CTV Announces Tré Armstrong and Jean Marc Genereux as So You Think You Can Dance Canada Judges.
Alternating in third judge position are Toronto natives Luther Brown and Blake McGrath — Iconic Rex Harrington to serve as special guest judge — So You Think You Can Dance judge Mary Murphy joins Vancouver auditions as special guest judge
Toronto, ON (April 3, 2008) – These dancing experts are not afraid to tell it like it is! CTV announced today the esteemed judging panel for So You Think You Can Dance Canada. The two permanent judges headlining the team are Toronto’s Tré Armstrong, the contemporary/funk dancer, choreographer and star of the MTV/Paramount dance film How She Move, and Montreal’s Jean Marc Genereux, international ballroom champion and guest judge/choreographer on the U.S. version of So You Think You Can Dance. Luther Brown, the urban choreographer who’s worked with such artists as Sean Combs, Alicia Keys and Brandy, and Blake McGrath, who was a Season 1 finalist on So You Think You Can Dance, will alternate in the third judge seat. Additionally, internationally-renowned Rex Harrington, artist-in-residence for The National Ballet of Canada, will serve as a special guest judge on several occasions. The cast is completed by series host Leah Miler, currently host of the MuchMusic series MuchOnDemand.
Headlining the Vancouver auditions – the first in the five-city, cross-country tour for So You Think You Can Dance Canada – is full-time judge Jean Marc Genereux and guest judge Paul Becker, the rising star choreographer from Victoria who most recently choreographed for The Jonas Brothers tour and Disney’s High School Musical On Stage in Orlando. Additionally, Mary Murphy, from the hit U.S. series So You Think You Can Dance, will join the panel as a special guest judge. Blake McGrath joins the team in Vancouver as the Audition Tour Choreographer. The auditions will take place at The Centre in Vancouver for the Performing Arts, located at 777 Homer Street, on Monday, April 7 at 9 a.m. Please visit dance.ctv.ca for more audition details. Full-time judge Tré Armstrong will join the audition tour in Halifax (May 5), as she is currently in Australia promoting her film, How She Move.
“Tre, Jean-Marc, Blake, Luther, and Rex – the calibre of the Canadians on So You Think You Can Dance Canada judging panel is indicative of the diverse magnitude of dance talent in this country,” said Susanne Boyce, President, Creative and Channels, CTV Inc. “As experts in their fields, I’m confident these judges will unearth Canada’s rising and undiscovered dancing talent as they cross the country this spring.”
Below is a list of biographies for the So You Think You Can Dance Canada judging panel. Additional members of the esteemed guest judging panel will be announced soon.
Permanent Judges
About Tré Armstrong
Armstrong’s early technical training in ballet, tap and jazz in dance school is what has helped shape her into who she is today. Armstrong has performed in multiple feature films, award shows, reality-based television shows and all across the United States, Canada, St. Kitts, Australia, New Zealand, Europe and Japan. Her choreography credits include A Raisin in the Sun, Repo: The Genetic Opera, Vibe Awards and Canadian Idol. Armstrong has traveled worldwide and taught many dance workshops, seminars and classes in hip-hop and urban dance, as well as “how-to ‘freestyle’” and “TNT” (“Tippin’ N Tré” or dancing in heels). Armstrong was also featured in the internationally-acclaimed documentary Breakin’ In: The Making of a Hip Hop Dancer, which highlighted her as one of Canada’s top rising stars. Her acting debut as Candy in Save the Last Dance 2 had her working closely with Rich and Tone and the Talauega Brothers. You can see Armstrong as Michelle, lead actress in the MTV/Paramount dance feature film How She Move.
About Jean Marc Genereux
Quebec’s Jean Marc Genereux began dancing at age 10 with his partner, and now wife, France Mousseau, and within six years the pair had won every Regional and State Championship. In the early 1980s they began dancing the International style and won over 100 competitions and all the major championships in North America, participating in 10 World Championships as the first representatives for Canada. Genereux and Mousseau turned professional in 1987 and danced in every major city around the world. In 12 years, they won over 200 competitions on three continents. Genereux and Mousseau retired from the competitive scene in 1998; however, the two still travel all over the world to perform in dance shows, as well as judge and choreograph for the elite competitors. Genereux performed in the motion picture Dance With Me, featuring Vanessa L. Williams and Chayanne, and the motion picture Shall We Dance, with Jennifer Lopez and Richard Gere. In 2006, Genereux joined the cast of the American version of So You Think You Can Dance as a choreographer.
Alternating Third Judge
About Luther Brown
Luther Brown and his creative, trendsetting, innovative vision has transformed the formerly unknown Toronto urban dance community into a thriving industry. As the founder and owner of Do Dat Entertainment, Brown created an industry – professional urban dance community that linked Toronto to the ever-growing entertainment industry in the United States. Working with artists such as Brandy, Shawn Desman, Alicia Keys, Mario, Kelis, Jully Black, Faith Evans, Olivia, Ray J, Dream, B4-4, Keshia Chante, Glenn Lewis, Choclair and Maestro, has brought him to the forefront, where Brown is respected amongst the top choreographers in the United States and Canada. Over the past five years, he has choreographed an abundance of music videos, many which have gone on to win awards. His recognizable style is evident in videos such as “Talk About Our Love” by Brandy, “Bad Boy” by Keshia Chante, “Shook” by Shawn Desman, and more. Brown has been the creative director for many tours and choreographed various live shows for artists including Gary Beals, Shawn Desman, Keshia Chante and Mario. Brown also creatively directed the RapCity/IllVibe Records Cross Canada Tour, which featured Saukrates and Jully Black.
About Blake McGrath (In addition to Alternate Third Judge, McGrath is also the Audition Tour Choreographer)
As a boy growing up in Toronto, Blake McGrath trained intensively in jazz and ballet, but it was in Toronto’s rave culture that McGrath first started to get noticed as a dancer. Raving led to dance battles, and before long he was winning competitions all across North America. At 18, McGrath headed to Los Angeles and within a year, Britney Spears’ choreographer, Brian Freidman, had hired McGrath on as his assistant. A year after that, McGrath was the first dancer hired for Spears’ Onyx Hotel Tour. McGrath has also danced with Madonna, Ashanti, Pink, Jewel, Destiny’s Child and Aaron Carter. McGrath’s film and television work includes MTV’s DanceLife, Rent, Chicago, Summerland, Michael Jackson’s 30th Anniversary Special, the Ellen DeGeneres Show and Diva Duets. McGrath was a finalist in the first season of So You Think You Can Dance in the United States. Though McGrath recently began to pursue both acting and choreography more aggressively, dance remains his first love, and continues to travel and teach classes all over the world. His first instructional DVD, Dance Driven, was released in May 2006.
Special Guest Judge
About Rex Harrington
Born in Peterborough, Ont., Rex Harrington joined The National Ballet of Canada in 1983, becoming a Principal Dancer with the company in 1988, a position he held until his retirement in 2004. Renowned both in Canada and abroad for his interpretations of classical roles in Romeo and Juliet, Swan Lake, Giselle and The Sleeping Beauty, Harrington’s performances established him as one of the most accomplished and charismatic male dancers of his era. Harrington was a frequent international guest artist with companies such as La Scala Opera Ballet, San Francisco Ballet and Stuttgart Ballet and partnered with ballerinas including, Karen Kain, Ekaterina Maximova, Carla Fracci, Evelyn Hart, Alessandra Ferri and Greta Hodgkinson. Harrington was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2000 and was given a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame in 2005. In 2006, Harrington was appointed Artist-in-Residence with The National Ballet of Canada.
Vancouver Judges
About Paul Becker
Born in Victoria, Paul Becker has become one of the most sought after choreographers in the industry today. Most recently, he has been well noticed for his work with the hit rock group The Jonas Brothers. However that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Becker’s talent and credits. He has choreographed the feature films Hot Rod; Talk To Me starring Don Cheadle; Code Name: The Cleaner starring Cedric the Entertainer; Are We Done Yet starring Ice Cube; The Wicker Man starring Nicolas Cage; Totally Awesome; Are We There Yet; and The Muppets
Wizard of Oz starring Queen Latifah. On TV, Becker is the staff choreographer for Aliens in America, and Showtime’s Masters of Horror. In the theatre world, Becker just choreographed High School Musical on Stage at the Orlando Science Center, as well as The Magicians Nephew. His work will be noticed on Broadway soon, as he is the dance consultant for the Broadway revival of The WIZ. Becker is a true visionary; any project that Becker is a part of, he brings his humor, creativity, and endless persistence to make the creation a dynamic experience.
About Mary Murphy
Mary Murphy is best known as the “Queen of Scream” on the U.S. version of So You Think You Can Dance. Her infectious laugh and “Maryisms” like “Hot Tamale Train” have helped make the show a smash hit around the world. In fact, Murphy recently beat out a star-studded field, including Ryan Seacrest, Carrie Ann Inaba and Donald Trump to claim the “Best Host/Judge” prize at the 2007 Reality TV Awards. Murphy is also an in-demand film and television star; appearing in films like Dance With Me with Vanessa Williams and the thriller Killer Movie with Kaley Cuoco and J.C. Chasez. Murphy has also appeared on television shows like Rachael Ray, The Soup, Chelsea Lately and American Idol, to name a few. Murphy began her career as a professional ballroom dancer. She and her partners compiled an impressive list of accomplishments; including victories at The Austrian National Championships and The U.S. Nine Dance Championships. Beyond her work in Hollywood, Murphy is the Owner and Director of Champion Ballroom Academy in San Diego, CA. She also runs Mary Murphy’s Chance To Dance program, which brings dance to children in underprivileged areas.
The So You Think You Can Dance Canada talent search continues in Halifax (May 5), Calgary (May 12), Montreal (May 27) and Toronto (June 10). Please visit dance.ctv.ca for more audition details.
Labels: reality tv, So You Think You Can Dance Canada, SYTYCD Canada
