Ginia Bellafante of the New York Times previews the first episode of Bravo's Step It Up & Dance:
If reality television can be said to have an auteur at the moment, it is surely the Bravo channel itself, purveyor of the idea that creativity is born neither in solitude nor in serendipity but in the bloody spirit of vigorous contest. Having made incalculable cultural contributions with “Project Runway,” “Top Chef” and even “Shear Genius,” Bravo has now come up with “Step It Up & Dance,” a competition that makes literal the cuts and bruises of the career-building genre. Calves swell and hopes cave by the end of the first episode on Thursday, when the parting words take ominous form: “The show’s over. It’s time for your last dance.” “Step It Up” penetrates the freakishly curious world of the aspiring theatrical dancer.
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AfterElton.com interviews mentor Jerry Mitchell:
AE: I know you can’t be too specific about these things, but who should we keep an eye on? Which contestants are going to be fun to watch?
JM: I’ll tell you, from the very first day when they walked into the room, there were people who impressed me. I loved Miguel. I loved his spirit. I loved Janelle’s personality. I loved Cody’s dancing. I loved Mochi’s sass. I loved Tovah’s technique. They all had something. Oscar, I thought, was brilliant, and I’d seen Oscar here in New York. He’s an amazing technician. So, I knew some of the kids… James always made me laugh. They’re all unique and bring something to the table that’s interesting.
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