Nigel And Simon Lythgoe's 'A Chance To Dance' Lands At Ovation

The father-son team of Nigel and Simon Lythgoe – producers of American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance, respectively – have a new dance reality series ready to go. It debuts August 17. The arts programming-focused Ovation sees the show as a way to brand it as a home for original programming to go along with the performance programming that normally fills its lineup.

Shine International, the worldwide distribution arm of Shine Group, has international rights to A Chance To Dance and will be taking it to MIPTV April 1-4 in Cannes, where it hopes to secure international sales.

Santa Monica, CA — March 12, 2012 The announcement was made today that  Ovation, the only multi-platform network dedicated to art, artists and all forms of artistic storytelling, has green-lit a new dance competition series from executive producers Nigel and Simon Lythgoe. A co-production between their two respective companies, Nigel Lythgoe Productions (NLP) and Legacy Productions, A CHANCE TO DANCE follows Michael Nunn and William Trevitt — two former Royal Ballet dancers known as “The BalletBoyz,” as they audition, select and train a new American dance company.

“With distribution surpassing 50 million homes, Ovation is expanding into more and more high-profile, signature original programming that will showcase how art makes for compelling TV with mass audience appeal. A CHANCE TO DANCE is an excellent example,” said Slava. “We are jazzed to be working with Nigel and Simon Lythgoe, who are among the most successful producers of reality competition shows in television today. Between them they have years of experience crafting hit shows like So You Think You Can Dance (which we recently acquired rights to air several seasons of) and American Idol. They combine a commitment to the arts with a track record for making addictive TV — a perfect match for Ovation. Viewers are in store for a very exciting and inspiring show.”

“Simon and I are thrilled to be working with Ovation, a network that truly speaks to our artistic passions,” said Nigel, CEO, NLP. “We’ve been fortunate to tap into an insatiable craving for dance on television, and with A CHANCE TO DANCE we hope to continue to fill that need.”

 

“With the incredible talents of “The BalletBoyz,” unlike any other competition show on television, A CHANCE TO DANCE will provide audiences with a rare glimpse into what it takes to audition, train and participate in a true American dance company,” said Simon, President, Legacy Productions.

 

A CHANCE TO DANCE is set to premiere on Ovation August 17.