Semi Final: Time to Shine Taking the Next Step

Over 2,000 performers applied from all over the UK,

but only the best 150 were given the opportunity

to audition for our judges at Regionals.

The judges then selected the top 50 dancers to take to Nationals.

You're going to Nationals!

And after two days of intense competition, only six remained.

In this show, those six will compete again for a place in the final

and the chance to travel to Canada

to dance with these guys on the hit TV show The Next Step.

One, two, three, go, team!

This is the semifinal of Taking The Next Step.

Hello and welcome to the semifinal of Taking The Next Step,

the show where talented young dancers

compete for an amazing opportunity -

a guest role in the smash Canadian TV show The Next Step.

Oooh!

But before we meet our auditionees,

let's meet the people making those very difficult decisions.

It's the second-best-looking trio in this show, it's the judges!

Our semifinalists will be performing for actor and dancer Jonny Labey.

Founder of dance group Flawless Marlon "Swoosh" Wallen.

And head judge Kimberly Wyatt.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

And here they are in the actual flesh,

it's Kimberly, Swoosh and Jonny!

CHEERING

-Look at you guys!

-Guys!

-Wow!

You guys look awesome.

Jonny, fantastic facility, as always.

-Thanks.

-Now, before we go any further, though,

helping these guys out today, we have a very special guest judge.

It's very exciting. Let's take a look at her in action.

A star of The Next Step since its very first series...

..she's the award-winning actress

responsible for bringing the character of Riley to life.

It's Brittany Raymond.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Wow! How cool is that?

Brittany, welcome to the show.

Lovely to have you here.

What are you expecting from our semifinalists today?

I mean, I've heard so many amazing things

from the other judges, and I'm just looking forward

to seeing these incredible dancers perform.

I actually can't believe you're here in person. It's so exciting!

All right, calm down. You can get her autograph after!

OK. Well, judges, thank you so much, go and take your seats.

The judges, everyone!

-Yes! Off you go, guys.

-See you, guys.

-Bye-bye!

I tell you what, they could have dressed up for it, couldn't they?

-Oh, dear me.

-Look at them!

Right, now it is time to meet our six young performers

who have done unbelievably well to get this far.

Please give it up for Jessica, Yasmin, Kai,

Aimee, Immi and Harrison,

our semifinalists!

DANCE MUSIC PLAYS

CHEERING

Guys, that was ridiculous!

What an entrance!

You should have seen Brittany's face, she looked angry!

-LAUGHTER

-I was so in it, I was like...

Well, listen, good luck to you all today,

but, Jessica, you are up first.

So before we see your performance,

let's remind ourselves of your journey so far.

Hi, my name's Jessica and I'm 14 years old.

Being in Taking The Next Step has been such a good experience.

-Oh, wow. I was blown away.

-Yes!

I mean, there's not really much more to say, really.

I'm nervous about performing today, but I'm also having a lot of fun.

You've gone from strength to strength,

you're such a beautiful dancer.

You should be very, very proud of yourself.

It'd be amazing to win it,

and I can't think of anything I'd rather do.

It's Jessica!

CHEERING

MUSIC: Symphony by Clean Bandit ft. Zara Larsson

CHEERING

-Yes! Wow!

-Come here, you.

-Nice work.

-That was wicked.

Listen, it's really difficult to be the first up.

How do you feel that went?

Well, I originally thought I'd be so out of breath

from the group number, and I'm quite out of breath now!

You are a little bit but it seemed to go really well.

-I'm really happy.

-Good, you should be, it was awesome.

-We loved it in here, didn't we, guys?

-Fantastic!

CHEERING

Well, we think you did fantastically well,

but Lindsey is with the judges.

Let's find out what they thought of it. Lindsey.

That was beautiful, by the way. I loved it.

Swoosh, let's come to you first.

What did you make of Jessica's dance?

Do you know what, Jessica?

The last time I saw you, I was blown away,

but tonight...

..that was outstanding.

-Yes!

-Wow!

OK, Brittany, no pressure,

but Jessica is a Next Step super fan, OK?

The comments have been good, she'll care about this one.

What do you make of it?

Well, this is my first time seeing you perform,

and, oh, my goodness, you are so talented.

Like, it's insane, your technique was flawless

and your presence on stage was amazing,

and that's super important, almost more important,

especially on The Next Step,

to be able to perform like that, so congratulations.

-That was amazing.

-Wow!

-Yeah!

You've got to be happy with those comments, right?

Really, really, really happy!

Yeah, and as Sam said, it is difficult going first, isn't it?

But you've got it out the way now, you can go and put your feet up.

Yeah, in fact, go and do that,

we'll see you a little bit later on for the judges' decision.

It's Jessica, everyone!

Good start! Good start!

The bar is high.

Next to perform is Yasmin.

Let's take a look at how she made it to the semifinal.

Hi, my name's Yasmin and I'm 15 years old.

Just your energy and commitment to dance is inspiring.

I feel free when I dance and I hope that will stand out when I perform.

When I found out at Nationals that I'd got through,

I was just completely speechless.

Come and get your ticket, darling. You're going through to finals.

I've really enjoyed dancing and also making new friends

and the whole experience has just been amazing.

Now doing her best to impress the judges, it's Yasmin.

CHEERING

MUSIC: Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes

CHEERING

Yes! That's what I'm talking about!

Yasmin, that was a brilliant performance.

Really, really good. You happy with it?

-Yes.

-Yes. Are you a bit out of breath? Sorry.

A bit.

All right, well, over to you, Lindsey.

OK, judges, that was a different Yasmin, it was great.

Jonny, I'm going to come to you first.

What did you make of that performance?

I mean, to come to this stage of the competition

and do a number like that and own it as a powerful jazz

technical dancer was just phenomenal.

Your journey in this competition has been incredible.

APPLAUSE

OK, great comments there. Kim, thoughts?

Yasmin, you are an absolute powerhouse.

Every time you perform, you own your space, you own the stage,

which is amazing.

It was fantastic to see something different from you.

I think that fierceness really works.

Well done.

Thank you very much, judges. Cheers, Lindsey.

-Are you happy with those comments?

-Yes, really happy.

Excellent, well, we'll see you later for the judges' decision.

Give it up for Yasmin, everyone.

CHEERING

Next on stage, it's Kai.

Let's take a look at his story so far.

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

I didn't quite expect to make it this far, to the semifinals.

It's quite incredible, really, for me as a tap dancer to make it.

Kai, you're the guy, man.

You're just really advanced.

Somebody else is going to be sad,

because you're going to be coming through to the finals, mate.

No way.

So, that's what's been great for me, to be able to come in

and be different,

and I want it to be a good different, not a bad different.

Hoping to secure a place in the final,

it's tap, tap, tapper, it's Kai!

CHEERING

MUSIC: In The Name Of Love by Martin Garrix & Bebe Rexha

CHEERING

-Yeah, boy.

-Yes.

-That was great.

-Yes, mate.

-You seem pretty happy with that.

Yes. Yeah, very happy.

-Oh, brilliant.

-Good.

-Well, let's see what the judges thought, mate.

OK, Kim, I'm going to come to you first. What did you make of that?

Kai, it was phenomenal.

You just have such advanced rhythms that always add to the track.

But what I loved most about this performance

is not only were you a tap dancer, you became a performer,

and you were really performing out to the crowd,

and I've been waiting for that moment, so...

Yay!

Good. OK, Brittany, let's come to you next.

Let's shake things up. What did you make of that?

Kai, you are such an advanced tapper.

I could just hear how amazing your rhythms were, and it was phenomenal.

-Nice work, dude. Nice work.

-Well, it went quite well.

Well, listen, we shall see you a little bit later on

for the judges' decision,

but right now, give it up for Kai, everyone!

CHEERING

Next up it's Aimee. Here's her story so far.

Hi, my name's Aimee, and I'm 14 years old.

To be in the semifinals and the top six of Taking The Next Step,

it's just unbelievable.

It just hasn't quite sunk in yet.

You just float through the air. It's brilliant. It's a yes from me.

Thank you so much.

I think my dad's excited, but nervous just like me.

You've truly proved yourself, Aimee, and you are through to the final.

I've worked so hard for this, and I want it more than anything, so...

Please, please, please.

Hoping for a place in the judges' top three, it's Aimee.

CHEERING

MUSIC: Believer by Imagine Dragons

CHEERING Wow!

My back just hurts just watching you, Aimee.

I've got to say, well done, Aimee.

Fantastic. What did you think of that?

Good. I just want to do it again.

-Yeah, you looked like you really enjoyed...

-Yeah.

I mean, you gave that everything, didn't you?

-Yeah.

-You could really see that. That was awesome.

All right, Lindsey, over to you.

OK, Swoosh, I have to come to you first.

Look how much you're smiling. What did you think?

It's the commitment that you had from start to finish.

It was very explosive.

You had that fierceness that I love about you.

-Flawless.

-Thank you.

OK. Brit, are you excited about Aimee and her performance there?

So excited.

There's some determination behind you that is so strong.

Like, I was like, "Oh, OK, wow."

It was amazing. And your tricks are so, so exciting,

and obviously on The Next Step, they're all about the tricks,

so that really puts you ahead of the game, I think.

OK.

-Amazing comments.

-Thank you.

-The best of luck.

Well, we'll see you back for the judges' decision.

Give it up for Aimee, everyone! Off you go. Wow.

OK, so our penultimate performer is Immi.

Let's see how she got to the semifinal.

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

-Yes!

-Yes.

-Yes!

I think Kimberly's a yes.

I absolutely loved this performance.

I've enjoyed the experience of The Next Step.

When I found out at Nationals I was through to the next stage,

it was just, like, amazing.

Thank you so much.

OK, come here.

I'm really excited to perform.

Performing for a place in the final - it's Immi!

CHEERING

MUSIC: Mercy by Shawn Mendes

CHEERING Yeah!

-Ah, well done, Immi. How do you feel that went?

-Really well.

Yeah, you looked like you really enjoyed that.

-Yeah.

-What's it like performing in front of this audience?

-Amazing.

-Yeah?

-Yeah. Well, they seem to love it.

-Shall we see what the judges thought?

-Yeah.

-All right, Lindsey, over to you.

-Jonny, let's start with you.

What are your comments?

Immi, that performance had so much heart and so much elegance,

and that was just really, really beautiful.

Good comment.

Kim, you looked really, really happy at the end of that. Were you?

I'm just so proud to see your journey as a dancer

through this whole competition.

And what I found you doing on the stage tonight

was really finding that confidence

that sometimes you may not have had,

and that's when you go from being just a dancer

to becoming a dance artist, and that is brilliant.

Thank you.

Brilliant. All right, well, we will see you later

for the judges' decision. Give it up for Immi, everyone!

CHEERING

Last to dance in the semifinal is Harrison.

Here's his journey so far.

Hi, my name's Harrison, and I'm 13.

It feels absolutely amazing to be in the semifinals.

I mean, I can't believe I've got this far, like,

this is such an amazing opportunity

and I'm so grateful, like, to be here.

I could watch it all day.

That was absolutely brilliant.

Really beautiful to see.

Just come and get your ticket.

-You're going to Nationals, darling.

-You're going to Nationals, mate.

You've got to be kidding me. How can this guy do this to me twice?

I'm just going to go in there and smash it

and give it everything I've got.

Looking to impress the judges with our final performance -

it's Harrison!

MUSIC: Changing by Sigma ft. Paloma Faith

CHEERING

-Yes!

-Boom!

Was the fall at the end part of the dance, or were you just exhausted?

I'm exhausted, but it was part of the dance.

-Are you happy with that?

-Yeah, I'm really happy.

You should be, mate. That was wonderful.

-Wonderful, it really was.

-Wow, really good.

Let's go over to the judges and see what they thought. Lindsey?

OK, Swoosh, I have to come to you first.

You look quite emotional and actually quite blown away by that.

What is that face?

You're killing me, Harrison.

You're killing me here. Really.

I don't even know what to say, it's just ridiculous.

Every time you have graced the stage, from the audition,

through every single journey, like,

your journey has been incredible all the way through,

and you just always come up with something new to blow us away.

That was just phenomenal, mate.

Great, great work.

CHEERING

We like that. Brittany, what are your thoughts?

Harrison, you are beautiful.

I mean, you remind me a lot of Daniel, Brennan, on The Next Step,

because you look like him, you perform like him,

you have springs in your feet like him,

and you have an amazing centre and presence,

and your performance, like, everything was just so good.

So, so good. This is going to be hard.

What?!

So good.

Pretty negative comments, there, Harrison.

You must be feeling pretty low right now.

I don't even know. I'm just really happy with my performance.

You should be, mate. You should be very proud of that performance.

All right, we're going to see you for the judges' decision

a bit later on, but give it up one more time for Harrison.

-Well done, mate.

-CHEERING

All right, now, while the judges decide on their final three,

let's take a look at some of the best bits from the series so far.

Wow, that was a bit unexpected.

That was incredible. You're such a bundle of energy.

I mean, you've turned into, like, a technical Trojan.

Jonny's standing! Jonny's standing!

Please welcome Adam Garcia.

I have to admit, I'm glad I don't have to make the decision.

What did you eat today? I want what you're having.

Sam and Mark say you are a dreamboat.

He told me to pass it on.

-Nice one.

-I'm going to give you a yes.

Boom!

SQUEALING

End scene.

It really has been such fun.

And we've seen some amazingly talented dancers

over the past few months.

Our finalists are back on stage.

A round of applause for our six finalists, everyone.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Welcome back, guys.

We are just moments away from revealing

the three performers going through to the final.

OK, judges, have you decided on your three finalists?

Yes, we have.

OK, so, Swoosh, I'm going to come to you first.

In no particular order,

can you please give us the name

of the first dancer going through to the Taking The Next Step final?

The first dancer going through to the final is...

-..Kai.

-CHEERING

-Congratulations, Kai.

-Well done, guys.

See you in the final. Well done, mate.

Still two more places, two more places to go.

-Well done, Kai.

-Jonny.

The second artist going through to the final is...

-..Aimee.

-CHEERING

All right. OK.

All right, we've got one more place.

Kimberly, head judge.

The third and final dancer going through is...

-..Harrison!

-CHEERING

How lovely are those reactions?

It just shows how close they've all come.

A huge round of applause, please, for our runners-up,

Jessica, Yasmin and Immi.

Guys, you're our finalists!

-Congratulations!

-Here they are! Wow!

How are you feeling?

Erm...

Yeah.

-And what a final we've got.

-Fantastic final.

Well done, guys. Well done. Well done.

-Give them a massive round of applause.

-Well done, all of you.

What an awesome show.

Well done to our finalists,

and a huge thank you to our fantastic judges -

Swoosh, Kimberly, Jonny and our guest judge, Brittany.

-Thank you so much.

-Brilliant.

Oh, wow. We're going to do it all again.

Join us again for the final,

when one of these three brilliant dancers

will win the chance to perform on The Next Step.

Yeah, that's right.

Plus we'll have a show-stopping performance

from some very special guests.

Why is the camera on you, Swoosh?

Why? I don't know.

-We'll see you then. Bye!

-Bye!

Next time... This is the final of Taking The Next Step.

..we'll have a very special guest performance.

Our top three go head-to-head for the final time.

But who will take home the prize?

The winner of Taking The Next Step 2017 is...

Don't miss it.