerv-cited!

-LINDSEY:

-First up is gymnast turned dancer, Amy.

I just love dancing, so I just can't wait.

My mum and dad have both come along

and they're very supportive of me and they'll guide me and, yeah,

they're very supportive parents.

And I love them very much.

We've got Mum and Dad, here?

-Yes.

-Hi, guys.

-Hello, nice to meet you. How you doing, you all right?

-I'm Sam. Lovely to meet you.

-It's all very formal here, isn't it?

-It's nice, I like it.

-Amy, are you looking forward to it?

Yeah, I'm really excited.

Well, the best of luck.

-Hello.

-Hi.

-Hi! Welcome to Taking The Next Step.

-Thank you.

-What's your name?

-Amy.

-Amy, how old are you, Amy?

-14.

Cool! And what's your favourite style of dance?

Modern/jazz.

OK, is that what you're going to be doing today?

-Yeah.

-Nice.

-Look forward to it. Good luck.

-Thank you.

-The floor's yours.

INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC: Titanium by David Guetta ft Sia

-Wow!

-Lovely.

-That was great.

-Well done!

That was - that was great.

-Thank you.

-Well done.

I think that sometimes it was staged a bit like a gymnastics performance,

go to the corner and now, here's my pass.

I think you could probably lessen that so that the gymnastics just

kind of comes as a surprise, a bit effortless, but wow, watching that

aerial front walkover, I mean,

you just float through the air, it's brilliant.

-Thank you.

-I really enjoyed it.

-Good job.

-Thank you.

-You need three yeses to get through to Nationals.

Yeah.

I'm going to start with Swoosh on this one.

I feel like there's still room for improvement when it comes to the

choreographic side of it, in terms of, you know,

setting that out in a way that doesn't come across

-too gymnastic.

-I'll definitely improve on that, yeah.

-I want...

-But you are - you are amazing, so I'm going to start off

-with a yes.

-Thank you.

-Kimberly?

I'm fascinated by you, your strength is phenomenal,

you've got the face for The Next Step,

you've got the personality for it,

when I hear you speak I can see you on The Next Step.

-It's a yes from me.

-Thank you so much.

Do you know what, you're right. And I could see you on The Next Step.

I really could.

LINDSEY: Come on, Jonny. Just say yes!

I'm going to say yes.

-Thank you!

-CHEERING

Come get your ticket to Nationals.

Thank you, I will definitely work on improving it for the next round.

-OK.

-Thank you so much!

CHEERING

Mwah!

-Mwah! Well done, well done.

-SAM: I'm exhausted!

-Thank you.

Do you know what, just keep going, congratulations, well done,

we'll see you at Nationals.

Thanks, guys, thanks.

Bye, bye-bye. Cheers, mate.

LINDSEY: Er, you're OK there, boys?

He's very strong, isn't he?

He's very strong.

LINDSEY: We've seen loads of strong performances across a range

of dance disciplines.

-SAM:

-One style that the judges have yet to see is tap.

-MARK:

-Step forward 15-year-old Rhys in London.

You're our first tapper.

My first tapper, I'm very excited.

-How are you feeling?

-Feeling good, yeah.

-Hello!

-Hey, hey, hey. How's it going?

-Good, thanks.

-I've got to say I was happy to hear that click, click,

click coming through the door.

I was like, come on!

First tap dancer.

Well, the floor is yours.

-Thanks.

-Take it away.

MUSIC: Shape Of You By Ed Sheeran

Ah!

-Thanks.

-It takes three yeses to take you through to the next round.

I'm going to start off with...

-..Jonny.

-You're 15, man.

Like, if I was, at 15, if I was at your level, you know,

you're beyond what I could do at your age.

So, really, know that.

And you are really, really good.

The choreography and things like that, I wanted to kind of have, erm,

a few more moments, erm, where it really did focus on the tap.

Erm, but for me today, erm, it's a no.

I really like where you're trying to take tap.

I think it's great to see the fusions.

Focus on those rhythms a bit more and don't miss those taps.

I think the nerves got the best of you.

It's a no from me today but I love where you're headed

and I think you've got a really great look.

-Thanks.

-Yeah, Rhys, I believe that coming back after taking these

notes will be the one for you.

It's no for today, but just take it as for today.

SAM: Despite an impressive performance,

Rhys couldn't secure three yeses.

But he is going home with some valuable advice.

-I really wanted a tapper.

-It would have been nice to have a tapper.

-MARK:

-So, the search continues.

Meanwhile, our dancers shared some of their tips on how to

nail an audition.

My best dance advice would be feel the music, enjoy it and just dance.

Be unique, look at online videos and keep practising.

-Be positive.

-And, don't give up.

LINDSEY: And what do The Next Step girls think?

Dance like nobody's watching.

-Yeah.

-I really feel that that helps.

And another thing is taking risks.

You're already at the audition,

you're going out there, you're confident,

so just go out there and kill it.

-Don't hold back. Kill it!

-Yeah.

SAM: With Rhys narrowly missing out on a ticket to Nationals,

12-year-old Harvey is hoping to become the first tap dancer to make

it through.

Today, I'm feeling excited and nervous about my audition because

it's a really big opportunity for me and I'm really excited.

-Hello, mate.

-Hi.

-What's your name?

-My name is Harvey.

Nice shoes, Harvey.

-Thank you.

-OK, so you take your tap pretty serious?

-Yeah.

-Nice.

-And how would you describe your tap?

-Well, I'm more of, like,

an American-style tap, so, yeah...

-OK, good.

-More, like, casual and...

Nice. OK, well, I'm excited to see you, Harvey.

-Oh, thank you.

-The floor's yours.

MUSIC: The Spark By Afrojack

My goodness!

Jonny's standing!

Jonny's standing!

What happens now? Do I just say yes or...?

Let's go to Swoosh first.

Yo, that was crazy.

-Oh, thank you.

-That was crazy.

That's the first time I've actually just been like...

..lost for words. Yes!

-Flawless.

-Thank you.

Yay!

You were taking the music to the next level, you were adding to it.

I absolutely loved it.

-Thank you.

-Really strong.

Thank you so much.

I knew you meant business when you walked in with those shoes.

Mate, I don't have anything else to say, mate.

Oh, thank you so much.

So, three yeses to get to Nationals.

Swoosh?

Yes, 100% yes from me.

-Thank you so much.

-Kimberley?

-Yes!

-Thank you.

Get your ticket, boy.

Yay!

Woo-woo-woo!

-Amazing!

-Thank you so much.

-See you at Nationals.

-Keep up the good work.

Thank you, guys.

# We've got a tapper, it's Harvey... #

-Yes, finally.

-# He's a tapper... #

-He's amazing.

-So great.

MARK: A flawless audition from Harvey has set the standard for

-tap dancers.

-That was brilliant.

-Been waiting for that.

-We can put our feet up now.

-Yeah, yeah, yeah.

I can sway.

SAM: While Swoosh sways in triumph,

we're off to Cardiff, where Lindsey's been learning some moves.

-Basic work?

-Yeah.

-Oh, yeah.

I feel quite sassy.

SAM: Looking good, Lindsey.

But she'll need a lot more practice to be as good as these guys.

SAM: Unfortunately, the judges are proving hard to impress.

I love that you throw yourself into it but, for today, it is a no.

For me, it's going to be a no today as well.

But it's a no to kind of propel you to another dimension.

It's a no today.

Use this no to propel you.

You've got potential to do some great stuff.

It's a no today.

-That's it. That's it.

-OK.

LINDSEY: Another street dancer hoping to get a yes from all three

judges is 12-year-old Grace.

I'm super nervous/excited,

because I feel like I'm going to mess up my dance.

Fingers crossed.

Hi.

-How's it going?

-Good, thank you.

Awesome, excited to see you dance, the floor's yours.

MUSIC: Let Me Love You By DJ Snake ft Justin Bieber

Bravo!

Really, really nice.

-Thank you.

-You have such a beautiful smile, Grace.

Grace, bucket-loads of personality, which is fantastic to see, and not

only does that happen when we speak to you, but it happens

when you dance. You really come to life.

I really enjoyed it.

-Thank you.

-Good job.

I'm fully confident that if we gave you a script,

you could work that and you've got a personality and a naturalness to you

as well. You've got the look,

you've got the talent and I'm excited to see you in the Nationals.

-It's a yes from me.

-Thank you.

Grace, you just brought Cardiff to life for me, it's a yes.

Thank you.

All right, come and get it.

Woo!

SAM: A great audition from Grace and she's leaving Cardiff auditions

one step closer to the ultimate prize.

-MARK:

-And it's not just any prize.

The winner of this competition will travel to Canada to appear on the

hit show, The Next Step.

They'll join the cast and make a guest appearance

in a brand-new episode.

The winner of Taking The Next Step

is actually going to be here in

Studio A with us and we are going to

have so much fun.

We have to send the best of Britain to Canada to become part of

-The Next Step.

-What we're looking for is a unique individual.

LINDSEY: In Glasgow, 15-year-old Kirsten is hoping to spin her way

into Nationals.

I am feeling so excited to be here.

Also very anxious but it's just an incredible experience to even have

been selected for this, so I'm really looking forward to it.

Also looking forward to it is her dance teacher Lisa and her mum

Sonia, who's a big fan of Jonny.

-How are you?

-I'm fine, thank you.

Fantastic. And what's your name?

-Kirsten.

-Kirsten. And what got you into dance?

What inspired you to dance?

My mum, actually, because she was a dancer and I used to watch her dance

tapes and videos.

Cool! So, she's technically a dance mum?

Yes, technically.

Amazing, I can't wait to see you dance.

-Thank you.

-The floor is yours.

MUSIC: Breathe Me By Sia

All right, Kirsten, you need three yeses to get through to Nationals.

I'm going to ask you one question,

how confident are you speaking in front of people because it's one

thing to dance but also, you have to be able to act as well.

I definitely think that I'd push myself enough to be able to.

Amazing. For me, it's a yes, you're going to Nationals.

I'm with Kim, it's a yes from me as well.

You have no need to be nervous,

you're so beautifully on point and hopefully,

we'll see a big character walk through the door next time when

we see you at Nationals.

-Thank you!

-Get your ticket!

-Well done!

YES!

Well done. Read out loud, work on that voice.

-Yeah!

-Show me you can act.

Thank you.

CHEERING

-Give it up!

-Well done!

-Quality, mate.

-Quality, mate.

-Quality.

-Quality, bruv.

-Just what we like.

-That's right.

-We have got one more thing to do before you go.

Your mum's just informed us that she's a massive fan of Jonny,

is that right?

Come on, Mum. Come on, Mum.

Come on, dance teacher, you come as well.

-Jonny.

-Sorry, mate.

-You've got a fan, mate.

You've got a fan so we just wanted to come and say hello.

This is Kirsten's mum.

This is Kirsten's mum and she really wanted to...

She actually said she wanted to kiss you.

And she just did.

Here, I'll take it. You get in.

LINDSEY: Jonny Labey, what a dreamboat!

What moisturiser do you use because you are gorgeous!

LINDSEY: Yeah, nice try, Sam, but it'll take more than a bit of

moisturiser to measure up to our Jonny.

And one superfan hoping to impress Jonny is 13-year-old Isabella from

Manchester.

A bit of a dreamboat, isn't he?

He is a dreamboat, he is a dreamboat.

-Let's be honest.

-When you go in there, just say, "Sam and Mark say,

Jonny, you're a dreamboat".

Say it, go on, say it.

-Hello.

-Hello.

-How are you feeling today?

-Nervous.

-Nervous?

Shake it out.

There you go.

Who are your inspirations?

-Jonny.

-Jonny?

-Oh!

-Yes!

-Oh, Jonny.

-Thank you very much.

And Sam and Mark say you're a dreamboat and told me to pass it on.

OK, well, Isabella, looking forward to seeing you dance, so the floor

is yours. Take it away.

MUSIC: Down By Marian Hill

-Nice.

-Lovely.

Nice. How do you feel now?

-Better.

-Yeah, you feel much better, right?

So, you need three yeses to make it to Nationals.

We're going to start with...

-..Kimberley.

-Isabella, I think you're really unique.

I think you offer something really different.

You do need some work technically but I think that it was fascinating

enough that you're an absolute yes for me.

-Thank you.

-Yes.

Jonny.

I'm going to say yes.

-Thank you.

-What would Nationals mean to you?

A lot because I dance for my family because I know that my family like

to see me dance. When I see them enjoying my performance,

it makes me enjoy it more.

Well, they're going to enjoy it even more because you're coming to

-Nationals.

-Thank you.

Well done, lovely.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

-Nice to meet you.

LINDSEY: After impressing all three judges, including our dreamboat,

Isabella is off to Nationals.

Hey, hey, what's Jonny look like in person?

LINDSEY: From one happy fan in Manchester to London,

where lyrical dancer Mirabelle is next to face the judges.

Hello, my name is Mirabelle.

And I am 14.

I'm excited because I'd like to show them that deaf people can dance and

I'm just interested to see what their feedback is.

-Hello.

-Hello. What inspired you to get into dance?

Just that you can move around and express yourself and you don't have

to, like, I mean, yeah,

it's about the technique but it's also about having fun.

Nice. And what are your dreams and ambitions as a dancer?

To kind of promote disability dancing because I'm deaf, and

just to see what the world thinks

and to get into some sort of company, hopefully.

Amazing. You're such an inspiration.

Please, share your love of dance with us.

MUSIC: Jar Of Hearts By Christina Perri

-What a lovely piece.

-Thank you.

Let's get some thoughts from Jonny.

Yeah, I was really touched by what you've just done, so thank you.

That was a very, very moving piece that you just created.

It really was. I can just feel so much more emotion from that piece,

I was really touched by that so thank you so much for sharing.

I think you can work on your strength a bit more but you're a

really beautiful performer.

Very inspiring stuff.

You need three yeses to go through to Nationals.

Swoosh.

Based on what calibre you're up against, I think just based on that,

today, for me, it's a no.

-Jonny?

-You've got so much more to explore because you've got artistry

in bucket-loads. For me, today, because like what Swoosh said

of the calibre of the competition,

it's going to have to be a no for me today.

But keep going and keep inspiring and keep being yourself.

Strength and conditioning.

Go away and work on it because your artistry is gorgeous.

I love the way you express yourself in dance.

It's a no this time but please know, you're an absolute inspiration.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

-See you soon.

SAM: Despite missing out on a ticket to Nationals,

Mirabelle impressed the judges with her amazing artistry.

She gets that strength to back it up...

Unstoppable.

MARK: We've seen some incredible dancers give it their all in a bid

to appear on The Next Step.

It's no easy task, though.

The Next Step is a really unique

show because we blend acting

and dancing, and whoever wins has to

be good at both, so the judges have

a really tough decision

ahead of them.

SAM: So, our final auditionee has their work cut out.

Can Kai become the second tap dancer to bag a ticket to Nationals?

Hi, my name is Kai and I'm 14 years old.

I've been practising a lot and I'm just excited to show them what I've

-got.

-How are you feeling about today's dance?

-I'm very excited.

-You seem really confident.

-Yeah, I'm just excited.

-Yeah!

-I love tap.

-Hello.

-Hello.

Hmm, is the next guy a tapper, I wonder?

Hear him coming in.

-How are you doing?

-I'm good, how are you?

Well, thank you. Welcome to Taking The Next Step.

-How are you feeling?

-I'm very excited, yeah.

Nice, nice.

And how long have you been tapping?

-For about ten years.

-OK, cool, nice.

Pretty much all my life.

Yeah, so you're obviously going to be doing us a tap dance.

-Yes.

-Take it away.

-Thank you.

Best of luck.

MUSIC: This Is What You Came For By Calvin Harris ft Rihanna

Oh, Kai!

What a heartbreaker!

Awesome!

Kai, you're the guy, man.

Yes, well done, mate, well done.

That was incredible.

We're going to see what Swoosh thinks.

Listen, you just came in here and smashed that.

-That was brilliant.

-Thank you.

-Really, really good.

I liked the fact that it wasn't just a case of me focusing on your feet

but the fact that you still had presence, you still had...

You were still interacting and you were enjoying what you were doing.

Great audition.

-Thank you.

-Feet are on fire.

Your taps are fantastic, you're just really advanced.

-Good job.

-We've got another strong tapper...

-Yeah?

-..we've had on the show.

MARK: I think he's talking about Harvey.

You might have run into him in competitions and things like that.

-I've seen him before.

-Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Yeah, so, there is a standard and there is something that goes with it

but, dude, that was amazing.

-Thank you.

-You need three yeses to get through to Nationals.

-Swoosh?

-Yes.

-Kimberley?

-Yes.

-See you at Nationals.

-Yeah!

Wow, no messing around there!

CHEERING

You absolute legend, bring it in.

Auditions like that,

love that, all day long.

What do you think of their comments?

They mean a lot as well,

especially just telling me that they are really supportive of what I did

and it was good has meant a lot.

It's going to be interesting to see both of them...

Battle it out!

Nationals!

SAM: Next time on Taking The Next Step...

Your turns were unbelievable.

That was incredible.

I really love you and what you do.

It's a very firm, amazing yes.

Very overwhelming to see a

15-year-old do what you just did.

I believe I made a mistake.