Lifetime Television Announces First Ever Dance Competition Series, 'Your Mama Don't Dance'

Who Says Your Mama Don't Dance and Your Daddy Don't Rock and Roll?

Lifetime's First Ever Dance Competition Series With a Twist, 'Your Mama Don't Dance,' Pairs Young Professional Dancers With a Parent, Who Must Learn to Work Together and Get in Sync, Emotionally and Physically, as They Vie to Win $100,000 in Cash and Prizes, Premiering Friday, February 29 at 9PM (ET/PT)

Hosted By Ian Ziering ('Dancing With The Stars'), Judges Will Select Two Teams Each Week for Elimination, Then it's Up to America to Vote for its Favorite Team

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 28 -- Lifetime Television launches its first ever dance competition series, "Your Mama Don't Dance," and turns the dance world upside down by teaming young professional dancers with one of their parents as they compete for $100,000 in cash and prizes. Premiering Friday, February 29, at 9PM (ET/PT), the eight week series is hosted by Ian Ziering ("Dancing with the Stars," "Beverly Hills, 90210") and will feature three celebrity judges.

"Your Mama Don't Dance" takes the typical "dance show" to a whole new level by exploring the sometimes love-hate but always complicated relationship between kids and their parents. These up-and-coming dancers will be counting on their parents to learn the moves to help them realize their dreams, while their parents will undoubtedly feel the pressure to work harder than ever to keep in step and not let their kids down. The series also gives the dancers and their parents the opportunity to see each other in new ways and maybe even strengthen their bonds.

Executive produced by live show veteran Bob Bain ("Billboard Music Awards," "Miss America," "Kids Choice Awards"), the new weekly series tapes in front of a live studio audience under the direction of Alan Carter ("Dance Wars"). The series concludes in a live finale show on Friday, April 18th.

In announcing the series, Susanne Daniels, President, Entertainment, Lifetime Networks, said, "'Your Mama Don't Dance' distinguishes itself from other dance competition shows because its point of view is truly unique. The relationships between the dancers and their parents will evolve during the eight weeks and it will be both heartwarming and heartbreaking -- with a lot of twists and unexpected turns along the way."

"This show is truly a testament to how far parents will go for their children," added Bain. "These parents are picking up their lives for ten weeks, leaving their friends and families at home to come to dance on national television with their kids. Most don't have any formal dance training whatsoever, so it is going to be really interesting to see how well they perform."

In "Your Mama Don't Dance," some of America's hottest dancers auditioned for a chance to be a part of a new dance competition show under the pseudonym "Dance Nation," but none had any idea what was in store. On January 26, 2008, contestants gathered at the Orpheum Theater in Los Angeles where they soon discovered shocking news -- that they would be competing with a partner and that their partner would be one of their parents! Flown in from all across the U.S., the adventurous moms and dads participated in the big surprise to their unsuspecting kids, to be revealed in the first two episodes of the series as the competition kicks off.

Now, five female dancers will be fox-trotting with their fathers while five male dancers will be doing the mambo with their mothers as they vie for praise from the judges and for America's votes. They must put aside their differences, not step on each other's toes and work together as a team to become the grand champions of "Your Mama Don't Dance."

Following the initial surprise meeting, the duos will have less than a month to learn and rehearse new dances together with the help of professional choreographers. Each week, the judges will put the two teams with the lowest scores on the chopping block, then it's up to America to determine which team stays in the competition via phone, text and online votes on myLifetime.com as monitored by the firm, Telescope Inc. The competition concludes on Friday, April 18th in a live finale extravaganza where the final three teams face off in front of the judges and America one last time. The winning team will be announced at the end of the show following a live vote.

As part of the series' launch, myLifetime.com will feature a show site for "Your Mama Don't Dance," that will include online voting, a sweepstakes, a new game challenging players to follow along to dance moves and an activity allowing visitors to customize their own pair of dancers with personal photos, music and costume selections.

The dancers participating in the series with their parents are:

Female Dancers & Their Fathers:

-- Noelle Croner (19, New York) & Doug Croner (52, Gilbertsville, PA)

-- Celia Merendi (23, New York) & Silvano Merendi (48, Miami, FL)

-- Nicole Niestemski (24, Los Angeles) & Michael Niestemski (48, Cerritos, CA)

-- Heather Phillips (22, New York) & Stephen Phillips (54, Philadelphia, PA)

-- Brooke Shephard (19, New York) & Eric Shephard (43, Columbus, OH)

Male Dancers & Their Mothers:

-- Jeremy Barthel (22, Los Angeles) & Doris Barthel (50, San Diego, CA)

-- Jesse Lewis (21, Los Angeles) & Rebecca Lewis (51, Birmingham, AL)

-- Dante Pueleio (31, New York) & Dolores Pueleio (51, East Brunswick, NJ)

-- Jonathan Silva (19, Los Angeles) & Rodilyn Woodbridge (39, Long Beach, CA)

-- Erick "E-Rock" Uphoff (20, Los Angeles) & Carol Uphoff (43, Chapel Hill, NC)

Ian Ziering is best known to television audiences for his role as Steve Sanders in the hit FOX series "Beverly Hills, 90210." Ziering participated in season four of the hit celebrity dance competition show, "Dancing with the Stars" where he made it to the semi-final round with his professional dancing partner Cheryl Burke. Following his stint on the show, Ziering hung up his dancing shoes to guest-star in Lifetime's comedic drama series, "Side Order of Life" where he had a three-episode arc alongside his former "Beverly Hills, 90210" co-star, Jason Priestley. His other television credits include "JAG," "What I Like About You," "The Doctors" and "Guiding Light." He recently completed production on the films "Azteca" and "Step Seven."

"Your Mama Don't Dance" is produced by City Lights Television in association with Bob Bain Productions for Lifetime Television. Bob Bain ("Billboard Music Awards," "Miss America," "Kid's Choice Awards"), Dave Noll and Linda Lea ("Queer Eye for the Straight Guy") serve as executive producers. Stephanie Chambers ("Bam's Unholy Union") is co-executive producer and Nate Green ("Dance Life") is supervising producer.

LIFETIME is the leader in women's television and one of the top-rated basic cable television networks. A diverse, multi-media company, LIFETIME is committed to offering the highest quality entertainment and information programming, and advocating a wide range of issues affecting women and their families. LIFETIME Television, Lifetime Movie Network, Lifetime Real Women and Lifetime Digital (including myLifetime.com) are part of LIFETIME Entertainment Services, a 50/50 joint venture of The Hearst Corporation and The Walt Disney Company.

SOURCE Lifetime Television
http://www.lifetimetv.com http://myLifetime.com