John O'Hurley (top) has dropped 15 lbs. since donning his dancing shoes on ABC's 'Dancing With the Stars.'

Ballroom Dancing May Help Mind, Body, and Spirit By Miranda Hitti WebMD Feature Reviewed By Michael Smith, MD on Monday, June 27, 2005

Tangos, waltzes, sambas, and foxtrots are gliding across America's TV sets on the hit ballroom dance show, Dancing with the Stars. Read on....

FEATURED DANCE FILM

"Take the Lead"

Antonio Banderas and Alfre Woodard Star in "Take the Lead"

Inspired by a true story, Antonio Banderas stars as internationally acclaimed ballroom dancer Pierre Dulane in the family drama "Take The Lead." The film revolves around a professional dancer who volunteers to teach in the New York City public school system. But when his classic methods clash with his students’ hip hop instincts, he teams up with them to create a new style of dance and becomes their mentor in the process.

The creators of the long-running PBS hit series Championship Ballroom Dancing are back with an exhilarating new prime time special that takes viewers onto the dance floor and behind the scenes as ballroom dancing's elite go toe-to-toe to compete for the title of "America's Best." Hosted by Marilu Henner (Taxi, Evening Shade) and Tony Meredith (Former U.S. Professional Latin American Dance Champion), America's Ballroom Challenge shines a spotlight on 24 world-class couples as they attempt to cha-cha, samba, waltz, and tango their way to the top.

"America's Ballroom Challenge" is the first program to feature all four major styles of competitive ballroom dancing: American Rhythm, American Smooth, International Latin and International Standard. Twenty-four couples — six in each of the four dance categories — competed first in group dances, with an international panel of judges ranking their performances.

After the group dances, the top three couples in each category advanced to "The Finals," where each couple performed a solo showdance, vying to be named champion of their dance style. Finally, the winning couples in each of the four categories competed across dance styles in a "Best of Show" grand finale to determine the overall winner — "America's Best." 

A two-part, two-hour, special coming to PBS in 2006!
Part One, The Trials: Wednesday, February 1, at 8pm ET on PBS
Part Two, The Finals: Wednesday, February 8, at 8pm ET on PBS

 Watch the Promo Video

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