South Surrey-raised teen star Josh Bogert – who says he’s still coming to terms with international celebrity as a result of his role in Backstage, the Family Channel/Disney Channel series – is back in town with an opportunity for young local dancers.
Backstage: Studio Pass is a related YouTube reality series, now in production, that goes behind the scenes of shooting a video for one of Bogert’s newest songs.
A big part of the series, which features Bogert as the character Miles Lennox, is a nationwide contest to find “one special dancer” who will be featured in both the series and video, to be shot in Toronto in September.
This Saturday (June 17) starting at 9 a.m., an open call for dancers aged 10 to 15 (male or female) will be held at The Dance Centre, at 677 Davie St., Vancouver.
Dancers must be technically trained and versatile in jazz, hip-hop and contemporary, strong at freestyling/improvisation, have only one parent or guardian with them, be able to submit a signed consent form and also be comfortable in front of a camera – and the producers are looking for personality as well as dancing talent.
Series choreographer Melissa Moore said she “can’t wait to see” the Vancouver auditions, following casting searches in Halifax, Montreal and Toronto.
“I’ve been doing this kind of audition for years now, and I pride myself on having a fun event,” she said. “The kids all get to have a go at the choreography, then we pick a few who come back for the afternoon, and get to meet Josh and one of the other lead characters from (Backstage).”
One dancer will be selected from each audition, and then the audience will get to vote online for who they want the winner to be, Moore said.
“My job is to put forward the people I’d like to work with.”
“I think this is an awesome opportunity – and I really want to share it with my community,” said Bogert, a singer, musician, songwriter, actor and producer.
Visit ebosscanada.com/job/open-call-for-dancers-casting-reality-series-backstage-studio-pass for more details.