Friday, February 07, 2020

Australian-Produced Preschool Dance Series "Ready Set Dance" Goes International on Nick Jr.; Show Greenlit for Season Two

Originally published: Monday, November 18, 2019.

Original Nickelodeon Press Release:

AUSTRALIAN-PRODUCED PRESCHOOL DANCE SERIES
“READY SET DANCE” GOES INTERNATIONAL ON NICK JR.

SHOW GREENLIT FOR SEASON TWO IN AUSTRALIA


MEDIA RELEASE – SYDNEY, 19 NOVEMBER 2019 - READY SET DANCE, an innovative participatory dance program for preschoolers that launched on Nick Jr. Australia in January 2019, will expand internationally beginning January 2020 in an additional 122 countries and translated in 25 languages.

Bursting with energy and designed to develop confidence, coordination and creativity, the Australian series premiered to critical praise from preschoolers and parents alike, ranking as the no. 1 STV program (excluding live sports/movies) amongst children 0-12 in Australia.


Following its local success and international expansion, READY SET DANCE has also been greenlit for a second season in Australia. Season two will enter production locally in January 2020, and is slated to premiere in Australia in April 2020.

For the stars of the show, a troupe of young Australian actors and dancers known as the Kid Crew, this will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be seen on screens around the world. Animated hosts Twirl and Freeze, who offer a playful social connection throughout the series, will keep their Australian accents across English speaking markets.


“One of the driving forces behind READY SET DANCE’s local success and international interest, is the fact that dance is a topic with universal appeal,” said Ben Cox, General Manager, Nickelodeon Networks, Australia and New Zealand.

“As part of a global kids’ brand we are constantly looking for content that has the ability to resonate with our young audience locally, as well as translate internationally, and Ready Set Dance fits this criteria.”

Lachlan

READY SET DANCE features fun and energetic short-form dance videos designed specifically for preschoolers aged two - five years old. Differing from other dance shows on the market, the series is underpinned by a core educational curriculum designed to teach kids fundamental movement skills while building confidence, coordination and creativity.


In each episode kids learn a signature dance move as instructed by friendly animated hosts Twirl and Freeze, and then see the move performed by the talented Kid Crew as part of a story-driven, mini-musical. At the end of the episode kids are encouraged to practice their new move during the preschool dance party, jumping and jiving along together with fellow preschoolers on screen.


This unique Australian series was developed in collaboration with expert preschool dance educators and dance studio owners Jade Barnes, Belinda Agostino, Natalie Ettingshausen, Glenda Yee and Priscilla Severino. The five successful entrepreneurs launched their innovative class-based dance program for preschoolers, also titled READY SET DANCE, after identifying a gap in the market. This program is currently licensed to over 200 dance schools around Australia and New Zealand.


READY SET DANCE airs locally on Nick Jr. (Foxtel #703 and Fetch #253) weekdays at 10am and is also available on Nick Jr. Play App.

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END


About Nickelodeon International:

Nickelodeon, now in its 23rd year in Australia and 40th globally, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, digital, recreation, books and feature films. Nickelodeon is one of the most globally recognized and widely distributed multimedia entertainment brands for kids and family, with 1.2 billion cumulative subscriptions in more than 500 million households across 170+ countries and territories, via more than 100+ locally programmed channels and branded blocks. Outside of the United States, Nickelodeon is part of Viacom International Media Networks, a division of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. For more information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc.

1Source: Kids and Family Group(Aus) Research & Insights/ OzTAM NatSTV 2018

--Ends--

From Kidscreen:

Ready Set Dance busts a move worldwide

Nick Jr. Australia has ordered new episodes of its preschool-skewing series ahead of its international rollout to 122 countries.

Nick Jr. will roll out its interactive dance series Ready Set Dance internationally in 122 countries in 25 languages, starting January 2020.

After premiering earlier this year in Australia, the kidsnet also renewed the preschool series for a second season. Season two enters production locally this January and is set to debut in the region in April. The 15 x five-minute show is hosted by two animated characters who teach real kids a signature dance move every episode. Aimed at two- to five-years-olds, it ranked number one on subscription television with kids zero to 12 in Australia, according to the kidsnet.

Produced in-house by Nickelodeon in Australia, the series was developed in partnership with a group of Aussie preschool dance educators and dance studio owners Jade Barnes, Belinda Agostino, Natalie Ettingshausen, Glenda Yee and Priscilla Severino. Nickelodeon International is the distributor of the show and has licensed the series to more than 200 dance schools in Australia and New Zealand.

Dance is a perennially popular genre in the industry and Nick’s renewal and roll out comes as broadcasters, streamers and licensing agencies are putting on their dancing shoes and heading to floor with new content. Disney+ added to its nonfiction catalogue by commissioning the six-part docuseries On Pointe, which revolves around the young students of the School of American Ballet. Meanwhile, PBS KIDS greenlit two more seasons of arts-focused animated preschool series Pinkalicious & Peterrific, which will ramp up its dancing aspect of the show in its future episodes.

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From The West Australian:

Charlie’s stage fun


Charlie Deroost has returned from Sydney after performing on hit Nickelodeon show Ready Set Dance. Credit: Busselton-Dunsborough Times, Jackson Lavell-Lee

There’s no business like show business and six-year-old Busselton dancer Charlie Deroost can attest to that.

He has just returned from filming an episode of Ready Set Dance, the hit Nickelodeon Jr. television show.

The young performer’s episode will air in season two, where nine children, from ages four to 12, danced to a sports theme.

As Charlie’s chaperone, his mother, Donna Deroost, was flown from Perth to Sydney for the whirlwind production and was allowed backstage to watch the filming and prepping.

Charlie regularly attends Ready Set Dance lessons at the Jazz Attack Gymnastics & Performing Arts Studio in Busselton every Saturday.

The lessons are a one-hour combo of jazz, tap, hip-hop, singing and music helping to foster kids’ love of performing while enhancing the three cornerstone elements of drama, confidence, co-ordination and creativity.

Charlie said his favourite dance style was hip-hop and the experience was “really fun”.

His mum was impressed by the crew’s professionalism: “It was brilliant, I felt like a stage mum and I’m so proud of him. He looked right into the camera and co-operated well with the director.”

Jazz Attack director Tara Howson said Charlie was selected from thousands of applications across Australia after the studio recorded an audition video and submitted it to Nickeledeon Jr.

“The kids love Ready Set Dance because it gets them active and the teachers are really happy and super energetic and it’s just amazing to see Charlie get selected.”

Look out Broadway Charlie is on his way.

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