# Superstars of Dance

Superstars of Dance is an American reality television series that aired on NBC from January 4 to 26, 2009. The series features dance routines from eight countries from six continents. It was hosted by Michael Flatley, co-creator of Riverdance and creator of Lord of the Dance, and was co-hosted by former Miss USA title holder Susie Castillo. It was created by executive producers Nigel Lythgoe and Simon Fuller, co-producers of So You Think You Can Dance and American Idol.

## Background

On November 17, 2008, NBC announced it had ordered a new reality program titled Superstar Dancers of the World, which would feature competitors from eight international teams and would be produced by Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe of American Idol fame. NBC billed the show as "equal parts sporting event, rock concert, and artistic exhibition" and Lythgoe called it "the most challenging and exhilarating project I've ever done."
Superstars of Dance differed from similar TV dance competitions by featuring professionals instead of amateurs, including several world champions. The contestants were chosen by their respective countries, rather than by the show's producers. Flatley compared the show to a sporting competition such as the Olympic Games.
The winners were decided by a panel of eight judges, as the producers felt it would be unfair to decide the winner by phone-in votes, assuming the American public would probably just vote for the American team.

### The teams

| Team/Country | Soloists | Duet | Group | Coach |
| Argentina | Carolina Cerisola, Miriam Larici | Miriam Larici & Leonardo Barrionuevo | Los Huincas Gauchos | Sandar |
| India | Amrapali Ambegaokar, Mythili Prakash | Nishi Munshi & Sangita Sanyal | Bollywood Dancers | Nakul Dev Mahajan |
| Australia | Sean Robinson, Reed Luplau | Henry Byalikov & Giselle Peacock | Australian Dance Theatre | Jason Gilkison, Garry Stewart |
| South Africa | Sduduzo Ka-Mbili, Mamela Nyanza | Victor Da Silva & Claudia Savvides | Umojo | Tandinkosi "Tandi" Bhengu |
| USA | Robert Muraine, Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards | Georgia Ambarian & Eric Luna | Groovaloos | Marguerite Derricks |
| Ireland | Damien O'Kane$^†$, Kelly Hendry | Damien O'Kane & Bernadette Flynn | Irish Stepdancing Team (from Lord of the Dance) | Marie Duffy Pask |
| Russia | Julia Bantner, Maria Kochetkova | Anya Garnis & Pasha Kovalev‡ | The Cossacks | Stanislav Issaev |
| China | Bei Zheng, Yang Yanan | Zhen Zhu Zheng & An Na | Shaolin: Wheel of Life | Matthew Ahmet |
$^†$Damien O'Kane was replaced by Bernadette Flynn for the semi-final round of the competition. $^‡$Pasha Kovalev and Anya Garnis was replaced by Pasha & Aliona Riazantsev for the semi-final round of the competition Competitors in bold won their respective categories.

### The judges

| Team/Country | Judge |
| Argentina | Maria Pogee |
| India | Shirish Dayal |
| Australia | Kelley Abbey |
| South Africa | Harold Van Buuren |
| USA | Tony Selznick |
| Ireland | Daire Nolan |
| Russia | Mikhail Smirnov |
| China | Master Wang Haiyang |

## Episode 1

The first episode was aired on Sunday, January 4, 2009.
| Country | Dancers/Style | Judges' Scores | Judges' Scores | Judges' Scores | Judges' Scores | Judges' Scores | Judges' Scores | Judges' Scores | Judges' Scores | Totals | Totals | Totals | Grand Total |
| Country | Dancers/Style | | | | | | | | | Solo | Duet | Group | Grand Total |
| Argentina | Carolina Cerisola (Jazz Solo) Miriam Larici & Leonardo Barrionuevo (Tango Duet) | N/A | 8 9 | 8 9 | 7 10 | 9 10 | 9 9 | 9 9 | 8 9 | 58 | 65 | N/A | 123 |
| India | Nishi Munshi & Sangita Sanyal (Bollywood Duet) Amarpali Ambegaokar (Kathak Solo) | 9 9 | N/A | 7 9 | 6 8 | 7 9 | 7 9 | 8 9 | 7 9 | 62 | 51 | N/A | 113 |
| Australia | Sean Robinson (Tap Solo) Australian Dance Theater (Group) | 9 9 | 8 8 | N/A | 8 9 | 8 8 | 8 7 | 8 8 | 8 8 | 57 | N/A | 57 | 114 |
| South Africa | Umojo (Gumboot Dance Group) Sduduzo Ka-Mbili (Zulu Dancer Solo) | 8 8 | 8 8 | 9 7 | N/A | 8 9 | 8 7 | 8 8 | 8 8 | 55 | N/A | 57 | 112 |
| USA | Robert Muraine (Popping Solo) Georgia Ambarian & Eric Luna (Cabaret Duet) | 8 7 | 7 9 | 9 7 | 9 7 | N/A | 8 10 | 8 9 | 8 8 | 57 | 57 | N/A | 114 |
| Ireland | Irish Stepdancing (Group) Damien O'Kane (Irish Step Dance Solo) | 10 9 | 9 9 | 9 8 | 9 7 | 10 8 | N/A | 9 8 | 9 9 | 58 | N/A | 65 | 123 |
| Russia | Pasha Kovalev & Anya Garnis (Latin Ballroom Duet) Julia Bantner (Contemporary Solo) | 8 7 | 9 7 | 9 7 | 9 7 | 10 7 | 10 8 | N/A | 9 7 | 50 | 64 | N/A | 114 |
| China | Bei Zheng (Ribbon Solo) Shaolin Monks (Group) | 8 9 | 7 9 | 7 10 | 7 10 | 8 10 | 7 9 | 7 9 | N/A | 51 | N/A | 66 | 117 |

## Episode 2

The second episode of Superstars of Dance aired on January 5, 2009. The show marked the end of the quarterfinals and with it the first eliminations. At the end of the evening, eight soloists, two duos, and two groups were eliminated.
| Country | Dancers/Style | Judges' Scores | Judges' Scores | Judges' Scores | Judges' Scores | Judges' Scores | Judges' Scores | Judges' Scores | Judges' Scores | Totals | Totals | Totals | Grand Total |
| Country | Dancers/Style | | | | | | | | | Solo | Duet | Group | Grand Total |
| Argentina | Los Huincas Gauchos (Group) Miriam Larici (Tango-style Solo) | N/A | 7 8 | 7 8 | 6 8 | 7 8 | 6 8 | 8 9 | 7 8 | 57 | N/A | 48 | 105 |
| India | Mythili Prakash (Bharata-Natyam Solo) Bollywood Dancers (Group) | 9 7 | N/A | 8 8 | 8 7 | 9 9 | 8 8 | 8 7 | 8 8 | 58 | N/A | 54 | 112 |
| Australia | Henry Byalikov & Giselle Peacock (Ballroom duet) Reed Luplau (Contemporary solo) | 8 9 | 8 10 | N/A | 8 9 | 8 9 | 8 9 | 8 10 | 8 9 | 65 | 56 | N/A | 121 |
| South Africa | Victor Da Silva & Claudia Savvides (Ballroom duet) Mamela Nyamza (Afro-fusion solo) | 8 9 | 8 8 | 8 9 | N/A | 9 8 | 8 8 | 9 8 | 9 8 | 58 | 59 | N/A | 117 |
| USA | Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards (Tap Solo) The Groovaloos (Street dance group) | 7 9 | 8 9 | 8 10 | 7 10 | N/A | 9 9 | 8 10 | 8 10 | 55 | N/A | 67 | 122 |
| Ireland | Kelly Hendry (Irish step dance solo) Damien O'Kane & Bernadette Flynn (Irish step dance duet) | 8 8 | 8 8 | 8 8 | 8 8 | 8 8 | N/A | 8 9 | 8 9 | 56 | 58 | N/A | 114 |
| Russia | The Cossacks (Group) Maria Kochetkova (Ballet solo) | 7 9 | 7 9 | 7 9 | 7 9 | 8 9 | 7 9 | N/A | 8 9 | 63 | N/A | 51 | 114 |
| China | Yang Yanan (Weaponry solo) Zhen Zhu Zheng & An Nan (Acrobatics duet) | 8 7 | 7 7 | 7 7 | 7 8 | 7 8 | 7 7 | 8 9 | N/A | 51 | 53 | N/A | 104 |

### Standings after the quarter-finals

Overall standings :
| Place | Team | Ep. 1 | Ep. 2 | Total | Teams Remaining |
| 1 | Ireland | 123 | 114 | 237 | 3 (solo, duet, group) |
| 2 | USA | 114 | 122 | 236 | 3 (solo, duet, group) |
| 3 | Australia | 114 | 121 | 235 | 3 (solo, duet, group) |
| 4 | South Africa | 112 | 117 | 229 | 3 (solo, duet, group) |
| 5 (tie) | Argentina | 123 | 105 | 228 | 2 (solo, duet) |
| 5 (tie) | Russia | 114 | 114 | 228 | 2 (solo, duet) |
| 7 | India | 113 | 112 | 225 | 3 (solo, solo, group) |
| 8 | China | 117 | 104 | 221 | 1 (group) |
Solo Standings :
| Place | Contestant(s) | Style of Dance | Score | Notes |
| 1 | Reed Luplau | Contemporary | 65 | |
| 2 | Maria Kochetkova | Ballet | 63 | |
| 3 | Amarpali Ambegaokar | Kathak | 62 | |
| 4 (tie) | Carolina Cerisola | Jazz | 58 | |
| 4 (tie) | Mythili Prakash | Bharata Natyam | 58 | |
| 4 (tie) | Mamela Nyanza | Afro-Fusion | 58 | |
| 4 (tie) | Damien O'Kane | Irish Step | 58 | |
| 8 (tie) | Robert Muraine | Popping | 57 | $^1$ |
| 8 (tie) | Sean Robinson | Tap | 57 | Eliminated $^1$ |
| 8 (tie) | Miriam Larici | Tango | 57 | Eliminated $^1$ |
| 11 | Kelly Hendry | Irish Step | 56 | Eliminated |
| 12 (tie) | Dormesha Sumbry-Edwards | Tap | 55 | Eliminated |
| 12 (tie) | Sduduzo Ka-Mbili | Zulu Warrior Dance | 55 | Eliminated |
| 14 (tie) | Bei Zheng | Ribbon Dance | 51 | Eliminated |
| 14 (tie) | Yang Yanan | Shaolin Weapon | 51 | Eliminated |
| 16 | Julia Bantner | Contemporary | 50 | Eliminated |
$^1$Miriam Larici, Robert Muraine, and Sean Robinson were tied for 8th with 57 points going into the first elimination. Since only 8 could advance, a tie-breaking vote was called for from the five countries not involved. Muraine won four votes from South Africa, Ireland, Russia, and China, which put him through to the semifinal round. Robinson received one vote from India, while Larici received no votes.
Duet Standings :
| Place | Contestant(s) | Style of Dance | Score | Notes |
| 1 | Miriam Larci & Leonardo Barrionuevo | Tango | 65 | |
| 2 | Pasha Kovalev & Anya Garnis | Ballroom | 64 | |
| 3 | Victor Da Silva & Claudia Savvides | Ballroom | 59 | |
| 4 | Damien O'Kane & Bernadette Flynn | Irish Step | 58 | |
| 5 | Georgia Ambarian & Eric Luna | Cabaret | 57 | |
| 6 | Henry Byalikov & Giselle Peacock | Ballroom | 56 | |
| 7 | Zhen Zhu Zheng & An Nan | Acrobatics | 53 | Eliminated |
| 8 | Nishi Munshi & Sangita Sayal | Bollywood | 51 | Eliminated |
Group Standings :
| Place | Contestant(s) | Style of Dance | Score | Notes |
| 1 | The Groovaloos | Street | 67 | |
| 2 | Shaolin Monks | Kung-fu | 66 | |
| 3 | The Irish | Irish Step | 65 | |
| 4 (tie) | Australian Dance Theater | Contemporary | 57 | |
| 4 (tie) | Umoja | Traditional Gumboot Dance | 57 | |
| 6 | Bollywood Dancers | Bollywood | 54 | |
| 7 | The Cossacks | Cossack Dance | 51 | Eliminated |
| 8 | Los Huincas Gauchos | Argentine Weapon | 48 | Eliminated |

## Episode 3

The third episode of Superstars of Dance aired on January 12, 2009.
| Country | Dancers/Style | Judges' Scores | Judges' Scores | Judges' Scores | Judges' Scores | Judges' Scores | Judges' Scores | Judges' Scores | Judges' Scores | Totals | Totals | Totals | Grand Total |
| Country | Dancers/Style | | | | | | | | | Solo | Duet | Group | Grand Total |
| Argentina | Miriam Larici & Leonardo Barrionuevo (Tango Duet) | N/A | 9 | 9 | 7 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9 | N/A | 63 | N/A | 63 |
| India | Amarpali Ambegaokar (Kathak Solo) | 9 | N/A | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 59 | N/A | N/A | 59 |
| Australia | Australian Dance Theater (Group) Reed Luplau (Contemporary Solo) | 9 9 | 8 8 | N/A | 9 8 | 9 8 | 8 8 | 10 9 | 9 8 | 58 | N/A | 62 | 120 |
| South Africa | Umoja (Gumboot Dance Group) Victor Da Silva & Claudia Savvides (Ballroom duet) | 9 8 | 8 8 | 8 8 | N/A | 8 8 | 8 9 | 9 9 | 8 9 | N/A | 59 | 58 | 117 |
| USA | Robert Muraine (Popping Solo) The Groovaloos (Street dance group) | 8 10 | 9 9 | 9 10 | 9 9 | N/A | 8 9 | 9 10 | 9 9 | 61 | N/A | 66 | 127 |
| Ireland | Damien O'Kane & Bernadette Flynn (Irish step dance duet) | 8 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 8 | N/A | 9 | 8 | N/A | 56 | N/A | 56 |
| Russia | Maria Kochetkova (Ballet solo) | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | N/A | 9 | 63 | N/A | N/A | 63 |
| China | No competitors participating | | | | | | | | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 0 |

## Episode 4

The fourth episode of Superstars of Dance aired on January 19, 2009. The other three groups, the other three duets, and the other four soloists:
| Country | Dancers/Style | Judges' Scores | Judges' Scores | Judges' Scores | Judges' Scores | Judges' Scores | Judges' Scores | Judges' Scores | Judges' Scores | Totals | Totals | Totals | Grand Total |
| Country | Dancers/Style | | | | | | | | | Solo | Duet | Group | Grand Total |
| Argentina | Carolina Cerisola (Latin Solo) | N/A | 7 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 53 | N/A | N/A | 53 |
| India | Bollywood Dancers (Group) Mythili Prakash (Bharata Natyam Solo) | 8 8 | N/A | 7 7 | 7 7 | 8 8 | 7 8 | 8 8 | 8 8 | 54 | N/A | 53 | 107 |
| Australia | Henry Byalikov & Giselle Peacock (Ballroom Duet) | 8 | 9 | N/A | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | N/A | 59 | N/A | 59 |
| South Africa | Mamela Nyamza (Afro-Fusion Solo) | 7 | 8 | 8 | N/A | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 55 | N/A | N/A | 55 |
| USA | Georgia Ambaria & Eric Luna (Cabaret Duet) | 8 | 7 | 7 | 5 | N/A | 8 | 8 | 7 | N/A | 50 | N/A | 50 |
| Ireland | Bernadette Flynn (Irish Step Dance Solo) The Irish (Group) | 8 9 | 7 9 | 7 8 | 8 8 | 7 9 | N/A | 9 10 | 8 9 | 54 | N/A | 62 | 116 |
| Russia | Pasha & Aliona Riazantsev (Magical Dance Duet) | 7 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 8 | 10 | N/A | 9 | N/A | 51 | N/A | 51 |
| China | Shaolin Monks (Group) | 10 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 10 | N/A | N/A | N/A | 65 | 65 |

### Standings after the semi-finals

Overall standings :
| Place | Team | Ep. 1 | Ep. 2 | Ep. 3 | Ep. 4 | Total | Teams remaining |
| 1 | Australia | 114 | 121 | 120 | 59 | 414 | 2 (duet, group) |
| 2 | USA | 114 | 122 | 127 | 50 | 413 | 2 (solo, group) |
| 3 | Ireland | 123 | 114 | 56 | 116 | 409 | 0 |
| 4 | South Africa | 112 | 117 | 117 | 55 | 401 | 1 (duet) |
| 5 | India | 113 | 112 | 59 | 107 | 391 | 1 (solo) |
| 6 | Argentina | 123 | 105 | 63 | 53 | 344 | 1 (duet) |
| 7 | Russia | 114 | 114 | 63 | 51 | 342 | 1 (solo) |
| 8 | China | 117 | 104 | 0 | 65 | 286 | 1 (group) |
Solo Standings :
| Place | Contestant(s) | Style of Dance | Score | Notes |
| 1 | Maria Kochetkova | Ballet | 63 | |
| 2 | Robert Muraine | Popping | 61 | |
| 3 | Amarpali Ambegaokar | Kathak | 59 | |
| 4 | Reed Luplau | Contemporary | 58 | Eliminated |
| 5 | Mamela Nyamza | Afro-Fusion | 55 | Eliminated |
| 6 (tie) | Mythili Prakash | Bharata Natyam | 54 | Eliminated |
| 6 (tie) | Bernadette Flynn | Irish Step | 54 | Eliminated |
| 8 | Carolina Cerisola | Latin | 53 | Eliminated |
Duet Standings :
| Place | Contestant(s) | Style of Dance | Score | Notes |
| 1 | Miriam Larici & Leonardo Barrionuevo | Tango | 63 | |
| 2 (tie) | Henry Byalikov & Giselle Peacock | Ballroom | 59 | |
| 2 (tie) | Victor Da Silva & Claudia Savvides | Ballroom | 59 | |
| 4 | Damien O'Kane & Bernadette Flynn | Irish Step | 56 | Eliminated |
| 5 | Pasha & Aliona Riazantsev | Magical Dance | 51 | Eliminated |
| 6 | Georgia Ambarian & Eric Luna | Cabaret | 50 | Eliminated |
Group Standings :
| Place | Contestant(s) | Style of Dance | Score | Notes |
| 1 | The Groovaloos | Street | 66 | |
| 2 | Shaolin Monks | Kung-Fu | 65 | |
| 3 (tie) | Australian Dance Theatre | Contemporary | 62 | $^1$ |
| 3 (tie) | The Irish | Irish Step | 62 | Eliminated $^1$ |
| 5 | Umojo | Traditional Gumboot Dance | 58 | Eliminated |
| 6 | Bollywood Dancers | Bollywood | 53 | Eliminated |
$^1$The Australian Dance Theatre and The Irish team were tied in 3rd place with 62 points going into the first elimination. Since only 3 could advance, a tiebreaking vote was called for from the six countries not involved. The Australian Dance Theater won five votes from Argentina, India, South Africa, USA, and Russia. The Irish won one vote from China.

## Standings after the finale

| Place | Team | Ep. 1 | Ep. 2 | Ep. 3$^*$ | Ep. 4$^*$ | Ep. 5 | Total |
| 1 | USA | 114 | 122 | 127 | 50 | 117 | 530 |
| 2 | Australia | 114 | 121 | 120 | 59 | 111 | 525 |
| 3 | South Africa | 112 | 117 | 117 | 55 | 59 | 460 |
| 4 | India | 113 | 112 | 59 | 107 | 56 | 447 |
| 5 | Argentina | 123 | 105 | 63 | 53 | 66 | 410 |
| 6 | Ireland | 123 | 114 | 56 | 116 | 0 | 409 |
| 7 | Russia | 114 | 114 | 63 | 51 | 65 | 407 |
| 8 | China | 117 | 104 | 0 | 65 | 57 | 343 |
$^*$The semi-finals were split over episodes 3 and 4, with an unbalanced number of contestants from each country participating in each episode.
* Bold font indicates the highest scoring team on a performance show.
* Italic font indicates the lowest scoring team on a performance show.
Solo Medals :
| Medal | Contestant(s) | Style of Dance | Score |
| Gold | Maria Kochetkova | Ballet | 65 |
| Silver | Amrapali Ambegaokar | Kathak | 56 |
| Bronze | Robert Muraine | Popping | 51 |
Duet Medals :
| Medal | Contestant(s) | Style of Dance | Score |
| Gold | Miriam Larici & Leonardo Barrionuevo | Tango | 66 |
| Silver | Victor Da Silva & Claudia Savvides | Ballroom | 59 |
| Bronze | Henry Byalikov & Giselle Peacock | Ballroom | 58 |
Group Medals :
| Medal | Contestant(s) | Style of Dance | Score |
| Gold | The Groovaloos | Street | 66 |
| Silver | Shaolin Monks | Kung-Fu | 57 |
| Bronze | Australian Dance Theatre | Contemporary | 53 |