Live Breaking Spot

Oh Paula, oh Paula…how your fans missed you. Our wait is over, as Paula returned to our airwaves January 4, on CBS’s Live to Dance, a real dance competition, unlike some others we know. If you’re a fan of competition dance, this show did not disappoint. Those of us who were embroiled in the Dancing With The Stars controversy are pleased to see that Live to Dance clearly defined itself from the opening sequence: it is looking for the best dance act, and by best, they mean the act that breaks barriers and gives us something we’ve never seen before. A tall order, but we know the journey on which we embark.

The premiere night gave us auditions from L.A. and New York, with an hour devoted to each city. The auditions were pre-produced and pre-packaged in front of a studio audience; some were full 30 second auditions, while others were shown in lightning speed montage sequences, along with a quick clip of some injuries and snafus (always fun). Live to Dance moves at an extremely fast pace, keeping the contestant back stories and judge bantering to a bare minimum. If you blinked you would have missed an audition.