St. Albert hip hop dancer Josh Beauchamp, 17, is stepping up in the world. As part of Los Angeles crew immaBeast, he performs on Jennifer Lopez’s upcoming reality TV show World of Dance.
Snippets from a Snapchat trailer reveal the flashy NBC dance competition debuts on Tuesday, May 30 with 16 dancers and groups from around the world going head-to-head in an exhibition of high-calibre, compelling moves.
Only one dancer, duo or group is eligible to win the $1 million grand prize.
“It was an amazing and eye-opening experience to see what goes on,” said Beauchamp adding the competition was filmed at Universal Studios.
As executive producer, Lopez is positioning the sensory-overloaded show as the next level of TV dance competition. It is to dance talent what American Idol and The Voice were to aspiring vocalists.
In addition to being the show’s executive producer, Lopez, who launched her entertainment career as a dancer, is also a judge.
Joining her on the panel is Ne-Yo (singer/songwriter/record producer) and Derek Hough (Dancing With the Stars). Jenna Dewan Tatum, Channing Tatum’s wife and a dancer in her own right, is the show’s host.
Now a Bellerose Composite High Grade 11 student, Beauchamp enjoyed the rare opportunity of meeting Lopez.
“We got a one-on-one session to help us out. We performed a rough draft for her and she gave us pointers on how to tell a better story and fix a trick. She was actually really nice and really helpful – a good mentor.”
Beauchamp was invited to join immaBeast after being spotted at an L.A. convention in 2015. Since then, the hip hop dancer has flown to the City of Angels whenever showcase projects are booked such as performing at a half-time show during an L.A. Clippers basketball game.
Will ‘WilldaBeast’ Adams, founder of immaBeast and celebrity artist dancer, formed an elite hip hop dance crew (including Beauchamp) and filmed Boss, a three-minute robotic video shared on YouTube.
The video was submitted to World of Dance for the first round of auditions. It impressed producers and the crew was invited to perform at a live audition in September 2016 at Centre Staging in Burbank.
“We felt confident going in and we knew right away we made it. We were told if you get an interview, you’ve made it and we got an interview right away.”
Dancers were called back to the Big Orange in January 2017 for a couple weeks of preparation and polishing prior to the show’s filming in late January and early February.
The dancers, from 11 to 17 years, were tasked with learning two smartly choreographed sets for the judges’ appraisal.
“We worked together for two solid weeks. We’re industry professionals so it wasn’t too hard.”
Choreographers WilldaBeast and Janelle Ginestra fine-tuned hip hop dance moves that involve popping, breaking, crimping and flipping among other things.
“You’ll also be seeing some visuals and tricks no one has seen before.”
Although viewers will see World of Dance as one continuous program interspersed with commercials, the dances were actually filmed in segments over a week with different audiences every day.
Receiving celebrity exposure has given Beauchamp lots of food for thought.
“I learned to put my best foot forward and not look back, to give it your all and never cut yourself short, and be open to new experiences and new people.”
Viewers following World of Dance on Snapchap will decide who they think deserves the crown. New episodes of the reality TV show will be released on the social media site every Monday, a day prior to the regular broadcast date.
Also performing on World of Dance are two Sherwood Park sisters. Reese Hatala is in the same segment as Beauchamp while Taylor performs in a different duo.
