Dance for Your Life (2026) Movie Script

1
(ambient music)
(participants chattering)
- (clapping) Okay, from the top, let's go.
Three, two, one.
(tense music)
Hold!
Okay. It's getting there.
It's getting there, but we're
gonna have to go again.
Reset.
Full Time dance
or Full Time as we call it in Australia,
is like university for dancers.
Five and six and seven and eight.
One and two, three and four,
and five, six, seven, eight.
And one, two, three, four,
five, six, seven, and eight.
And one, two, three.
- Dance schools are kind
of known for having like,
the dancers are bitchy or whatever,
and I don't think that's what we have here.
It's more of a like a fight for the spot
to be a professional.
It's not bringing someone down,
it's, hey, there's one spot
and it's gonna be mine.
(upbeat music)
This group is the best I
personally have ever taught
any where, ever. (chuckles)
(energetic uptempo music)
As soon as the music turns on,
no one in that room is your friend anymore.
Why are we dead in the face?
(energetic uptempo music)
Boom! Stop. (vocalizing)
Find the pause. Go again.
(energetic uptempo music)
- We have had a huge
opportunity come into my inbox.
I've been in the industry
for a very long time.
It is a once in a lifetime opportunity
for you guys to audition for.
You all know about Dean Lee.
You all know about his breadth of work
with multiple
international touring artists,
specifically with Janet Jackson currently.
(upbeat music)
(audience applauding and cheering)
- In my career, I've
definitely been the underdog.
I don't think I have the
conventional beauty standard
of what a backup dancer is.
I'm not hot, I'm not sexy, you know?
So for me, I really honestly,
like so many people say this,
but I don't think they truly mean it.
But I literally don't
care what you look like,
what height you are,
what size your body is.
I couldn't care less, but
just turn up and be great.
Show mama. Fill out from the top please.
Five, six, seven, and eight.
Hit it. One, two and three.
A four and five and six,
seven and eight and one.
The big dream for me is creating Shapehaus,
my dance company.
Boom, back.
Hit, hit, hit, hit, round.
Yes. There we go.
I'm a very good balance of Mama Dean
and the, you know, professional
that's gonna crack the whip.
Five and seven and eight and one.
Boring.
We're always looking for the best.
I reached out to Brent Street
'cause I've never in my entire life
met a bad Australian dancer.
- To be a backup dancer constantly working,
constantly touring.
That's like my dream. That's my end goal.
No one can be perfect but I try.
(dramatic instrumental music)
- I love to just serve face.
(dramatic instrumental music)
Yeah, sometimes I get the
tongue out, it depends. Yeah.
- Shapehaus it's about
recognizing the underdog.
(dramatic instrumental music)
- The way you look does play a big hand
in whether you book the job.
- For male dancers,
stereotypes definitely vary.
Mask, there's not that many jobs out there
looking for a dancer like me.
- I personally think I haven't booked a job
because of the way I've looked.
This opportunity with
Dean Lee could possibly be
the last big chance of
having a career like this.
- I can see where their dreams are.
I can see what they want to be doing.
- From the moment that
someone had come up to me
and asked, "What do you want to do?"
It would always be backup dancer.
- They wanna be on that
world stage with that big artist.
They wanna be doing the music videos,
they want be doing Super Bowl,
they wanna be doing stadium tours.
- I wanna live the tour life.
I wanna be going from
city to city with no sleep.
Like this probably sounds like I'm listing
other people's hell,
but it's heaven for me.
- If they want like a real lasting career,
it needs to be international.
- [Dean] My plan is to bring
10 dancers from Australia
over to London to audition
for one place in the company.
- There's only going to be 10 of us
that get selected to go to London.
- I just see myself working
as a young professional dancer
or like peaking now.
- Only one of us will get to stay.
(dramatic instrumental music)
(birds chirruping)
(dancers chattering)
(upbeat electronic music)
Back out the stu', the
biddies pull through
In, comin' out, it's a party zoo
Pick my cup, it's enough for two
Sip on the juice, all I wanna do
Do, do, do, do-do, do, do
(gentle instrumental music)
- That name that they
even put on the thing,
a backup dancer, that's my goal.
That's why I'm really interested.
- [Dancer] We've got an
audition coming up in our lives.
So what does that
mean for you if it's a no?
- This is what she's spoken
about, backup dancing,
traveling to London.
Don't have her feet.
- Okay. Like I'm not you either.
- Squat, like a ballet squat.
- She wants this more than anything.
She's been quite tame about it.
- Go one, two, go three and four.
That was good. I loved that.
Okay, one more time.
Abby is honestly a superstar.
Abby's very, very good.
She's very versatile.
She is strong. She has a great look.
(upbeat music)
She is everything I would look
for in a professional dancer.
One, two, three, four,
five, six, seven, ha.
- Abby's got the look.
She's got the talent.
She's what you would
call the perfect package.
Tell 'em, I don't care
Tell 'em
- You know Doechii reposted you doing that?
- Me? - Yeah. Only you.
She's like the amount of videos I posted
of people doing it and
she reposted your one.
- Oh my God.
- She's really, really good
and I love that for her
but it scares me so much.
(gentle uptempo music)
- Cooper and I met at Brent Street.
- We found our ourself.
We found ourself always been,
I don't know, partnered together
or put together and things.
- Yeah, it was cute.
(gentle uptempo music)
We speak every single day.
- [Interviewer] Will you
be speaking to Cooper
before you go in the room?
- I don't think I'll speak
to Cooper before I go in.
I don't know, it's just, it's,
he's not my competition,
but it is a competition. - Yeah.
- Like I wanna do it together
but like I've never thought
of us as like a half and a half.
He's always gonna be
my number one supporter
and I'm always gonna be his,
but I'm gonna be selfish
because it's my goal
and I have never really imagined
being a backup dancer with my boyfriend.
I've always just imagined
being a backup dancer for me.
So that's what I'm gonna do. Sorry.
- That was good. (Abby chuckles)
(tense upbeat music)
- I feel like there's a lot of good dancers
that worked so hard to
get to where they're at,
but I feel like I did not
work that hard to be here.
I literally just like
got magically good I guess.
But yeah.
- Jake is a bit of a wild card
because he is so incredible.
But I still think he is new
and he is like up and coming,
so I think he has way more training to do.
But there is something about
him that you do wanna watch him
and he does like draw your attention.
- I think people would describe me
as just a really confident person.
I always walk around
with my head held high.
- [Paris] Go one, two, three, four.
That was good.
Yes. Thank you.
(dancers clapping)
- Sometimes I can just have that bitch face
where I'm just like, I
look like I don't care.
But I feel like that's
just me on the outside
and no one really knows me on the inside.
- I've heard things about
you being late to class
or skipping class,
kind of picking the
classes that you wanna do.
Like do you wanna be here?
- I do.
- Okay, well it feels like at the moment
that maybe that's not the case.
- When you are on stage,
it's like not everyone's eyes
are like technically on you,
but I like to just like think that.
- Yeah, yeah. - Yeah.
- And like on me
and I'm like a character, yeah.
And I feel like that's
what gives me that aura.
Let's be so for real, if you
want to be in this industry,
why wouldn't you want this opportunity?
(upbeat music)
- I guess since being in LA,
it's not as glamorous
as you'd want it to be.
In the two months that I have been here,
I've only booked the one job.
One paid job.
Finance is complicated.
Not complicated, wrong word, difficult.
So far I've always had a place to stay.
I'm 5'6". I still don't look like a man.
My journey in dance is
extremely challenging.
I wouldn't say the best
dancer always gets the job.
It's not necessarily the
smartest financial decision
to be purchasing a ticket to Australia
because I don't know whether
I've actually got enough money
to make it back to LA.
(feet stomps)
(sentimental music)
- [Interviewer] Have
you heard that Max Ostler
is coming to the audition?
- Oh yeah. - Is he coming for it?
- Max Ostler being in the
room, that frightens me
because he's incredible.
- He's here in Sydney? - Is he doing it?
Max is one of the best
dancers I've ever watched.
- Oh yeah.
- Yeah, he's got it
and he's got the emotional side
that a lot of dancers won't have.
(sentimental music)
- Back at Brent Street.
A new audition.
(dancers chattering)
- This is a lot of cortisol for 9:00 AM.
- Yeah.
- I'm excited to step into the room
but at the same time a little nervous
because like it's kind of scary
stepping in with people
who are younger than me.
- We train like five days a week.
We're definitely at like the fittest
you ever are gonna be as
a dancer is during full time.
(sentimental music)
- It's also scary going in there
with like kids I've taught
over the last few years.
Like the expectation is
that I probably should
be getting it over them
but those kids are insane.
- We're just like so eager
and like when they we then
say bright and bushy tailed.
- As a dancer, I feel
like I'm quite confident.
- Before an audition my ritual
is to imagine myself doing it.
Perfection.
When people are giggling,
you're obviously not really in the zone.
(sentimental music)
- Smooth. Make it smooth.
- Welcome, everyone.
We started off with 200 applications.
We will be cutting that down to a callback
of 40 people only.
From there we'll cut down
to another group of 20
where you will dance for your life.
And then we will have our top 10.
- I'm most intimidated
by Cassie... Cassie.
- Out of everyone on the panel.
- I want you to be hungry. Yeah?
Hungry but not desperate.
- She's just scary.
- She's just scary, yeah.
- [Lucas] We wanna see if
our current students can kick it
with the professionals
that are in the rooms.
Amazing dancers are gonna get cut today.
- Ready? - Yeah.
- [Lucas] Let's go.
In, put it down, make
your heart go zoom
Kick my drum, make it bang for you
Four on the floor, all I wanna do
Back out the stu', the
biddies pull through
In, comin' out, it's a party zoo
Pick my cup, it's enough for two
Sip on the juice, all I wanna do
Do, do, do, do-do, do, do
Black out the room,
make the bass go boom
In, put it down, make
your heart go zoom
Kick my drum, make it bang for you
Four on the floor, all I wanna do
Black out the room,
make the bass go boom
In, put it down, make
your heart go zoom
Kick my drum, make it bang for you
Four on the floor, all I wanna
- She's an art. she's an art, he's an art.
- [Choreographer] Big arm more.
Tilt head.
Four on the floor, all I wanna do
(energetic upbeat music)
All I wanna, all I wanna, all I wanna
All I wanna, all I wanna
All I wanna, all I wanna, all I wanna
All I wanna, all I wanna
All I wanna, all I wanna, all I wanna
- [Cassie] Some of them aren't match fit.
Black out the room,
make the bass go boom
- [Lucas] Thank you
guys, thank you very much.
You can wear that in
the hallway. Thank you.
- I can't feel my legs.
- I feel like I need a defib.
- A defib.
(group laughing)
- [Cassie] So many girls, this is so hard.
Boom.
- Nah, it's not hard.
- Do you think you did good?
- I think I did so good. - Yeah.
- I wouldn't be like,
disheartened is probably
the word if I didn't
'cause I know I just killed that.
- Can you put Emily and Holly over here?
Okay, let's just do the girls first.
We have three more spots for the girls.
I think...
(Cassie sighs heavily)
Emily does the chorey
but I don't know who it is.
(gentle instrumental music)
- I actually haven't
been on stage since grad.
So, it's been three years.
- It's up to her as to
when she will call it.
- She'll know. - Time on it.
- She'll realize.
- But as time marches
on, reality also sets in.
- 18 years now of dancing.
Like surely I could get something.
Surely, surely.
(gentle instrumental music)
I wake up in the morning
and I check in the mirror
to see what it would look like
and I would purposely at
concerts, tape my boobs down
and my stomach down for a dance concert.
I've lost over 10 kilos.
In a way I just wanted to be wanted
by people in the industry.
(melancholic music)
I obviously had lost my mama
when I was very, very young.
She didn't get to live
the life that she deserved.
I feel like I was put on
this earth to give her the life
that she was supposed to live.
So whenever I dance, I think of that.
(melancholic music)
Throughout my entire
life I had held onto the fact
that I still have one parent.
I always knew, like,
you still got your daddy.
He's still there.
Being 18, I was finally able
to obtain my documents from my entire time
that I was in the foster care system.
I sat there and I read over 1,000 pages.
Surprise is an understatement.
- She had always gone on knowing
that her father wasn't well, was in care.
- Yeah.
- Didn't really know how to contact
or should she contact.
What would be the consequence of that?
But to get to open an envelope, read it.
- Yeah. - And your father's past.
- It was horrifying to be honest.
- Please call this number.
So she calls the number
and says, "I'm Emily
Madeline Smith reporting.
Can you tell me about my father's death?"
And then to be told it
was four years prior to that,
it wrecked her.
- Why could, you know,
the world be so cruel?
That's what I was thinking 'cause,
I don't know.
You don't want anyone to ever go
through something like that.
You wouldn't wish that on
your worst enemy, you know?
So that was a...
It was a tough situation for me.
- It's still like-
- It broke her, it broke her.
- I've got no parents anymore.
- From that, I've
learned a lot about myself
and my resilience and how strong I am
and that if I can get
through something like that,
I can honestly get through anything.
That's why dance has really been
the biggest thing in my life
because I've been able to
just push everything aside
and just do what I love
and move and feel happy.
If I were to not get through this audition,
I think I would question
myself as a dancer.
I'd think, God, what am
I even doing anymore?
Like should I get an office job?
Like literally.
- Everybody back in please.
Moment of truth.
(dramatic music) (dancers chattering)
- We would like to see
these people for a callback.
Six.
Number 134.
Number 20.
Number 152.
Number 19,
number 41.
- Yes, I have gotten in to the next round.
Very, very excited. Very, very grateful.
I was actually very on the
fence about if I would or not.
(dancers clapping)
(dramatic piano music)
(dancer screaming)
- I swear every time I look over,
someone is practicing this combo.
It can't get into your muscle
memory anymore. I swear.
(dancers chattering)
No, thinking about like
half this room getting cut.
- Okay, great win. We made
it through the first round.
Awesome.
Harsh reality. Yeah.
I'm gonna give it to you straight.
It's not good enough yet.
Don't hold back.
Now is the time to really push yourself.
If you know that you are confident
in just standing there and
like looking, do that, yeah?
I haven't seen some things from people
that I know that they can do.
- I still have a lot of like
inner self-talk I need to work through.
- Okay.
Here we are. The top 40.
We're gonna keep everyone in the room now
so you can feel each other's
energy a little bit more.
Yeah.
You'll also notice
who your competition is
in the room in that way.
Ultimately we're looking
for people to make mistakes
so we can get rid of people.
So don't give us the opportunity
to cue you out. - Yeah.
Because it'll have to happen that way.
(tense music)
- [Lucas] We're just gonna pull you out
in some smaller groups
and give you a little bit of feedback.
- I wanna see grit and grime
and disgustingness from you.
You have so much more to give.
I want the bite. I want everything.
(tense music)
You need to stand out in the
chorey and only the chorey.
Yeah, that last round is gonna be
where you get to add that next layer.
So if you can't stand
out within the framework
of what we've given you,
then unfortunately that's
gonna have to be the end.
Yeah?
So, I wanna see be, be, be, finish.
Hold it, hold it, hold it.
Ba.
(tense dramatic music)
- [Lucas] I myself was never
the strongest dancer in the room,
but the one thing that I did have
was an ability to make you watch me.
- I would only put one
through in that group
personally. - Really?
(tense dramatic music)
- [Lucas] Abby, I would
love a bit more fun with it.
(tense dramatic music)
This means war
(tense dramatic music)
- [Lucas] You can dance like nobody else.
- You are one of the most
trustworthy dancers in the room.
Max, I wanna see you fight for it.
- Yeah. - I feel like you have
so much more to give.
Yeah?
You might not get a second chance.
(dancers applauding and cheering)
All I wanna do
Black out the room,
make the bass go boom
In, put it down, make
your heart go zoom
Kick my drum, make it bang for you
Four on the floor, all I wanna do
Back out the stu', the
biddies pull through
In, comin' out, it's a party zoo
Pick my cup, it's enough for two
Sip on the juice, all I wanna do
Do, do, do, do-do, do, do
Black out the room,
make the bass go boom
In, put it down, make
your heart go zoom
Kick my drum, make it bang for you
Four on the floor, all I wanna do
Black out the room,
make the bass go boom
In, put it down, make
your heart go zoom
Kick my drum, make it bang for you
Four on the floor, all I wanna
(energetic upbeat music)
- [Dancer] Nice!
(energetic upbeat music)
Four on the floor, all I wanna do
(energetic upbeat music)
(dancers applauding and cheering)
- I'll take it.
- [Lucas] That's it.
That's the starting point.
That's what we want. - There we go.
(tense music)
- I did like this foot to the floor.
Wasn't planned.
- Based on that second round,
Max Ostler was the person
that really stepped it the hell up.
I am Jake's number one fan.
I think he did really well.
I think Jono did really well.
It's one or the other for me.
It's one of these two.
I really think Jake
kicked it with the big boys.
- I agree and he brings something
that none of those boys have.
So we're gonna release Jono?
- Oh.
- [Tannos] That sucks but yes.
- Taking rejection is a
big part of being a dancer.
You're not gonna be right
for every single thing that you do.
- Sorry, Coops.
- That's the end of the road
for me but that's all right.
- Abby. - Yeah, she's here.
- Go give it your all. - Yeah.
- And yeah, you'll be fine.
- Thank you. - Of course.
(melancholic music)
- [Cassie] Emily.
I wanna see her become
an artist, not just a dancer.
- Totally. - I agree.
- Yeah. - And that's what's lacking
and is that something that
Dean can get out of her?
- Maybe.
(melancholic music)
- We have seen you dance.
So, tell us about what this
opportunity would mean to you
and how it could set you up
for what you want in the future.
- Dance is my life.
This has been what I
was born to do since 2 1/2.
- This is what I wanna do
and it's what I'll always do
and it's what I need to do.
- I'm ready to move overseas
and take the next step.
And I know that I need to be
in front of these people
to make that happen.
- Just gathering my words.
- What Sydney dancers
have is like out of this world.
- My lifelong dream is to back up dance.
I know I'm gonna do it.
- I've always been like a known dancer
that works their butt off
and is at every rehearsal
and always knows what she's doing.
But I've never quite gotten there.
I've always been just under,
or I don't know, always relied
on but never the one chosen.
It broke me for a while,
but I just keep fighting.
- When I first came here,
I think I was definitely this
like irrelevant Melbourne girl.
Going there would light me up a bit more.
Yeah.
And prove to the haters
that I got this bitch.
(group laughing)
- I guess post full time was
a pretty rough time for me
because like I fell out of love with dance.
I think I'm at a point in
my life where I'm ready
to just chase my dreams.
We've all worked our
asses off to be in this room
and we've worked our asses off
to be at the skillset that we have.
And I think this is the gateway.
(group clapping)
- Mm.
I don't wanna keep mentioning.
Okay.
When I grew up, I would imagine myself
dancing on a stage in an arena.
Oh my God.
I don't know. Sorry.
I just...
- It's okay. - You did so good.
- So good. - It's so good.
Don't apologize.
- Anyway.
Yeah.
I'm just, yeah.
I don't know what else to say. Sorry.
(dancer clapping)
- Hello.
I think for me personally as
a performer here in Australia,
I've felt quite lost.
I feel like I've never really fit in a box.
I think really this trip for me
would allow me to find myself,
if I could say in a short sentence.
- Top 10 would mean like
the absolute world to me
'cause I came to Brent Street this year.
I'm from the smallest town I think ever.
(sentimental music)
I'm from a very traditional Italian family.
My dad owns a heap of farms.
- I can remember him
when he was four years old
that we have a Filipino Christmas party.
And he goes to me, "Mom, I wanna dance."
I go, "No, because it's all girls."
But he was crying, he
was insisting to dance
and "Mom, I'm going to dance."
When we do competition
he's always got the first place,
first place, first place, wherever we go.
So it was amazing.
- My mom was the one taking
me to these competitions.
My mom was taking me to these workshops
and my dad, he wasn't
very supportive deep down.
- [Child] Jake's busy.
- [Mom] Jake is a bit different.
Hey Jake. - Yeah.
Yeah, I guess.
- You see he's a bit girly, you know?
Like with Italian doesn't support that.
- I just like broke stereotype in Griffith
because I don't think
anyone, especially males,
especially Italian males,
has ever done this ever.
No. Yeah, at all.
So it's very like, it's very scary.
School was very hard. I was very feminine.
Also a Catholic school, so.
Yeah.
- When he get bullied, it
affect us as a parent, you know?
So it really, like there's a time
that I was gonna pull out Jake from school.
But Jake always says that,
"No, I'm going to be a dancer."
- Yeah. - So I wanna be a dancer.
I said like what?
He said, "I will be a backup dancer."
Has a big ambition, you know?
- Yeah.
- We've reached a point of the day
where it's improvisation.
For me personally it's the most exciting
but I know it can be the most terrifying.
Everything we've done up until this point
has been about executing
notes that we've been giving you.
This is your opportunity
now to be implicitly,
wholeheartedly, and fully
unapologetically yourself.
Fear is the thing that defines us so often
and fear is the thing that holds us back.
And fear is the thing that
puts us in the car driving home
after an audition like this going,
"I should have, I should have,
I should have, I should have."
Try and leave everything that you've done
previously today outside.
This is like a new energy we
need to bring into the room.
This is your chance to dance for your life.
Really I know that sounds dramatic,
but this is literally what this is,
an opportunity like this only comes around.
It basically never comes around, yeah?
So leave fear at the door.
Use every single delicious
count in that eight eights.
Dance for your life.
Let's go.
- [Dancers] Nice.
(dancers cheering and clapping)
(tense music)
You like what you see,
you won't forgive me
I'm hot with the detail
I put your degrees,
they're on their knees
Don't forget to exhale
It's time to get up,
I'm strutting my stuff
I'm hot with the detail
I put your degrees, I put your degrees
You like what you see
You like what you see, yeah
You won't forgive me
you won't forgive me
You won't forgive me, yeah
You like what you see,
you like what you see
You like what you see, yeah
You won't forgive me,
you won't forgive me
(tense music)
You won't, you won't, you won't
You won't forgive me, yeah
(tense music)
You like what you see,
you won't forgive me
I'm hot with the detail
I put your degrees,
they're on their knees
Don't forget to exhale
It's time to get up,
I'm strutting my stuff
I'm hot with the detail
I put your degrees, I put your degrees
You like what you see
You like what you see, yeah
You won't forgive me
You won't forgive me, yeah
You like what you see
You like what you see, yeah
You won't forgive me
- [Dancers] Nice.
(dancers clapping)
- That whole moment we
saw it, I've got goosebumps,
like literally.
You've made our decisions
4,000 times more difficult.
But that's what dance fuel life is.
- I could be in it
depending on what they saw in me today
and like what I said, hopefully that was,
they're able to see through that.
- Yeah.
(sentimental music)
- Every single person in that room
deserves to be in front of Dean Lee.
So, it's really anyone's
game at this point.
(sentimental music)
- Far out.
- Yes, I can get in the top 20,
but can Emily be in the top 10?
I feel like that's the thought that I have,
but maybe they have as well.
So I don't know.
- Okay, obviously today's
been a huge day for everybody.
If I call out your number,
you will be one of the 10
to receive this life-changing opportunity.
Okay, the first number I
would like to call is number 29.
(dancers clapping)
(dancers chuckling)
- Thank you so much.
- [Lucas] That's all right.
- Oh my God.
- [Lucas] The next number
I would like to step forward
is number 138.
(dancers cheering and clapping)
Number 67.
Number 121.
(dancers cheering and clapping)
Number 73.
(dancers cheering and clapping)
(dramatic instrumental music)
So there's one spot left.
My heart is like smashing
against my rib cage it feels.
But the final number to add
to our top 10 is number 152.
- [Dancer] Yay!
(dancers cheering and clapping)
- [Emily] Oh my Lord.
(sentimental music)
- I honestly can't believe it.
I was so scared in the audition room
that I wasn't gonna make it
and that just kept running in my head.
So now that I've gotten
through to the top 10,
I feel so much lighter.
- London is such an amazing place.
Everything is there.
- Sharing a house with 10 dancers,
it's a lot for me.
Especially someone that
basically lives in a nursing home.
But I'm gonna cry a lot
when she goes. (chuckles)
- I love packing because
I feel like it's manifesting
my life of a dancer
where you're just always from this place
to that place and
over. (notification dings)
Wait.
Can I answer this?
"Conor, did you hear about Abby?"
She just got dropped from
a really high lift in rehearsal
"and has been rushed to the hospital."
What are they saying?
Oh my God. (gasps)
- There we go.
I can feel something.
Hopefully it's just a sprain.
I doubt it.
Sock is off.
Ooh, that is huge.
- [Passenger] No. Are you joking?
- [Abby] No, I'm not joking.
(pensive music)
It's pretty big.
- [Passenger] Biggest one?
- It's pretty big.
(pensive music)
Cried off all my makeup when I first fell.
Anyway.
- She would be feeling so devastated.
But I mean that's the life of a dancer.
You're injured one week
and then you're on stage the next week
and then you're in pain the week after,
and then rinse and repeat.
So, I think that's just what
we signed up for honestly.
I didn't read the fine
details, the fine print.
I didn't read the
contract I signed whatever
but I think everyone
knows that if you're a dancer
you're gonna wake up with pneumonia
and then you're gonna
have to perform on stage
that night with Ariana Grande.
You just have to, it's our job.
And also, we love it so much.
We're all crazy.
- We have spoken to Dean
and I was trying to
gauge what does this week
kind of look like
for everybody. - Yeah, yeah. Yep.
- And he said he thinks that even dancers
that are 100% capacity
are really gonna struggle.
- Mm.
- [Lucas] So he had said to me that
if she's not at 100%
then she shouldn't do it.
- Mm.
- So I think we're gonna have to call it.
- Like I feel like I can just see myself
like getting the job done
and I'm like, I feel like
if that's my attitude,
like I feel like I still deserve to go.
I don't know.
- [Lucas] You deserve it.
It's not about deserving. - Yeah,
you absolutely deserve it.
- [Lucas] It's not about deserving it
at all. - It's about the damage
you could do to yourself. - I know, I know
there could be more damage
but I feel like I could
just keep rehabbing it
day after day.
Icing it day after day and if it hurts more
and it does get worse, then I don't care
because I don't know if
I wanna do this forever.
Like I'm just trying to be real.
Like I just, I love dancing
but I'm like I don't see doing it
when I'm like 30 something.
Like people do, I get that,
that is like what dancers dream of.
But I'm also like, I do
want a family one day.
Like I'm like I wanna peak
now so I wanna do this now.
Even if it does cause further damage.
Like I wanna be there and do it.
Like I really do and I
know that he doesn't want
someone weak in the group
but like other sports,
like people are giving it a
go even when they are sore,
they have a sprain and
they fractured their foot
or they... You're right.
It could be fine.
You could go over there and
you could absolutely kill it.
That is a possibility.
There's also a chance
that you do further damage.
- [Abby] I agree and I don't care for that.
- But that's not a risk that
we wanna put you through
or that Dean wants to put you through
as well, you know? - Exactly.
I still wanna go so I don't know.
I just feel like I could do it.
- I think maybe... Do we need to-
- A conversation with Abby's physio
to say these are the things
that are likely going to be asked of her
and are you comfortable clearing her?
- Call me tomorrow morning
after you've been to the physio.
We'll then figure out from there
whether you're gonna get to the airport
and we'll make this happen
or whether we need
to call it at that point.
(somber music)
- [Announcer] 110 to on call.
- Is there anyone else here?
Or just me.
Oh.
- [Abby] Hi.
- Yay!
Oh, oh my God.
I'm excited, my God.
Yes.
- [Abby] I'll go through.
- Yes.
- So see you. - Yes.
- Your face was like, what?
- Oh no, I realize I was like yes.
So you got cleared? - Yes.
I'm just in like a thing underneath a boot.
So it's called an air cast for now.
- And it's so good. - I'm so excited.
(melancholic music)
(dramatic music)
- [Abby] I would love
to have a British accent.
- [Emily] A British accent.
- [Abby] I would love to live in the UK.
(uptempo music)
- Five, six, seven, go.
One and two and three and four and no Zac.
- What, I was three.
(uptempo music)
- Your food stomps on your count.
You don't start moving on your count.
- Yeah.
- Center... You're always saying yes
but you're not doing.
- [Sammy] Charles is gonna be waiting there
for a big hug on Alex.
- Okay, so if I just get to live in there.
Like I don't even have stairs in my house.
- One and two and three
and four and five and.
That was... Yeah.
- That was actually the beat.
- [Dancers] Yeah!
- I embrace the miracles
flowing into my life each day.
I embrace the miracles
songs into my life each day.
- I need to embrace those miracles.
- I embrace the miracles.
Also got some gratitude and worth
'cause you know. - We've got everything.
- Gotta remember my worth
and get my gratitude off.
- Have you got like an ex-boyfriend spell,
spray or something?
- Yeah, it's actually right here.
- That we like spray around.
Back in our full-time dance training
we were a little item.
- Yeah. - So we dated for,
how long was it?
- On and off. - Yeah.
It was on and off in the past
and then we broke up straight after.
- Yeah like three years ago we broke up
and then you know,
life just likes to put us
in scenarios together every now and then.
Yeah, like this one.
But this is actually the first time
we've been put in the same room
- I feel like in the next few days,
so, 'cause it's gonna be
so intense we'll be like,
or either we'll be like,
ohm we're in London or like-
- Or like, oh, get me out of London.
(Savannah chuckles)
- It feels like the stakes are so high.
Well like they're always
high in the dance studio.
Like it's dance studio.
But because it's Dean Lee
and 'cause there's other,
I'm a little bit scared
about the London dancers.
- Like intimidating? - Intimidated
and also just sometimes
I feel like I get really,
I can get really awkward in big groups
and I'm just scared I'm
gonna say something wrong
and they're gonna be like,
"Oh, who's this blonde
little boy from Australia?"
- They're all gonna be like pros as well.
- Yeah.
Like I don't know whether they'll like
look down on us. - Yeah or like,
I just don't know what to expect.
- Judge us or if they'll be,
they could be really nice.
- We just don't know.
- I also feel like dancers
are never really nice.
- No, well deep down at least.
- The nervousness has crept in.
- Yes. - A little bit more.
- I would definitely like to be
the person that gets the contract.
- Do you consider yourself
a competitive person?
- Whoever it is, like it
means they're more suited
for the role of what
he's trying to achieve.
- But we all want it to be us though.
- Absolutely, like-
- We are rooting for ourselves.
- Absolutely, like-
- As well as each other.
But it's like we're all here
because we want to launch our careers.
- Yeah.
- I don't really see any
other way that any dancer
in that room would feel any other way
than wanting to get that spot.
- Do we dance every day
surrounded by people we
love like our friends and stuff?
Like it's still competition no matter-
- Yeah but that's like the hard thing
is like... I know.
- Your best friend is also the person,
your biggest like enemy. - Biggest yeah.
- In a way.
- I want that dance contract.
I want that agent.
I want to win.
(tense music)
- Hi, guys.
- [Dancers] Hi.
- How are we?
- [Dancers] Good.
- Come gather. Come gather.
(tense music)
How are we?
- [Dancers] Good.
- I'm so sorry I'm so late.
My flight was so delayed
by a couple of hours
so I just, I got off the
plane, came straight here.
So I just need a shower
and then I'll be good to go.
Shapehaus was really
born out of the idea of
I knew so many incredible dancers
but were just having such a hard time
cracking into the industry
because it is so tough.
What you'll probably come to learn as well
is that it's not always
about the talent of a dancer.
So for me, Shapehaus is
really a group of people
that I know are exceptional at what they do
and giving them a space
to be able to go on stage
and perform as a company.
- Dean gave me my first ever job.
There was a thing about my height.
He was like, "No, I don't care.
He's gonna be taller than
the other boys but I don't care.
He's an amazing dancer.
He's a star and we'll figure it out."
- Dean can absolutely make some
wanna work in professional dancer.
Like I'd say he did that for me.
- I treat it as if I do every other job
that I do in the industry.
- Dean expects a lot from his dancer.
He expects excellence at all times.
- Dean knows what he wants.
- Be on
or don't be here.
- I know there are some
injuries in the room already.
So just as a safeguard
and a backup for myself,
I've asked Lucas if there's
any ever Brent Street dancers
here in London that can
come in just to be a swing.
Abby is injured,
like that puts doubts
and worries in my mind
because there is so much
riding on this opportunity.
So I decided to call Lucas
and just see if he had any other
of his Brent Street
dancers available in London.
And luckily he did.
And I've asked Espoir
to come into this process
to really be a swing.
- I was at Brent Street last year
and now I'm in London doing
professional work as a dancer.
- As a swing you're coming into the room
to learn all the material.
You're learning every single section
but there's always that possibility
that you may not be actually
on stage for the end product.
There are definitely
two leads for this piece.
Everyone's got the same opportunity,
everyone's got a fair chance.
So it's just about how you step up to that.
- I have been a lead in the past.
I loved it.
It was probably one of the best
opportunities I've ever been given.
- This is a moment for some people.
Like can be career-changing
for some people.
- I understand that there
are different roles in the piece
and everyone is a
valuable part of the piece.
But you're gonna fight for it. (chuckles)
- So seven, eight, you're
stepping on the right,
then back you're going one.
So that right hand goes right over the top,
please splay the hands,
palms to the floor, one.
There's a little lean on this as well.
Six, seven, eight, one. Nice.
Great. Number done.
That's it. Yeah.
Seven, eight.
You go one, two
and yes.
Make sure you hear that. (whooshes)
Yes. And my focus is still to the front.
Picking a lead is a very complex process.
A one, under two, under
three and four and five,
under six and seven and eight.
Not bad at all. Go again.
I always start with chunks of choreography
section by section by section.
And boom, ha-ha, boom.
(feet stomping)
Uh-oh, that was distinctly average.
Who's got the quickest pickup?
Who is performing straight away?
Do that again.
Five, six, seven, and
eight and one E, under two
and a three and four.
Yes.
Do you see, like for me it's the fact
that he's already in performance mode.
Do you know what I mean?
Like that's a professional right there.
Conor has this thing that
you either have it or you don't.
He's dancing it like he's on stage.
That's a special tool.
Not everyone can do that, okay?
But it's the fire in the eyes.
That's what I'm looking for, okay?
Everyone else is waiting
for permission to be great
and you should never do that.
One and a two and three and four
and Jake, so embarrassing yeah.
(dancers laughing) Here we go.
So I just gave some
notes to Jake specifically.
Some of his arms are
in the wrong placement.
Five, six, seven, eight.
Already in my mind I'm looking
at who's ticking all those boxes.
Then I'll start pulling those out
and watching them together.
(tense music)
(uptempo music)
What I'm looking for in a dancer
is somebody that's gonna step on my floor
and let the fighter in them come out.
Okay, show Mama.
(tense uptempo music)
Let's go again.
(tense uptempo music)
I need to see Abby and
Frankie again please.
- Being the lead, especially Dean's pieces
is an amazing opportunity to be seen.
- In moments of like harsh time
and when I'm not at my best I'm like no,
like I don't wanna...
I don't wanna not be the best.
- I'll be coming in with fire, hunger.
- You know when you're like gonna cry
and like you can feel
it in like your throat.
Sometimes I feel dancing then I'm like,
like it needs to be me.
I don't wanna be a could have
been a professional dancer.
I wanna be like a I am.
(tense uptempo music)
I'm not gonna like
show that I'm struggling.
(tense uptempo music)
- First of all, I'd like
to hire you two together
for the rest of my life.
(dancers laughing)
I do need to see Kieran and Max again.
Max and Kieran, they're
similar height, similar build.
You could see the mental game of it.
(tense uptempo music)
(dancers cheering and clapping)
Abby.
How is it?
- It's good. - Yeah?
- Yeah, I haven't felt any
pain for like the past few days.
- Okay.
- That was like really
good, a really good push.
I start off like a little bit easier
but I'm feeling like really-
- I take injuries very seriously.
- Yes, I know. - Okay?
- Yeah.
- I need to make the choice
whether you are gonna be okay.
That final decision will will lay with me.
- Okay.
- So I think that's all
we got time for today
'cause there's things that
I'm gonna have to figure out.
You're making this choice very hard.
So just come prepared for tomorrow morning
'cause it's gonna be a lot.
(gentle music)
- I would love to go to a
dance class and be barefaced
but I think it's just a standard thing
that no one wants to see
that on stage as a dancer.
Like we, since young I was a comp kid
and I reckon since like eight years old
I've been wearing makeup
including the eyeliner.
- We've grown up dancing front of a mirror,
trying to be the best version of ourselves
since we were five years old.
(sentimental music)
The day after I graduated full time,
I booked the national tour
of "Wicked The Musical."
I also danced for Meghan
Trainor, Kylie Minogue,
Jessica Mauboy, Tones
and I, and Katy Perry.
I was booking all those
jobs straight after full-time
and now I've just stopped for ages.
But I sometimes think that my ability
has like dropped a little bit.
I feel like because I've
been like a little bit out
of the commercial world for a while.
I think if I did get the
lead it would kind of
give me that spark and energy
I need to like get back into it.
- It's always been a thing for me
- Really?
See, I wouldn't think that
because like I feel like
everyone wants a tall race.
- Yeah but I think dancers
now, like when I was growing up,
everyone was like, your height's
gonna be your superpower
and your height's gonna be this that.
And then I got to
working and then it's like,
"Oh, you're too tall."
It's like me.
You know I mean?
- Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- Well, yeah.
- See I've experienced that spectrum.
(gentle piano music)
In full time I was
definitely a lot skinnier.
I've been going to the
gym a lot, been eating a lot.
And within 12 months I've actually put on
14 kilos of muscle.
(gentle piano music)
A bit rusty.
But (breathing heavily) I don't know,
it was just little things
like landing a bit heavy.
A big thing for me was
wanting to make myself look more masculine.
Probably need to work on my stamina.
Not as light as I used to be.
Whoa.
- I thought like when you dance next to me,
we're dancing, just like
I'm looking next to you,
I'm like you're nothing, just as big as me.
I'm like you're 6-foot.
- I'm 6-foot at heart.
- Exactly.
- Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- So I wanna look at you for the lead.
I wanna try you out.
So, obviously you know that choreography,
you know the accents, you know the timing.
Now I just wanna see what you bring
to it character-wise. - Okay.
This is the hand that I've been dealt
so I need to find a way to make it work.
(tense music)
(tense uptempo music)
(dancers clapping)
- [Dean] Take a moment.
Conor, can I see you please?
- It looks like it was two possibilities
for a girl main and then a boy main
and I didn't even get
put in the boy main group.
And I honestly was like, okay, well,
I'm off like I'm not in
the options anymore.
And then after Max did it,
he was like, "Oh we're gonna try Conor."
And I was like, okay.
Yeah, perfect.
- [Dean] Let's try you in the same role.
- Yeah. - Yeah, okay.
- Can do that, yeah. - Yeah.
- I wanna get it.
Touch wood, that's not wood.
- First places.
(tense music)
(tense uptempo music)
Well done. Very nice, Conor.
It's really, really hard to decide.
It's really difficult.
Max, I'd like you to
play the lead role, okay?
- Thank you. - Well done.
(dancers clapping)
Conor, amazing job as well.
There's just some thinking
Max's feeling that I
think he's right for it.
But I would also like
you to learn his track
and be first cover for Max, okay?
Well done.
(dancers clapping)
And then like I said,
yes, they're the lead roles
but there's a bunch of
other features coming up
and tomorrow that's
what I'm looking for, okay?
(alarm ringing)
(uptempo music)
- [Dancer] I'm ready.
(uptempo music)
- The privacy situation.
Non-existent at the moment.
(hair dryer whirring)
Non-existent.
(hair dryer whirring)
No it's good.
It's tight.
We're trying hard with sleeping but.
- We're all our siblings, it's fine.
- Gonna break this house.
- I just don't wanna think
about this foot anymore.
(uptempo music)
- I think this is the way to go for me.
I think one when everything's
like chucked around like this,
like it's just easier for
me to like dig through it,
through everything.
(uptempo music)
My lifestyle is just not organized.
(uptempo music) (knuckles thumping)
- Oh thank you.
- Today is just about learning
sections of choreography.
I might put it on your bodies
but I probably hate half of
it already just so you know.
I'm here to work,
I'm here to create
something great with you guys
and there's just no time
for anything else in between.
(tense music)
It's almost like a patchwork quilt.
It's just like throwing
sections of a choreography out
and then really what makes
my piece is what they are
thinks about how I stitch them together.
(uptempo music)
One, two.
That one, two is awful.
Then layering with the story as well.
Pi, pi, tap, da-da-dong.
Pat, da-da, dee-dee, da.
This whole section is that
you feel the atmosphere change
and the audience need to feel that,
but they're only gonna feel
that if we're invested in it.
So just make sure there's
an emotional change there.
Five and six and seven and eight.
They're all hard hitters as dancers.
Like that's not the problem for me.
Like I know they've got
the energy and the power
but I also want them to understand
why they're dancing like that.
Jake, you good?
I feel like you're
holding back a little bit.
- I feel like it being shy
like I was standing
in the back a little bit.
- You were at the back.
- Yeah, I don't know why.
- I kept telling you to go forward
and you were like, I don't want to.
(plastic rustling)
- Okay. Can I have all
my ladies on the floor?
And Jake, please.
- Jake, he is fabulous and amazing
and he's got this personality to him.
Jake, I've asked you to join this section.
There's a lot of pressure
and responsibility on you,
I know that, but I also
wouldn't have given it to you
if I didn't think you could
rise to that challenge.
But I do need to start seeing it.
You know what I mean?
I can feel that there's a world
of things going on with him
behind that facade.
And one, two, three, four,
a five, nice.
From here, one, two.
I think your head just going. - Yeah.
- One. Well it's okay.
Don't be sorry but it just
went one count to early.
- Yeah. - Great, let's go again.
- I use confidence as
like a mask because like
being insecure doesn't get you anywhere.
(sentimental music)
- [Dean] I know it's
hard being the lead, yes?
There's no hiding.
- Everyone always asks me
like, "Oh you're so confident
and like you're so like
up yourself kind of."
But I'm like, but I'm really not.
And I feel like this week
especially like my first day
in the rehearsals kind of proved that
that was the real me standing at the back
and holding back.
That was the real Jake.
- [Dean] Three, four, five, six,
a seven, a eight.
One, two, and a three and four,
five, six.
I need to see something there, all right?
- Yeah. - Again.
- I feel like I do have some demons
that I kinda am fighting.
Like it's not easy like.
I ain't.
(somber music)
Like it wasn't easy for me to like,
(whimpers) like be 13
years old in like a small town
with like no support
and, sorry.
(Jake sniffles)
And like that's why I started dancing.
Like I feel like dance,
(Jake whimpering)
like dancing gave me that spark
and it gave me that confidence.
- [Dean] Don't hold back on me, okay?
One more please guys.
- [Dancer] We will.
(dancers clapping)
(tense dramatic music)
- [Dean] We're here chasing a dream,
so don't wait for that.
(tense dramatic music)
- I wanna prove, I feel like not even just
people back at home, all
my bullies back at home,
like I feel like it's
just anyone in general,
anyone watching me,
the audience, even Dean,
like anyone that walks into the room
is watching me dance,
it's very like I wanna prove to them
that like that I'm really good.
(tense dramatic music)
That's the fire in my stomach.
(tense dramatic music)
- It is a risk giving Jake that feature.
He has to carry that entire section
'cause he is so young
that he could go either way,
absolutely nail it or crumble
and we only have one shot to get it right.
(sentimental music)
I do need to call this rehearsal.
Obviously you are the leads
and you are the first covers.
We've just got too much work to do
and too much to get through.
I don't wanna waste time tomorrow.
So we just need to do
some extra rehearsal tonight
just to get done what I
need to get done, okay?
All right, great.
So let's go to our first places please.
(tense music)
(tense uptempo music)
Carry on.
(tense uptempo music)
Nice.
(tense uptempo music)
Great. We're done guys.
I'm asking them to
make the audience believe
they're in love with each other,
so that's a very, very hard task to do.
I think he will get there.
I do think he'll get there,
but I think he's got a little
bit more work to do for sure.
Seven, eight
and one, two, three, four. (chuckles)
One more, one more. (chuckles)
- Frankie and I are the
leads of this routine.
The two characters are
in love with each other.
Five, six.
And then can there be
like a hip circle in that?
Like five, six.
- It does get difficult in the sense
of we have only known
each other for three days.
- [Dean] Yes, there we go. Much better.
Yeah. Well that's intense.
(Frankie and Max chuckling)
- It can be difficult to be vulnerable
and open with someone.
- One, two, three, four.
Yes. There we go.
That's better.
Last time.
- When I watched him
dance, he was just so amazing.
He empowered the character so well.
I really just instantly
saw that character in him.
- Thank you.
(both giggling)
- Shoo, and this be the head roll.
Three and four and five, six.
Set, yes. There we go.
Oh, I love that.
- Yeah. - You know what mean?
And it's almost like we just
see like half the face as well.
You know what I mean?
You remember you're in the...
Yes.
You better.
Yes.
Let's try that.
One, two and three and four.
Five and six and seven, eight.
And a one, two and three and four
and five, six, seven, eight.
One, two, three, four,
five, six, seven, eight.
And one. There we go.
Good, good, good.
- Like I haven't seen
anyone move like that.
It's crazy.
It's so inspired.
Bleh, inspiring.
- Thank you. - Absolutely.
- Same, same value. - Thank you.
- The more you guys can really, really
make that connection
feel as real as possible.
I don't know if that means
spending a bit more time
together during rehearsal,
having a lunch together.
Do you know what I mean?
Just try and get to know
each other a little bit more
just so that the trust
between you is like really solid.
His performance was so
believable all of a sudden.
I'm not looking at the hype,
I'm looking at how you're
making the audience feel.
On paper his height should go against him
and he probably wouldn't be the lead role.
- In terms of like my personal appearance,
it's like this ongoing
thing that I have to work through.
As a dancer, you're in a
room surrounded by mirrors.
You start to analyze
your figure, your shape,
your body, everything about yourself.
You start finding things
you didn't even know
you hated about yourself.
- When you envision identity,
you think of a good old girl
in a bikini top, hair out, swishing around,
dance off (indistinct).
And I walk in a baggy t-shirt
because I can't even
look myself in the mirror.
Oh, these choices that we make
- I'd be called thunder thighs
and you don't think those
things are gonna stick with you,
but they do.
How they leave the mended ones to break
- I can't even look in the mirror.
I can't even get to that point.
I have to look down
because it's too hard
for me and look at myself.
And I despise your wicked love
- I always, like, worry and stress that,
you know, I'm never gonna be the girl
that gets to be the
part 'cause of how I look.
- There was a time last year
when, you know, I was with you
when I didn't eat for three weeks.
I was addicted to people
telling me that I looked sick.
- For both of us in that situation,
we didn't realize it was happening either.
We just thought it was normal.
I was a perfect mess
Confused and lured by you
And I despise your wicked love
- You go to the doctors and they say,
"Look, you need to stop
because it's not good."
- Yep.
- It's sad 'cause this is
just such a common thing
for all of us
and like, it's really awful
that we all have to deal with this.
- I definitely relate
because I went through
the same thing as a dancer.
I was told I was not hot
enough, I was told I was ugly.
So the things I was thinking were already,
were actually also being
fed back to me in real time.
(melancholic music)
And that's really what Shapehaus is about.
It's about finding the
little diamonds in the rough
and you know, taking them in
and giving them a home basically
and creating that together.
It's not something I intentionally did,
but I think,
I think because of how
much I've been through,
I do everything I can to
just make people feel loved,
feel seen, encouraged.
Like somebody's there for them,
somebody's there to listen
to them and they're seen.
- This past few days has
been very inspiring for me
to realize that I don't need
to fit into someone's mold.
You know?
Now obviously those thoughts
will always still be there
forever because that's just how I am.
But I think there's just a slight
shimmer of light from Dean
that has been like, we are worthy.
(gentle music)
- You are so incredibly talented.
Every time you step on that
floor and you doubt yourself,
I want to think about why can't it be me?
- I can.
- [Dean] I just need you to believe it.
- Yeah.
- You're leading with your
heel, which I'm not mad at.
I kind of like it.
Should we add that in?
- [Dancers] Yeah.
- Okay, assistant choreographer.
(group laughing)
My love of dance and my passion
I think really comes
from a place of survival.
- Yeah.
- Because dance changed my life.
- Yeah.
(melancholic music)
- What dance has done for
me, it took me from one life
and gave me another life.
(audience cheering)
When I was younger I was just like,
I'm not gonna live to see 30.
That's how it always felt to me growing up.
I think I was six.
I just remember the
police coming to the house
and I remember just being pulled,
literally pulled out of my mother's arms
and being put in the
police car and driven off.
Came to realize that at six years old
I'm being taken into care.
I grew up in Southeast London.
Just not a place of much opportunity,
no money, nothing like that.
School was really, really, really tough.
I knew I was an academic.
All I could think about was
dancing and being on stage
and I just remember I wanted to go
to this dance class so much
that I decided that I'm gonna
save my lunch money every day
and I'm not gonna eat
and that's gonna pay for my dance class.
(melancholic music)
The whole gay thing was
definitely very prominent.
I went to multiple
different secondary schools.
Just the bullying was really severe.
We had armed police in the corridors
because there was just so
much violence at the school.
You know, I remember being in class
and held up against the
wall with a knife to my neck.
You know, I'm being held over a train track
as the train's coming.
And truly in that moment thinking like,
that's it, I'm not gonna see another day.
Like that's how bad the bullying was.
And I think the really
sad part about it is like
there was no one to do anything about it.
No one was willing to step
in and do anything about it.
So, I actually ended up just
taking myself out of school.
I remember I used to just sit at home
flicking through the music channels
and I remember "Together
Again" by Janet Jackson coming on.
I watched it, I was like,
that's what I wanna do
and that's who I wanna do it for.
I knew instantly. I'm
like, this is my way out.
(melancholic music)
I've worked with, you know,
Kylie Minogue, Chaka Khan,
the Jacksons, Sister
Sledge, The Pussycat Dolls,
Eve, Little Mix.
Definitely the peak for
me is I'm living it right now,
which is obviously
working with Janet Jackson.
- (chuckles) Do what you do.
- Getting ready for Paris.
- We are on our way to Paris again.
(upbeat music)
- Janet always laughs
because like, she's like,
when you come out, she's like,
"All I hear is everyone shouting,
'Dean, you better work bitch.'"
Like it makes her laugh so much.
(upbeat music)
Here we go.
(upbeat music)
Reaching this point in
my career has taught me
don't count yourself out.
(upbeat music)
When we're doing a really
intense week like this,
I find there's always a
point where it's just nice
just to check in with everyone.
Any thoughts, any feelings, anything?
The floor is yours.
- The whole experience has
been just overwhelming to me.
I've never thought I'll be,
I'll be out here with all of you.
I've never thought I'll
love this life in general.
And I was born in Congo
and when I was born,
my parents had everything.
And about a year or two
past when I was young,
there was war in our country
and my parents had to leave everything
and move away as a refugee.
But there was always nothing in the country
that would be like,
yeah, you guys can stay.
'Cause we're all,
I don't have a birth
certificate or anything.
In the camp, we were out of the war
but we weren't in a safe place to live.
We weren't in the world
where we lived a normal life
where you can shower
every day, eat every day.
Growing up I thought I've always had
like passion of freestyle dancing.
That was me running away from everything.
And most of the time I would freestyle
would be me free, sorry.
- [Dancer] Don't be sorry. Take your time.
(sentimental music)
- Would be me freestyling.
I'll be freestyling about my own life.
Seeing my parents struggling,
I didn't have anything.
I would wear the same clothes in a week.
No shower for a long time.
I've had scars everywhere
but they've all been to wars and stuff.
Yeah, it's hard to go into the deep stuff.
(somber music)
I moved to Australia and
trained at Brent Street.
It just bring me so much joy
and I was away from
everything going on in the world.
Before I moved to Australia,
I've never dance like anyone in the class.
(somber music)
I've always been a believer
of living in the moment
and don't think about
the future 'cause I lost the,
I lost the future thinking when I was young
'cause I was like, there's nothing,
like I thought there was no escape.
But to be able to be in this room,
to be able to be with
everyone at this moment,
sometimes I just see it and just tear up.
But yeah.
But yeah, I'm so grateful for everyone.
It's like a family.
Yeah.
(somber music)
- It just feels like all of a sudden
there's just a bigger why
and there's a bigger reason
that just stitched us together forever.
It truly has
and dance really can change your life.
- Let's do this now. - Dance now.
- Yeah. - It's magic.
Let's go.
- Let's go.
- Let's go. - Let's go.
- Yeah.
- The week's gone so fast.
Let's have a good day. Yes.
All right, let's go.
I started like down here
and now I'm just like going up.
- And then just for now
guys, you're just gonna hold it,
look gorgeous.
Six, seven.
It's this business that I'm stepping on
Still betting on myself
before I'm betting on them
- What I just saw then in
that mirror, that's the magic.
And then we though I'm
coming, burning not a thing
Trying to go to war where man about
- Clap, clap, clap and da, da-da, da-da.
Boom. Go again.
Obviously I'm keeping
an eye on Abby as well
because I know she's just
had a very recent injury.
So she's either an incredible actress
or she's genuinely not in pain.
And one, a two, three
and four, five, six, seven, eight.
Good. Go again.
'Cause we a different calibre
If you want a heat then you can decide
Yeah, we a different calibre
Why you think that I
would turn down a fight
'Cause I ain't ever had enough
Why the hell were they
still looking surprised
'Cause we a different calibre
And if you want a heat
then you can decide
'Cause we a different calibre
Happy birthday to you
(dancers cheering and clapping)
(upbeat music)
- I got put front center last night.
He has trusted me to do that.
(upbeat music)
- [Producer] Do you know
if you're gonna be on stage
on Sunday yet?
- That's something that I don't know
and I'm not sure what the answer to that.
So.
- [Producer] Would you like to be?
- I would love to be
out there with everyone,
but I'll also be a supporter
if someone decides.
- We've all grown,
including the UK dancers,
like as a whole.
- It's just one step at a time
but life is easier when
you're having more fun.
- This is obviously the
last section of the number,
so, I really need the number to do this.
Doing Janet's show, we're in 33 numbers.
It's a two hour, 10 minute show. It's long
- Body's feeling better today.
- My body's still mashed up. - Oh.
(both laughing)
- In those moments,
something else has to take over.
- So close. - We're getting there.
- So close. - It's just getting harder
'cause now we have to run the whole piece.
- Yeah. Again, again,
- There's like no breaks, no more.
- No, burn out every single time.
- Your passion and your love of what you do
then has to kick in
because that is actually
what gets you through
that stamina threshold.
(upbeat music)
Why the hell were they
still looking surprised
'Cause we a different calibre
- So I'm giving you best shot
on (indistinct) in the number.
(dancers cheering)
Belly till my burns all bursting
- Oy, oy.
- [Dancers] Oy!
We ain't got no bridge comp, burnt it
Dirt it, that's how it
is well I'm swerving
Bust it, I'll bust it
I'll be about to let it go, yeah
I'm the punisher, punisher
How I go in about a fro
He's just running, I'm running
Out there we've been
through in the most high
- If someone was like, you have to do this
or like, you'll die, I'll just like do it.
- Yeah.
- Even if my body physically can't,
I'm just like-
- Boys, have fun. - It'll just happen.
- I'm feeling giddy, like I'm excited.
- We'll figure it out.
- Yeah.
(Emily giggles)
- I'm trusting that it's gonna be
magnificent in the day's time.
- [Dean] Today really is
the last full day of rehearsal,
so what I expect from
you guys is greatness.
No
If you want a heat then you can decide
Yeah, we a different calibre
Why you think that I
would turn down the fight
'Cause I ain't ever had enough
Why the hell were they
still looking surprised
'Cause we a different calibre
- [Dean] She's not thinking
about it, she's just doing it
but I like, like that shape.
Yes. There we go.
Trying to hit the belly
till my burns all bursting
First thing's first get
my truck line working
Burning, we ain't got
no bridge comp, burnt it
Dirt it, that's how it
is well I'm swerving
(upbeat music)
- [Dean] Wow, that's so beautiful.
(Max breathing heavily)
(dancer cheering and clapping)
You've come in this week.
- Yeah.
- [Dean] Really to swing the piece
because obviously we
didn't, wasn't really sure
what was happening
with Abby and the injury.
- Yeah.
- [Dean] But I just, I don't know,
I really love watching you dance
and I love what you can do.
- Yeah.
- [Dean] And so I just, I don't know,
I'd love to put you in the piece.
- Thank you.
- [Dean] How'd you feel about that?
- I feel really great.
It's like, yeah, it's awesome
and I just kinda, I don't
have words to express
but I'm really thankful
for everything and all that.
- [Dean] I think an air, I
think that you deserve air.
- Thank you. - I would just,
I'd really love to see you
up on that stage on Sunday.
- Thank you so much. - Yeah.
- Thank you. Thanks for everything.
- [Dean] You're welcome. Well done.
Well done. - Thank you.
- [Dean] Yeah. Bye.
- Yeah.
- [Dancers] Yeah. (clapping)
- Yeah.
You guys knew?
- Yeah.
- We love you, Espoir.
(dancers clapping)
- Thank you. Thank you so much.
Such an inspiring moment for me.
Love all of you.
Love, thank you.
(dancers clapping)
Thank you, all.
(dancers clapping)
I'm on a proper thing
I wrote the fresh kicks
Mine are showstopper king
Fresher than fresh, yes
I'm on a proper thing
I wrote the style
that all the girls wants
And all the boys like
- [Dancers] Yeah!
- [Dancer] Here we go.
(dancers chattering)
- We have an epic lineup
for you this evening.
I am very excited, trust me, daddy
I just do me
I just do me
I only do me
- We have some Australians in town.
(audience cheering)
- Feeling excited.
Just pumped to get out there.
- Hello, everyone up top.
(audience cheering)
Kiss to the mirror
You know I'm looking pretty, let's roll
- I feel like me and Max
are getting on really well
and our connection through the lead role
and everything is really good.
I'm on some next thing
I got the style
I just do me
I just do me
I only do me
I just do me
I just do me
I only do me
I wear, I wear my hat real low
A little smile and show
Fresh kicks, one kiss to the mirror
I'm looking real pretty, let's roll
- There's a lot of pressure
on this performance
with agents in the audience
and making sure that Dean
is happy with how we perform
and also like performing for yourself.
Like you don't wanna let yourself down.
- I definitely wanna be the
person that gets picked by Dean.
- I think that that is an opportunity
that so many people would die for.
- Yeah at the beginning of
the week for the contract,
I was just like, you know,
I didn't even know if I was gonna perform.
So now that I'm back in the running,
I need to put my best
foot forward, both feet.
- You know, thinking about
who I'm gonna give a contract to
it changes a lot because
there's so many different qualities
that I like in different dancers.
So they could all get
it for different reasons.
- I don't know how he's gonna pick.
We've been trying to guess it as well
and we're all finding it hard.
- A really big factor of this decision
is how they do tonight.
It literally could go to anyone.
Jake in that section is killing it.
- 'Cause I'm the only
guy in this section as well.
So it's like the focus is kinda going
towards me a little bit
and just like strutting towards the front
it just makes me feel very like,
just like I rule the world and that, yeah.
- No matter who gets picked,
the connection that we formed with Dean
is incomparable to anything.
- I literally could work with him forever
and I want to be in Shapehaus so bad.
- I think Conor's got a really good shot.
I think Jake's got a good shot,
and then I think Max O has a good shot.
- I just have a feeling it will be Max.
- If I was given the chance
to come back to London,
I would love it.
If it wasn't me getting picked,
Conor has done an incredible job this week,
especially learning my track as well.
- You are gonna be in Shapehaus.
You are going to Dancers
Inc., like I was praying for it.
- To be honest, this is probably the most
important dance night of my life so far.
So, fingers crossed as well.
- I'm really proud of the
body of work that we have.
I'm proud of you guys,
but the reality of the situation also
is we get one chance to
do this and one chance only.
(tense somber music)
We need to go out there
and we need to kill it.
(melancholic music)
There's no going back, there's no do overs.
It's one chance and that's it, okay?
So I'm not saying that to scare you,
but that is also the
reality of the situation.
And I won't accept anything
less than great tonight.
- [Emily] This is all I've wanted
and now that I'm actually
here being able to do it,
I'm not gonna waste it.
- You have the training,
you have each other's energy together.
You've got this, like go
out there, head held high
and be like, yeah, look at what we've got.
Take a big look at us.
(tense music)
- This is everything we've rehearsed for.
Make it count for something.
Do not step off that stage and regret it,
I feel like I didn't give enough.
Give it everything you got,
you gotta leave it all on the floor.
- Let's give it up for Shapehaus.
(dramatic music)
Candles all around me
Close the velvet
curtain, there's no sound
Yearning for a reason
I just want a chance before the bow
Before it's over
(tense music)
(tense uptempo music)
Inject me with your love
Love, love
Inject me with your poison
Infect me with your love
Love, love
I'mma soak it up, I'mma soak it up
I'mma soak it up
Inject me with your love
I'mma soak it up, I'mma soak it up
I'mma soak it up
Inject me with your love
Lights upon the marquee
Letters bleeding out until they fade
Face behind the smoke screen
Burning down the house, my masquerade
Masquerade
Before it's over
I took a vow
Took a vow
With no proposer
Inject me with your love
Love, love
Inject me with your poison
Infect me with your love
Love, love
I'mma soak it up, I'mma soak it up
I'mma soak it up
Inject me with your love
I'mma soak it up, I'mma soak it up
I'mma soak it up
Inject me with your love
(upbeat music)
Oh-oh
I'mma soak it up, I'mma soak it up
I'mma soak it up, I'mma soak it up
I'mma soak it up
Inject me with your love
(audience applauding and cheering)
(dancers cheering)
(sentimental music)
- Amazing. Amazing.
Just I felt every single second,
like it's what I call dancing
with every fiber of your being.
Like, you know what I mean,
nothing was off at any given time.
It was just, oh my God,
I'm so proud of you guys.
Thank you so much. Amazing.
- So exciting. - Yeah.
- I was like, on the edge of my seat.
I was like. - Yeah!
- No, it was awesome
- And you guys did it.
You absolutely did it.
You know what I mean?
We couldn't have given any more today.
It's amazing.
We hit it right where we needed to.
So congratulations.
I just need you to know how
grateful I am for you guys.
I love you guys so much.
(dancers clapping) Well done.
- I think that we came
here wanting to be proud
to represent Australia. - Yeah.
- And I feel like off, I
don't know everyone else,
but after that I felt
like we had done that.
- Yeah. - You absolutely have.
(dancers clapping)
(uplifting uptempo music)
- [Dancer] I know what I'll do.
(dancers screaming)
- Obviously it's been an
amazing week for all of us,
but there is an end result
and that is I'm offering
one person a contract
to Shapehaus Dance Theatre,
to come to London to join the company
because I could probably
take all of you in some capacity.
This person just captured me
at the very start of the week
and I haven't been able
to get it out of my head.
And I think this person is ready
for this opportunity right now.
And so that person I'm
offering a contract to
is Conor.
- [Dancers] Yeah! (cheering)
Conor!
Conor!
(sentimental music)
- I think Conor's a star
and I don't think he
realizes that he's a star.
- Thank you. - Congratulations.
- Thank you you so much. - Congratulations.
- Thank you.
This feels like the best thing ever.
I'm grateful and like
everything I've learnt from you
is like nothing I've learned before.
- Thank you so much. - And I can't wait
to learn more from you.
- Well, we can't wait to have you.
- Oh my God, thank you.
(dancers clapping)
My body is like shivering.
Like I don't know what, oh my God.
Wait, that's crazy.
Well Shapehaus, here I come.
(dancers cheering)
- [Dancers] Yeah!
(sentimental music)
- [Dean] I spent a lot
of my life feeling invisible
and dance actually made me
something and it gave me purpose.
There's an aura around certain people.
There's a way that they
dance that you can just tell
it comes from a different place.
- If I told my younger
self I'm leaving the dream,
it wouldn't believe what I was saying.
I feel like now there's hope.
- I got here.
I did it.
I think this week I've learned
that like it's okay to not be okay.
- Going from the farm
to Brent Street to London
is just really surreal.
(sentimental music)
- I don't think I'd ever give up.
I'm in it for the long haul.
- It's changed my perspective
on how I work in a room.
(sentimental music)
I've just felt so comfortable
and able to be me in this rehearsals.
- Sometimes the industry
is so hard and it's so tough.
There's been so many
times I've wanted to quit,
but I never expected to be on a stage
with Janet Jackson at 38 years old
but here I am doing it.
For somebody like Emily,
part of me is just like,
who is the world to tell you
that you're not gonna do those things?
- [Emily] Failure is not
an option for me. Not at all.
It's my life's purpose
and it's all of our life's
purpose to keep dancing.
(energetic upbeat music)
(energetic upbeat music continues)
(energetic upbeat music continues)
Tell them, I don't care
Care, care, care, care
Care, care, care
(energetic upbeat music continues)
(uptempo music)
(uptempo music continues)
(gentle music)