As summer temperatures start to soar, CTV brings back disco fever with the premiere of the CTV Movie TURN THE BEAT AROUND, Sunday, May 30 at 8 p.m. ET on CTV, with an encore presentation airing Friday, June 4 at 7 p.m. ET and 11 p.m. ET on MuchMusic (check CTV.ca and MuchMusic.com to confirm local broadcast times). Scheduled to air following the Season 7 premiere of SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE (May 27) on CTV, the timely feature-length movie created in association with CTV for MTV in the U.S. follows an ambitious young dancer who is determined to revive disco. SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE CANADA stars were cast by MTV U.S. to light up the stage for North American viewers, including judge Tré Armstrong, who provides the choreography, as well as Season 1 Top 20 competitor Romina D’Ugo, who stars in the lead role. Top 4 finalists from SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE CANADA’s first season, Miles Faber and Natalli Reznik, make appearances in the film as well. TURN THE BEAT AROUND will be available on demand on the CTV Video Player at CTV.ca following its broadcast premiere.
Featuring a special performance by Pop/R&B sensation Jason Derulo (“Whatcha Say”) in his first on-screen role, TURN THE BEAT AROUND follows dancer Zoe Benjamin (Romina D’Ugo) as she strives to make it in the cutthroat L.A. dance scene. When Zoe comes up with the idea to revive the disco dance scene, she convinces wealthy club owner Michael (David Giuntoli, PRIVILEGED) to open a new disco club. As her personal and professional lives collide, Zoe finds herself torn between Michael and her dancer boyfriend Chris (Adam Taylor Brooks, 90210). Contributing to the drama is sexy, ambitious choreographer Malika (Brooklyn Sudano, the real-life daughter of Disco Queen Donna Summer). Zoe must fight to overcome all the obstacles before her in order to become the dancer she’s always wanted to be.
“TURN THE BEAT AROUND is a testament to the talented Canadian dancers that have been discovered and fostered through SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE CANADA,” said Susanne Boyce, President, Creative, Content and Channels, CTV Inc. “Now viewers south of the boarder are privy to what we already knew…Canadian dancers are world class.”
“We’re really proud to showcase homegrown performers in the rising genre of musical drama for TV,” said Steven Levitan, Producer. “The experience our key dancers gained through SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE CANADA was a crucial factor in the success of this movie and now they’re being seen all over the world.”
Featuring stunning dance sequences that combine cutting edge hip-hop dance moves with stylized classic disco, TURN THE BEAT AROUND also features a new soundtrack, with original remakes of classic disco songs by some of today’s most popular new acts including Cobra Starship and Sing It Loud.
TURN THE BEAT AROUND also stars Jacqueline MacInnes Wood (THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL), Shauna MacDonald (AARON STONE), David Keeley (TERRY), Jennifer Miller (THE BEST YEARS), Dewshane Williams (FLASHPOINT), Simin Aamin (FORBIDDEN SCIENCE), Kevin McGarry (BEING ERICA), Shawn Byfield (Hairspray), Ofilio Portillo, Natalie Krill (M.V.P.) and Raquel Gil-Jimenez. Along with Romina D’Ugo, SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE CANADA Season 1 finalists Miles Faber, Natalli Reznik, Tamina Pollack-Paris, Caroline Torti and Bre Wong also appear in the film.
Produced by Protocol Entertainment in association with CTV for MTV, TURN THE BEAT AROUND was filmed in multiple locations throughout both Toronto and Hamilton, Ontario.
Executive Producers are: Steve Levitan (KAYA) for Protocol Entertainment and Tony Krantz (WONDERLAND) for Flame Ventures. Bradley Walsh is Director. Andrea Raffaghello (ZOS) is Producer and Jessica Sharzer (Freud’s Magic Powder) is the writer. Tré Armstrong (SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE CANADA) is Choreographer and Evan Bogart (Beyonce’s “Halo”) is Music Supervisor. Lisa Silfen, Chris Linn and Robin Palmer serve as executives for MTV. Brett Burlock is Director, Program Development for CTV. Susanne Boyce is President, Creative, Content and Channels, CTV Inc.
