Showcasing some of the best of British dance talent, BBC 1's new Saturday night show The Greatest Dancer is offering contestants a chance to win £50,000 and a coveted slot performing on Strictly Come Dancing.

Advertisement

The audition stages of the competition are on air for the first four weeks, with hopefuls who manage to earn more than 75 per cent of the audience vote going through to the Callback stages of the competition.

At this stage, dance captains Cheryl, Matthew Morrison and Oti Mabuse will decide who to take through to the live finals.

So who's made it through? Here's a list of who's heading to the Callbacks...

Harry and Eleiyah

Dance style: Contemporary

What did the judges have to say? The threesome were hugely impressed with the dance partners and best of friends.

“Absolutely stunning,” said Cheryl. “The synchronicity between you was like…yes! I didn’t want it to end.

“One critique: I would have had you more vulnerable, less make-up, hair down.”

Villains Crew

Dance style: Street

What did the judges have to say? With the street/comedy dance stylings, the dance captains found the troupe of three a breath of fresh air among the other, more traditional dancers.

“It was a masterpiece from the start to end, the thought and the creativity,” said Cheryl. “You guys create art. You’re fresh and awesome.”

“Incorporating lots of dance can be sloppy. This was not sloppy at all,” added Matthew.

Wei Yao

Dance style: Freestyle

What did the judges have to say? Nothing nice, with Cheryl even booing the audience for choosing to put the PhD student through.

“I didn’t like it,” said Oti. “There wasn’t one figure I recognised, but you did entertain over 1000 people.”

“I feel it’s more of a release for you, rather than a career choice,” sniped Cheryl.

Dane Bates Collective

Dance style: Contemporary Jazz

What did the judges have to say? Upon the news of hearing the group of teenage girls only got together one a month, the dance captains were initially wary that their jazz-style dancing would be a bit messy.

“At the beginning I was thinking, yikes, so be able to put on a show like that was incredible, I loved it,” said Cheryl.

“People don’t quite understand the difficulty of the routine. It was so beautiful to see,” added Matthew.

Shyla

Dance style: Modern Jazz

What did the judges have to say? The seven-year-old had never done an audition before, but smashed it with her energetic routine.

Cheryl gushed, “It was such a pleasure to watch you, I couldn’t stop looking at your face. You can tell your parents are so proud of you.”

“You are just a little pocket rocket, you gave us everything,” Oti said.

Barbara Peters, 80

Dance style: Ballet

What did the judges have to say? Having danced for 78 years, ballet teacher Barbara is one of the most experienced dancers in the competition, wowing the dance captains for her perfect posture.

“I used to do ballet and you inspired me to get back into it, I want to look like you at 80,” Cheryl joked, while Matthew showed his appreciation by asking Barbara to waltz with him.

Unity UK

Dance style: Street

What did the judges have to say? The dance captains gave the street dance troupe a standing ovation with their step-perfect hip-hop routine.

“The power, the strength, the passion, the moves. I thought I was going to lose my mind,” said Cheryl.

“I feel you guys smashed that mirror open. It was magical,” added Oti.

Santra and Piia

Dance style: Latin American

What did the judges have to say? The same-sex dance couple were so awe-inspiring, Strictly star Oti dragged Cheryl up on stage to do a jive with her.

“Your posture was up and you were dancing through your spine, which was amazing!” she said. “I’ve been waiting for a same sex couple to come out here and do a really good job.”

Frobacks

The Greatest Dancer - Frobacks

Dance style: Street

What did the judges have to say? Matthew was hugely impressed, asking to be their dance captain from the get go. "I want to win you that £50,000," he said.

Described on their website as a "flash mob comedy act", the Frobacks got everyone hot under the collar when their saucy routine saw them bare their chiselled torsos, leading host Alesha Dixon to say to Oti, "If we weren't black, we'd be red right now."

KLA

The Greatest Dancer, KLA (BBC Screenshot)

Dance style: Latin Formation

What did the judges have to say? Naturally, as a Latin and Ballroom champion, Oti was thrilled to see the all-girl group go through, even heading up on stage to have a little dance with them.

"I was so happy!" she said. "You did a cha cha, you did a jive, and you kept us all entertained."

Welsh dance group KLA were fan favourites on Twitter, with viewers loving the young girls' smiling faces as they took to the floor.

James Clifton

The Greatest Dancer, James Clifton (BBC)

Dance style: Contemporary

What did the judges have to say? Cheryl was flattered to see James put all his energies into her 2014 hit song, Crazy Stupid Love.

"Everyone was on your side from the get go," said Cheryl. "Such an energetic performance."

At first glance, we didn't have much hope for James in his sparkly gold waistcoat. But he proved us all wrong with his hugely energetic and mightily sassy performance.

Ellie

The Greatest Dancer, Ellie (BBC)

Dance style: Contemporary

What did the judges have to say? Oti praised teenager Ellie on how beautiful her solo routine was, and was keen to sign her up to her team.

"I love how emotional that was," she said, wiping her eyes. "I'd love to work with you because we could take it up a notch."

Shy teenager Ellie seemed stunned when the mirror opened during her beautiful performance - could she be an early frontrunner with her incredible skills?

Urban Jokers

The Greatest Dancer, Urban Jokers (BBC)

Dance style: Street

What did the judges have to say? Matthew was a huge fan of their energetic, jokey routine.

"I just want to get in the dance studio with you and have fun," he said. "You seem like great guys."

Don't let their name mislead you, Urban Jokes are nothing but serious about the dance competition. Their energetic routines incorporate comedy factors for a rounded, fun performance.

TJ and Hamish

The Greatest Dancer TJ and Hamish (BBC)

Dance style: Tap

What did the judges have to say? Cheryl was enamoured with their performance, calling their modern tap-style dance "fresh".

TJ and Hamish said they could perform a number of different styles, but opted for a more modern take on tap for their mirror audition.

Andrew

The Greatest Dancer, Andrew (BBC)

Dance style: Freestyle

What did the judges have to say? Andrew received a standing ovation from all three dance captains.

"I just feel really moved by it, and to watch you and to see your excitement and how much you thrive from an audience is just extraordinary," Cheryl said. "You should be doing this more as it does something for your soul."

Strictly super-fan Andrew fell in love with dance ever since he watched the show as a toddler. His mother explained that dancing helped Andrew, who has Down's syndrome, gain more confidence in his abilities. A clear winner - and we're only in week one...

Dynamic Dads

The Greatest Dancer, Dynamic Dads (BBC)

Dance style: Street

What did the judges have to say? Matthew Morrison applauded the group for having the guts for getting up on stage, respecting them as he had recently just become a father himself.

"Lots of people think when you become a dad, you lose your cool," he said, "But you are proving that is not true. You're doing this for your kids, and it's such an amazing thing!"

Fionn

Fionn, The Greatest Dancer (BBC)

Dance style: Contemporary

What did the judges have to say? Dancing such a complicated routine at the age of nine stunned the dance captains.

Cheryl told Fionn, "You made it look effortless, but we know how hard it was. It was breathtaking, sensational."

Oti added, "I was in your performance, I was dancing with you. You were amazing."

Company Jinks

The Greatest Dancer, Company Jinks (BBC)

Dance style: Commercial

What did the judges have to say? Easily scoring the magic 75%, Oti called their dancing "mind-blowing and crisp", while Cheryl praised them for been "clean" in their movements.

"You've set the bar in the competition, and I want you in my final three," she said.

JSD Minis

JSD Minis, The Greatest Dancer (BBC)

Dance style: Modern Jazz

What did the judges have to say? Little spitfires JSD Minis ran riot at reception, but channelled their energies into an electrifying performance that had all four dance captains on their feet.

"The joy on your faces and your expressions were absolutely brilliant," said Cheryl.

Oti added, "You reminded me of me. You did cartwheels and splits, but you kept the personality in it!"

Chris Fonseca

The Greatest Dancer, Chris Fonseca (BBC)

Dance style: Street

What did the judges have to say?

Chris’s performance to Drake’s God’s Plan stunned the dance captains, especially as Chris was deaf – having to rely on vibrations to dance.

"I dance personally because I'm inspired by music," said Matthew. "Watching you, you’re so extremely musical. For someone who can't hear the music, you became your own music."

The Globe Girls

Dance Style: Commercial

What did the judges have to say? The Globe Girls brought lashings of sass for their fun and feisty performance - which included dance captain Cheryl.

"I am so thankful you included me in your performance!" she laughed. "You were fab."

James & Oliver

James & Oliver - The Greatest Dancer

Dance style: contemporary with classical elements

What did the judges have to say? Cheryl liked 16- and 11-year-old duo Oliver and James, although she felt they needed to work on controlling their facial expressions.

But Matthew adored them and was moved to tears by their performance.

"I found myself really, really moved by the camaraderie you have with each other," he said. "It was so beautiful to watch and, honestly, I loved the stumble that you had because it made you human, and it gave you room to grow..."

Prospects Fraternity

Prospects Fraternity - The Greatest Dancer

Dance style: Street dance

What did the judges have to say? All three judges loved the ten- to 17-year-old group, with Cheryl even predicting she would be mentoring them.

"We’ll get acquainted later on but it’s nice to meet you I’m Cheryl and I’m your Dance Captain," she said.

But it was Matthew who claimed Prospects in the end, saying at the time "Somebody call the fire brigade 'cause that was smoking!" and revealing he had been especially impressed by a move in which one dancer catapulted themselves off another's upturned feet. "Oh my gosh!" he exclaimed, "I’ve never seen that move before!"

Advertisement

The Greatest Dancer continues Saturdays on BBC 1.


Sign up to the RadioTimes.com email newsletter

Authors

Kimberley BondEntertainment Correspondent, RadioTimes.com
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement