Original subtitles

Welcome, Dancemaniacs, to the Dancemania Mania Podcast.

This is Baroness von Dance with an exciting six-part special

where I, Baroness von Dance, bring you exclusive behind-the-scenes

intel and interviews about the history-making team The Next Step.

Every season of Dancemania is a nail-biter,

but Season 13 proved to be a doozy.

J-Cruise, who was the odds-on favourite to win,

easily took Group Division,

but then The Next Step scored points with their fans

and were resurrected for a chance to make it in the final round.

Ozzy was the underdog in a match against Hard Ice

and a battle between musical theatre and hip-hop.

Even Ozzy's own team didn't believe in him,

but they rallied and boosted his confidence for him to deliver

an extraordinary solo in the Resurrection Round.

But the real twist came when The Next Step thought

they'd be facing off against their former team-mate Richelle.

In a move no-one saw coming, not even me,

The Next Step and Richelle decided to team up

and delivered a performance of a lifetime

that ultimately led to their disqualification.

All teams must declare all dancers in order to keep it fair

for all of the competitors. Thereto for...

The Next Step and Richelle are disqualified.

BOOING

Those are the rules.

Joining me for today's scoop on what really happened,

welcome to the show, Richelle and Kenzie.

Thank you so much for having us, Miss Angela. Hi, Miss Angela.

OK, well, let's not waste any time and dive right in.

Does The Next Step, or do you, Richelle,

have any regrets about stepping away from what could have been

a life-changing, career-making choice?

It's cool. Totally, totally cool. I'm a part of a team.

Now that your professional career is dead, what's next?

Oh, our careers aren't dead. They're actually just getting started.

First, we're going to take Nationals and then Internationals.

This time next year, we can be in Paris. Kenzie's right.

I never look back, I only move forward.

And I've been to Nationals. It's all about dancing your best.

I've actually never been to Nationals,

but I do love dancing my best. There's no other way.

And the Face is back.

Great. Well, let's see what Ryan, one of the judges,

thinks of your decision.

Woo!

One...hot...solo, am I right? Man, you owned it!

That was a risky move, choosing one of my songs.

Ha-ha-ha! That's it.

Ryan, welcome to the show.

Hey. What's up, y'all? Thanks for having me.

Let's just dive right in.

There seems to be some backlash over J-Cruise automatically winning.

Do you think they would've won if Richelle and The Next Step

hadn't automatically disqualified themselves?

Hey, listen, I've always been a big fan of J-Cruise, OK?

I like their style, I think they're hard-working.

And it's hard to come back from an injury, but Jones did it.

Did you ever really imagine an end like this for the Dancemania finale?

Nah, this was one for the records.

So, Ryan, you've seen the dancer Lily.

You've seen her, right?

The best dancer in the troupe. She was the mouse, right? Yeah.

Er, no, she was the caterpillar. Yeah, yeah. That's right, yeah.

Yeah, the caterpillar, er, she moved her arms around.

So, Ryan, give it to me straight.

Would I have won this whole competition?

Well... Well, here's the thing, you know,

the way it went down is the way it went down, right?

I can't say if you would have won or if you would have lost, because...

Ah! All right, so I did make the right decision. OK.

Guess I'm not the only one asking questions on my podcast.

So...since Maria's corrupt, will there be a new judge next season?

Well... Well, I-I-I wouldn't say she's corrupt.

She's had some vacation time built up, so she's going to put it

all...all on next season, so she won't be there next season,

so I guess, yeah... I mean, there's a seat open up.

Oh, so there's room for someone? There's room for a new judge?

Ah, did I say... Did I say it opened up?

Er...you know, I'm not the person in charge of that, but...

I'll do it. I mean, eventually... I'll do it.

Yeah, yeah, I'll... We'll put you on the list then. Ooh, I'll do it.

Maybe the season after that, you know?

Well, great.

Looks like there's a bright future for The Next Step after all.

Stay tuned as we deep dive into more of life after Dancemania.

I'm Baroness von Dance. Keep your feet light and your moves tight.

Welcome, Dancemaniacs, to the Dancemania Mania Podcast.

I am Baroness von Dance, bringing you an exclusive on The Next Step,

the dance troupe that made Dancemania history.

SHE COUGHS

Sorry.

Just a little tickle in my throat.

Not to worry, I'm looking after my voice.

It is my most valuable instrument.

So today, we're settling an argument between Heath, Henry and Ozzy.

Apparently, Dancemania released some controversial

behind-the-scenes footage.

Hey. How do I look? Like an idiot.

But I'm wearing the exact same thing as you.

Yeah, but I make it look good.

Ha-ha-ha!

And this is where things get sticky for Henry.

Everyone keeps messaging me

about who should have been Tweedledum, Ozzy or Heath.

Personally, I'm going to say Heath.

There is no way I am Tweedledum.

Listen, if Henry's so confident, maybe he should be Tweedledum.

Heath, Henry, either one could be Tweedledum.

To be honest, it's like people forget

that I won the Resurrection Round.

If anything, I'm Tweedle Genius.

Who is Dancemania's true Tweedledum?

Let's find out.

Welcome to the show, Henry, Ozzy and Heath. Hey. Hi.

All right, so we've all agreed that we're going to have a quiz

to settle the debate, so get those buzzers warmed up.

SQUEAKING

Why are we doing this again?

I'm just making sure that we're all aware that I was the one

who saved the whole team with my amazing musical theatre moves.

OK, before we lose more time,

let's dive into the Dancemania Mania quiz.

First question - this dance move in ballet means "tiny jump".

SQUEAK

Heath, go ahead.

Petit jete.

Correct. That's one point for Heath.

What Dancemania judge has been on the show the longest?

SQUEAKING

Federico.

You got this. Let's go!

Who was the host before Tink Kelly took over?

SQUEAKING

Of course, it's Taylor Peters.

Dang! What kind of show is this?! No point for you.

You got to be kidding me! Next question.

SQUEAKING

This dynamic duo lost the duet in Season 4.

SQUEAK

Tania and Chase. You got it!

This contestant lost in the Season 12 finale due to an injury...

Jones from J-Cruise.

That was an easy answer. Where was your chicken?

SQUEAK

In Season 1,

Duncan B wowed the judges with this move.

A 540. Right answer. I got that one wrong?

Whoop Troupe won their round with which style of dance?

You can just give me the point. It's hip-hop.

A style that is underrated...

SQUEAKING

Henry, I didn't finish the question. Tap dance.

Wow. Yeah.

Whoo! Which judge is a singer, not a dancer?

Maria. How did I get that wrong?

Definitely, that's the right answer. Your cue cards are wrong. One point.

You just gave it to Heath because it's... Belinda and Jordan.

So close. That's why he studied so much! Yes!

You're one step closer to Tweedle Genius.

Of course, it's Struan Cartwright.

Come on, you're giving that point to Henry?! Jeez!

Oh, that's an easy one. Of course it's lyrical.

Nice try. You're wrong.

I can't lose to Ozzy, no way. Erm, Tweedle Genius.

So, it looks like we have a three-way tie between

Henry, Heath and Ozzy.

Get your paper and pens ready, guys.

You're going to have ten seconds to answer the question. Here we go.

In the history of Dancemania, all 13 seasons,

who had the best scoring musical theatre dance of all time?

OK, get ready to reveal those answers. Heath.

Oswald. OK. Henry.

Ozzy. Over to you, Ozzy.

Twinkle Toes Studio.

Ozzy, you are correct.

It was Twinkle Toes Studio in Season 6 with the dance

that took them from Group Division straight to the finale.

Wow. I could have sworn it would have been you, Ozzy.

Yeah, man. Should have been you. Thanks, guys.

Well, since Heath and Henry tied,

all we really know is what Ozzy's been telling us all along.

He's Tweedle Genius. So, tune in next time, when I take you behind

the making of Dancemania's most explosive and controversial dance.

Until then, I am Baroness von Dance.

Keep your feet light and your moves tight.

Hey, guys, it's Richelle.

Unfortunately, Miss Angela has laryngitis. She has no voice.

So, naturally, she asked me to come on and take over for today.

I mean, as the most senior member on A-Troupe,

former Face of Absolute Dance, the winner of the solo round

and the favourite to win Dancemania on my own...

PHONE PINGS

"Stick to the script."

Welcome, Dancemaniacs, to Dancemania Mania Podcast.

I'm Richelle, filling in for Baroness von Dance -

and today, I'm going to be talking about the behind-the-scenes

and the making of the Alice in Wonderland dance.

So, Richelle's dancing with us.

That way, we can all dance our best.

And when we get disqualified,

we don't have to sign Maria's contract.

Let's do this.

Man, did it feel so good to be able to dance with them again!

So, the plans have changed. I'm going to need a different look.

It was a challenge to keep our plans to change the dance a secret,

especially from the Dancemania production crew,

but we knew that we had to make it work.

I was playing the role of Alice,

but when I decided to go off and compete as a soloist,

Summer took that role.

When A-Troupe asked me to come back, it just...

It didn't feel right to take on the role of Alice.

Originally, Piper was playing the Red Queen - but for some reason,

everyone kept insisting that I play that role.

I mean, should I be offended by that?

SIGHS: Just keep moving forward, Richelle. Don't think about it.

Anyways, that meant that we had to find a new role for Piper to play,

so we added in the Dormouse.

Now, I'm not exactly sure where exactly that character

comes into play in the story of Alice in Wonderland,

but Piper made it hers.

Seven and eight, and one and two and three and four...

Now, leading a group dance is not easy.

It's the same side. One, two...

It requires a lot of hard work, teamwork - and on top of that,

it was a very time-consuming process.

It's a full...dah!

The group really came together over many weeks to create this routine.

The song was given to us by Dancemania.

When it came to the concept, the ideas, the creative,

it was all up to us.

That's my favourite part, right there.

We really responded to the lyrics that we're not kids any more.

We've all really felt that we've grown tremendously

throughout this experience and we really wanted to portray that

throughout this routine.

Before we went on for the Alice dance,

it was a really special moment for all of us but especially for me.

I went through a roller-coaster ride of emotions through Dancemania,

and being able to get on stage with A-Troupe was nothing

that I thought would ever happen at Dancemania.

One thing that we actually weren't sure about was the door.

Originally, the camera was supposed to follow Alice

through into Wonderland.

But it didn't fit, so it had to go around.

The Alice in Wonderland dance is a very unique dance to A-Troupe

but also to The Next Step.

It was where we had our own characters,

had our own roles to play, but also connected as a family

and as A-Troupe, and I think that it was a really tough competition,

especially with myself, being competing as a soloist

and then so quickly having to come together

and create a really spectacular routine to really impress the judges

and also the live audience and everyone watching from home.

But I think it really holds a special place in all of our hearts

and I hope that everyone really enjoyed watching it.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

I think what made this dance the most special

was that we all kind of knew that this could be the last time

that we were going to be dancing altogether.

After everything Maria did to compromise my dancing

in order to guarantee the result that she wanted,

I felt like a million bucks dancing with The Next Step again.

Take that, Maria.

It was the perfect way for us to end our time on Dancemania.

And, yeah, I hope that you guys found that really interesting.

I know that Baroness von Dance will be back very soon,

and...I think that's the end.

PHONE PINGS

Oh. Right. Right.

Keep your feet tight and your moves light.

Oh, scratch that! Sorry. Other way around.

Anyways, bye!

Good morning, Dancemaniacs, and welcome to another

very special deep dive into your favourite show, Dancemania.

Now, the Baroness still has laryngitis,

but she very graciously asked me to fill in.

OK, I may have begged -

pleaded, even - but that's semantics.

Anyway, today, we're going to look at another aspect of the team

that made Dancemania history, The Next Step.

How did they manage to get a group and a soloist into the finale?

You know the saying -

"Behind every strong dancer is an even stronger studio head,"

and as the Baroness won't let me interview myself,

we've been joined today, very luckily,

by former Next Step studio head Emily.

Hi, Nick. How are you?

Quite a bit going on over here.

As you know, I am producing Michelle's tour,

and we're looking for an opening act.

Oh! Oh, very exciting.

How are you?

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, you know.

I've kind of been avoiding the studio ever since

A-Troupe and B-Troupe decided they both want to go to Nationals.

Not quite sure how to...deal with that dilemma,

so...kind of been laying low until I can figure it out.

So... Mm!

Anyhoo!

Er, the Baroness said not to go off on tangents,

so...let's start the interview.

Let's talk about your history with The Next Step.

Now, you started with Baby Ballet... Mm-hm.

..and then you went through to A-Troupe

and then you became studio head.

It was actually A-Troupe, then dance captain and then studio head.

I just want to make that perfectly clear. Right.

So, why did you leave?

Please come back.

Erm...

Let's... Let's just move on.

HE CLEARS THROAT

When Richelle and A-Troupe made it on to Dancemania, though,

your allegiances must have been torn.

You're the studio head for A-Troupe,

but you've known Richelle most of her life.

Dancemania cameras follow contestants around

even when they're not performing on stage,

and we've managed to get exclusive footage

of a moment that wasn't seen on TV.

Let's have a look at the clip, and then we'll discuss.

I didn't think anyone from The Next Step was allowed back here.

Yeah, well, I used my own credentials.

I wanted to see how you're feeling.

Are you good with your choreo? Any last-minute wardrobe changes?

No, I feel pretty good. Thank you, though.

You're going to knock it out of the park like you always do, OK?

Thanks.

Actually, Emily...

..if you have a second, could I ask you something super quick?

Sure.

How much does A-Troupe hate me right now?

Be completely honest with me,

because I know what I did right now was...pretty bad.

A-Troupe's still really upset, Richelle.

I mean, your timing... Your timing was terrible.

Did you do it just to spite Summer?

Well, of course, I was jealous of her,

but it really wasn't for the reasons that you think.

Seeing Summer audition as a soloist really sparked something new for me.

So, that's why I'm here.

Richelle, you're up next, OK? We'll just get you to holding.

OK.

Good luck, my girl.

Thanks.

In that moment, what were you thinking?

I had watched Richelle grow up, and I knew exactly what she needed.

Just a little bit of encouragement. So, that's what I gave her.

Could you have predicted that Richelle and A-Troupe

would have joined forces to get disqualified from Dancemania?

What I will say is that it was nice to see

that The Next Step stuck to its values.

I mean, they danced as a team, they worked as a team,

and they danced because they love to dance.

And to see Richelle really take that message to heart,

join back up with the team - and she did it for the right reasons,

and I'll always love her for that.

They have a really strong future ahead of them.

I think so.

Do you miss this at all?

Miss what?

You know... You, me, chatting away?

No!

No, I don't miss it at all.

Bit harsh.

Listen, Nick, of course I love you and of course I miss The Next Step,

but...my heart belongs elsewhere now.

I don't suppose you could come in for a surprise visit now and then,

maybe...help figure out who's going to Nationals?

Nick, you are a studio head - one of the best ones I know -

and studio heads always figure it out.

I have complete faith in you.

Thank you, I'm sure I'll...figure it out.

I'm sure you will.

Dancemaniacs, this has been so great!

Please remember, Michelle's tour coming soon.

Countless tickets available, but only a select few VIP packages.

So, sign up for our e-mail list and get in there early.

Anyway, bye now!

OK, bye, Emily! Thank you!

And with that, we wrap up another exciting episode

of the Dancemania Mania Podcast.

This is Baron von Dance,

saying keep your feet light and your moves tight.

I can't believe I get to say that. Dreams do come true!

We'll see you next time. Bye!

Miss Angela - I mean, The Baroness - is still out with laryngitis,

so I'm going to be the host today. She gave me a very detailed script.

Erm...

Oh... Got it.

Welcome, Dancemaniacs, to another episode

of the Dancemania Mania Podcast

and our deep dive into The Next Step.

The Baroness is still out with laryngitis...

Oh, wait, I already said that.

..so she asked me to fill in.

OK, so, today,

we're going to take a look at all the fun behind-the-scenes stuff,

and I'm going to teach you all the lingo

that goes into making a great TV show.

You know, I loved being on TV,

and I may even become a TV producer after this -

shout out to Shawn -

but here's the real behind-the-scenes scoop

of what goes into Dancemania.

All right, now, I want these cameras focused on my good side.

Lots of close-ups this year. I want close-ups.

Bring it in, bring it in closer. Closer!

All right, now, favour the left side because I've got a zit on the right.

Stop, stop! Everyone, freeze.

OK, so, at this point in the music,

this is where all the dancers will be,

so I need you to cover them with the cameras.

Why is that camera so high? Let's bring it down to eye level.

We want to capture the dance, OK?

It's a dance show.

During filming, there was at least five cameras filming Dancemania -

and not to mention the behind-the-scenes cameras.

The camera Shawn's talking about is called the crane.

It gets all of the high angles -

and there's definitely nothing like that at Regionals or Nationals.

Copy that. Got a 20 on the talent.

Did you hear that? "Talent."

OK, but what did the rest mean? I don't know.

20, in TV speak, means location,

and talent refers to anyone who wants to be on the show -

like The Next Step.

There are plenty strange expressions that go into TV.

For example, the Green Room is where the TV producers put the talent...

..but it's not even green.

Anyways, there are plenty more odd expressions

that anyone who wants to be in the TV biz needs to know.

For example, the craft -

and, no, I don't mean arts and crafts.

They have Derko chips!

I love these. Do you think I can take a bag?

No, it's clearly someone's party food.

I'm so hungry. I didn't eat breakfast this morning.

I know. I can eat everything on this table, including the table.

I feel that. Excuse me, guys. Oh...

Excuse me, that's stealing!

The food on the table is for everybody.

Wait, so these chips...?

Free.

This apple? Free.

So, you're saying, if I take a bite of this baguette,

no-one's going to say anything?

It's all free. That's how craft service works.

SHE CHUCKLES

Newbies!

Jones, just because you've been on the show before

doesn't mean you know everything.

But next, here's the best part of any TV show - the bloopers.

In showbiz speak,

that's all the mistakes that didn't really make it onto the show.

Is someone who could, er, show me around?

Oh, as the Face of Absolute Dance,

I'd be absolutely honoured and qualified to show you around.

I can't wait to figure out what that is.

Bro! So cute.

Oh, my God!

Whoa!

Oh, hey, oh! OK.

THEY LAUGH

Get some shots of her. That's a cool attitude, OK?

That's the opposite of cracking under pressure.

That's...

..forming up under pressure.

It's actually broken!

Didn't crack under pressure, and I thought you would.

I even said it to Mitch. I was like, "These guys are going to crack!"

And he went... He gave me the thumbs up. That's classic Mitch.

Not bad for five minutes till showtime.

Let's go get an apple juice.

People have been DMing me and asking me,

"What are the judges really like?"

and "Is Fredrico as mean as he seems?"

and I can confirm...yes. Yes, he is.

But here's a bit of the judges you didn't get to see.

That was a risky move, choosing one of my songs. Ah!

Let me just start by saying I loved the pyramid.

You danced like a beautiful, mellifluous, melodic song.

You pulled it off, man.

Beautiful moves, beautiful lines, beautiful hair, beautiful eyes.

Everything, man - you got it going on.

I loved how we used the fringe to do a car wash moment

on the male dancers.

So fun, just so much energy. Great work.

Unfortunately, for me, that song is a lullaby,

and it's putting me to sleep.

And that is a wrap on Kenzie - and, no, I don't mean wrapping paper.

It just means that this is the end of the episode

of Dancemania Mania Podcast.

And, oh, before I go, Miss Angela - I mean, The Baroness -

wanted me to tell you one more thing, and she said,

"Keep your feet light and your moves tight."

Huh?

Anyways, that's all for now. Bye!

Good morning, Dancemaniacs, and welcome to a very special deep dive

into your favourite show, Dancemania.

I am Baroness von Dance, back from an inconvenient bout of laryngitis.

But I am here for the final episode, so we can discover

who the Ultimate Dancemania Showmance really is.

So, without further ado, I'll introduce our first contestants -

my personal favourite - Lily and Kingston.

Welcome, Piper and Finn. What's up? Hey!

Great. Let's introduce our third couple.

Henry and Amy!

Actually, no.

Henry's recording a song tomorrow, so he wants to rest his voice.

And I was a little scared to let Miss Angela down.

LAUGHS: It's Baroness.

So, I'm Amy's plus-one.

All right, so this is how the game is played.

You're all in separate spaces, so you can't see each other's answers.

I'm going to ask you questions

and you're going to write your answers on a piece of paper.

Or whiteboard!

If your answers match your partner's, then you get a point.

And the team with the most points becomes

the Ultimate Dancemania Showmance.

OK. First question.

If you and your partner were in the resurrection round,

what style of dance would you choose for your duet?

OK, time's up. Lingston.

All Flash! Jazz!

Jazz?!

Why would you pick Jazz over All Flash

when you could just pick All Flash?

Jazz hands, the flashiest move of them all!

I don't know... OK, I'm just going to mute you guys.

Let's see... Finn and Piper.

Oh, we were so close, Pipes!

I wrote down the Frug. What?! The Frug?

You know, it's delicate in the arms...

OK, Finn, there is nothing close...

I-I'm just going to mute you guys. Carry on.

All right. Moving on to Samy.

Irish Stepdance!

GASPS: I wrote Irish Stepdance!

Well, that's a point for you two! Let's move on to the next question.

If your partner was on a quiz show,

who would be their Phone a Friend?

OK, so, Piper and Finn, let's start with you.

Finn. I'm Finn!

Amy. Of course!

I'm boyfriend. The question was...friend.

Yeah, right. Right, yeah. That's it. That's it.

Kingston and Lily?

Oh, we're on to the next question?

I...couldn't decide.

Oh, my gosh!

How does your partner like his or her tea or coffee?

All right, let's start with Summer and Amy.

You're right!

Short Non-Fat Half-Caf Dry Cappuccino.

Coffee! Kingston, the question was, "HOW do you like your coffee?"

Right. I go in and say, "I'd like a coffee." They give me a coffee.

And I like it. That's why I wrote coffee.

OK, let's move on to Piper and Finn.

I wrote down the exact same thing. Yes! We're still in the game.

Favourite ice cream.

Strawberry. The best flavour! Strawberry!

I got vegan cookie dough. Finn!

Mint chip! Hey! Finally!

How long does it take your partner to do their hair?

15 minutes, with a shower first.

That is correct. Yeah. Yes! 20 minutes!

I said, "Not long enough".

I feel like Kingston really should spend more time

on his personal hygiene.

I put "Too long". I spend so long on my hair.

OK, guys, dolphin or eagle?

Amy.

Dolphin. I said dolphin too!

What?! Dolphin! Finn, dolphin, Finn. It... It makes obvious sense.

Yeah, but you know what?

Yeah, you're right.

Kingston.

Yes!

Really, Kingston?

Final question. What's your favourite thing about your partner?

Lily, Kingston?

You can still take this.

Let's start with Lily and Kingston.

Her fire. Aw! I put my fire too.

Oh, oh, that's great! No, you both wrote fire.

That's 25 points! You're in! Yes!

And there's so much more, but I couldn't write them all down. Aw!

We're the best couple on here. Absolutely.

Let's move on to Piper and Finn.

I wrote "Piper's passion".

No way! I wrote my passion too!

That's 30 points. Yes!

I said my dancing too!

We know each other so well! Right?! Super. Amy!

That's...45 points for you guys.

That makes you the Ultimate Dancemania Showmance!

Twist ending!

Let's go! Girl power!

Well, that wraps up the final episode of The Next Step exclusive.

And remember - keep your feet light and your moves tight.

I'm Baroness von Dance,

and that's another season of the Dancemania Mania podcast.

# Nothing, no-one

# Nobody can stop us now

# Stop us now

# Watch us, we got this

# We're ready to show you how

# Show you how. #