Dancers Audition In NYC For Paula Abdul Reality Show
NEW YORK (CBS 2) -- Hundreds of men, women and children of all ages lined up at the West Side's Javits Center as early as 2 a.m. on Thursday for one goal: show Paula Abdul that they can dance.
Abdul is on the lookout for the country's most passionate contestants to compete in her new upcoming reality show, "Live to Dance."
Abdul is searching for any type of dancer, from hip hop to ballet. There's only one rule: they must love to dance.
"Every style imaginable and fusing styles together and I'm going to be out there mentoring and coaching these acts," said Abdul, whose show will premiere in January on CBS.
Abdul met with dancers in line and said their enthusiasm brought her right back to her early days.
"At 8 years old with a red, white and blue leotard, tights, headband and leg warmers," she recalled. "When I was a little girl, getting on 'Star Search' or the 'Gong Show' was my goal."
But these hopefuls aren't just dancing for a chance at stardom, they're also dancing for a chance at half a million dollars.
The Chi Town Finest Breakers, a group of 8- to 12-year-olds whose break dancing names were Turbo, Spinderella, Ozone and Crazy Legs, told CBS 2's Cindy Hsu that their potential prize money would go toward a noble cause.
"Well, we want to give back to kids that have cancer and after that we want to give to our education," said Spinderella.
Other groups have a message of their own.
"You don't have to go dormant when you're 50, get up and move, you'll be healthy, you'll be happy," said Ray Smith of the Move Free Dancers, a group of proclaimed "seniors" refusing to lose touch with their active side as they grow older.
Meanwhile, many groups showed off their skills in line, including a brother-sister duo from Princeton, N.J., who wowed onlookers with their dance of choice, salsa.
The dancers still have a long road ahead though. There's still another casting call in Los Angeles in two weeks.
