'In The Dance' associate producer Odessa Chambers. - Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer
With an aim to bring authentic Jamaican family entertainment to a global audience, a new series 'In The Dance', exploded on to television screens last Friday.
Originated by Executive Producer Chris Smith of Chris Smith Management, 'In The Dance' is an entertainment variety show that highlights Jamaican music, dance, fashion and culture. According to the show's talent and associate producer, Odessa Chambers, 'In The Dance' is 'Soul Train' meets 'American Bandstand'.
Chambers said the show is produced by a highly trained production team from Canada, which is complemented by lead producer Marc Milliard, local ace director Kevin Lee, as well as local crew and production assistants interning from the Caribbean Institute of Media and Communication at the University of the West Indies.
SHOW FORMAT
When The Gleaner discussed the show with Chambers, she explained the format saying, "The show is a 30-minute weekly show airing on CVM TV, Fridays at 9:30 p.m. It features segments like Top Ten Dance Picks where dancers are featured on a podium dancing to the top dance tracks. There is also Buss The Dance, a feature showcasing an unknown talent who has minimum airplay or none at all".
She continued: "There is Local Dance Crew of the Week where a local dance crew gets their chance to showcase their talent each week. The In The Dance Girls showcases women dancing to the number-one dance pick each week. There will also be performing artistes from big reggae acts such as Beenie Man to up-and-coming acts such as Tifa, Konshens and Courtney John performing live to our audience. The hosts are fresh faces Yanique and DJ Diamond from Stone Love."
Chambers and show coordinator Rachelle Willams spent more than a year building a database of dancers. Filming started four weeks ago and, according to Chambers, the people of Spanish Town, where the show is filmed, have been accommodating throughout the whole process.
Optimistic
The dancing, which mainly involves dancehall, will also include other genres such as reggae and hip hop.
This isn't Jamaica's first dancing television show, with 'Dancin' Dynamites' enjoying its fair share of popularity. Chambers, however, is optimistic that 'In The Dance' will be a huge success.
"We are expecting the show to be a hit. The show will be distributed to more than 100 countries globally," she said. "We are very excited about the prospects as being one of Jamaica's biggest entertainment exports. What sets 'In The Dance' apart from other dancing shows is that our show is not a competition, it is a fun, family show that brings all dancers together for one big party."