It seems we can’t turn on the TV these days without coming across an offering of something dance related. Since 'Strictly Come Dancing,' won the hearts of the British public and its US counterpart did the same stateside, more people are pulling on their dance shoes. And it seems the explosion in popularity of dance is set to infiltrate the movie scene too!

MTV’s second original film, ‘Turn the Beat Around,’ produced solely for broadcast on the small screen, hits the television sets around the USA today with a scheduled DVD release date of 9th March.

The film tells the story of 21 year old Zoe, who works in a shop while working towards her real dream of being a professional disco dancer. Struggling to make herself known on the dance scene in Los Angeles, Zoe and others seeking out the same, set out to get themselves seen on LA’s disco club circuit.

There’s a back story to the plot too, as it emerges that Zoe’s Mother too wanted to be a professional dancer. Instead, however, she now works in a call centre and is married to a less than likeable chap. This of course makes Zoe ever the more determined to succeed to fulfil both Mother and Daughter’s dream.

The film has a cast that includes musician, Jason Derulo, who plays a pop star seeking out the next big thing in dance and if the reviews are anything to go by, features some incredible contemporary disco routines. David Hinckley of the NY Daily News says the dance scenes, ‘Inspire some of the best scenes in the movie.’

Fans of disco music might also be pleased to know that the soundtrack promises to be a modern take on some of the great disco classics and has been well received!

However, as there’s no UK screening date available for MTV viewers, it might be a case of those of us on this side of the Atlantic waiting for the DVD release. Fortunately, that’s only a couple of weeks away!

London’s annual MOVE IT dance festival kicks off in just four weeks (12th March) at the capital’s Olympia Grand Hall. The three day festival is the UK’s biggest such event and promises to be even bigger and better this year. 100 acts will take to the stage to give a live performance, including Britain’s Got Talent finalists, Flawless. There will also be 300 classes, over 20 master classes, 180+ exhibitors and an estimated 20000 visitors! That’s a whole lot going on under one roof.

What’s more exciting is that the new face of MOVE IT is Strictly Come Dancing professional, Erin Broag. Erin is the only professional to have featured in every single series of the BBC hit TV show and she’s certainly excited about fronting MOVE IT, saying that, “Thanks to the success of TV dancing shows the general public has a huge appetite for dance and it’s great to be involved in MOVE IT, which will encourage even more people to don their dancing shoes.’

MOVE IT is the pinnacle of dance festivals in Britain and will showcase all variations, proving itself to be a real celebration of the diversity of dance. And there’s a chance for performers to showcase themselves too. The ‘Get on Stage’ competition will offer acts the opportunity to compete in front of some pretty tough judges, with 1st, 2nd and 3rd place prizes of £1500, £1000 and £500 respectively. Add this to the exclusive auditioning opportunities that the event organisers promise and it looks to be something of an unmissable affair for dance fanatics, pros and hobbyist dancers alike.

You can find the official MOVE IT website at http://www.moveitdance.co.uk/ where you’ll be able to check out ticket prices and get a full line up of performances and exhibitors. Certainly one not to be missed.

We’ve been crazy about ‘Strictly Come Dancing,’ since its UK TV debut back in 2004. In fact, the show is credited with increasing the uptake of dance here, with dance schools up and down the UK reporting surges in registrations during and immediately following each series. ‘Dancing with the Stars,’ the US show based on the hit BBC show, has caused a similar effect on the other side of the Atlantic too.

And they’re not daft, at the BBC! The ongoing and consistent success of ‘Strictly,’ proved to bosses that the combination of reality TV and dance is a winning one with the British public. And no sooner had the seventh series of the hit show finished in December 2009, when the BBC launched another dance related reality show. ‘So You Think You Can Dance?’ is based on the US show of the same name, which has been running in the States since 2005. The first series started in January 2010, less than a month after the ‘Strictly,’ final. Presented by Cat Deeley, who has also presented the US version since the second series, the show invited both amateur and professional dancers alike to audition. While the first in the series introduced some of the auditionees, the focus is those who made it to the final 14. Each of the finalists performs a routine alone and as a part of a pair each Saturday, with a female and male participant eliminated weekly. Unlike ‘Strictly,’ no celebrities are involved. Over 6 million of us tuned in for the opening show and it looks set to prove a hit with UK audiences.

The British public’s love affair with dance continues to grow, something again attributed to media coverage of the various dance forms and a growing number of dance related TV shows.

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