The Next Step is a Canadian teen drama series. Created by Frank Van Keeken, the series follows the members of a troupe from the titular dance studio, as they train for and compete in various championships, and deal with rivalries with other dance schools and drama among the team itself. The series is presented in a style influenced by reality television.
The Next Step | |
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Genre | Teen drama |
Created by | Frank Van Keeken |
Starring | See Cast listing |
Theme music composer | Grayson Matthews |
Opening theme | Stand Up by Jessica Lee and Kit Knows |
Ending theme |
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Country of origin | Canada |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 8 |
No. of episodes | 219 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producers | |
Producers |
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Production locations | Production studio: Filmport Presentation Centre, Toronto[2] Exterior and street shots: Colborne Street Dundas Street Front Street Jarvis Street University Avenue Yonge Street[3] |
Camera setup | Multi-camera |
Running time | 22–43 minutes |
Production companies |
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Distributor | BBC Worldwide[4] |
Release | |
Original network | Canada Family Channel (seasons 1–6)[1] CBC Gem (season 7) YTV (season 8) United Kingdom CBBC |
Original release | March 8, 2013 (2013-03-08) – present (present) |
Chronology | |
Related | Lost & Found Music Studios |
The series originally premiered on Family Channel on March 8, 2013, and has spawned digital content, as well as live touring shows featuring its cast members, and a spinoff series, Lost & Found Music Studios. The series moved to CBC Television's streaming platform CBC Gem in 2020 for its seventh season. The series has also been sold internationally, with broadcasters such as CBBC in the United Kingdom, and Universal Kids in the United States—which became a production partner for its sixth season. In April 2022, an eighth series was announced by British broadcaster CBBC.
Season | Episodes | Originally aired (Canada) | |||
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First aired | Last aired | Network | |||
1 | 30 | 14 | March 8, 2013 (2013-03-08) | June 7, 2013 (2013-06-07) | Family Channel |
16 | September 20, 2013 (2013-09-20) | January 3, 2014 (2014-01-03) | |||
2 | 34 | 17 | March 7, 2014 (2014-03-07) | June 6, 2014 (2014-06-06) | |
17 | September 12, 2014 (2014-09-12) | January 2, 2015 (2015-01-02) | |||
3 | 30 | 15 | March 16, 2015 (2015-03-16) | April 2, 2015 (2015-04-02) | |
15 | September 11, 2015 (2015-09-11) | December 11, 2015 (2015-12-11) | |||
4 | 40 | 20 | February 15, 2016 (2016-02-15) | June 24, 2016 (2016-06-24) | |
20 | October 14, 2016 (2016-10-14) | May 12, 2017 (2017-05-12) | |||
5 | 20 | 10 | May 26, 2017 (2017-05-26) | August 11, 2017 (2017-08-11) | |
10 | October 13, 2017 (2017-10-13) | December 13, 2017 (2017-12-13) | |||
6 | 26 | 13 | September 29, 2018 (2018-09-29) | October 28, 2018 (2018-10-28) | |
13 | March 2, 2019 (2019-03-02) | April 7, 2019 (2019-04-07) | |||
Special | 2 | December 21, 2019 (2019-12-21) | YouTube | ||
7 | 24 | 11 | April 10, 2020 (2020-04-10) | June 19, 2020 (2020-06-19) | CBC Gem |
13 | June 26, 2020 (2020-06-26) | September 18, 2020 (2020-09-18) | |||
8 | TBA | 13 | September 26, 2022 (2022-09-26)[5] | October 13, 2022 (2022-10-13)[6] | YTV |
TBA | November 7, 2022 (2022-11-07)[7] | TBA |
On February 24, 2012, Family Channel announced that it had ordered 26 half-hour episodes (including S1 and S1.5),[8] and a four-episode season finale.[9] Special content was also going to be available, including The Next Step Interactive. On April 9, 2013, Family announced that it had renewed the series for a second season,[10] which premiered on March 7, 2014.[11]
On May 5, 2014, the series was renewed for a third season, which premiered on March 16, 2015.[12] On April 16, 2015, it was announced that the series would return for a fourth season, which premiered on February 15, 2016.[13] On March 21, 2016, Frank van Keeken announced on Instagram that The Next Step would return for a fifth season, which premiered on May 26, 2017.[14][15] The series was renewed for a 26-episode sixth season, which premiered in Canada on September 29, 2018.[16][17] A 24-episode seventh season premiered on CBC Gem on April 10, 2020, and was preceded with a two-part special in December 2019 on CBBC.[18][19] In April 2022, British broadcaster CBBC revealed that an eighth season was in production.[20] The season premiered on September 26, 2022 on CBBC in the United Kingdom and YTV in Canada.[21]
Filming began on July 19, 2012, in Toronto, Ontario.[22] The Next Step is filmed at Filmport Presentation Centre, Toronto.[2]
Exterior and street shots were shot on location in Downtown Toronto. Locations include Dundas Street, Front Street, Jarvis Street, University Avenue, and Yonge Street. The exterior shots posing as The Next Step studio are from Colborne Street.[3]
The series aired from March 8, 2013, to April 7, 2019, on Family Channel in Canada, and from April 10, 2020, to September 18, 2020, on CBC Gem for the series' seventh season. It has aired on Universal Kids in the United States and CBBC in the United Kingdom, respectively.
The series premiere set rating records for Family, with at least 574,000 viewers on its initial broadcast—which set a record for Family's highest-rated original series premiere.[10] On January 8, 2014, BBC Worldwide licensed the series to several international broadcasters, including ABC Me in Australia, Hulu in the United States, and CBBC in the United Kingdom.[23] In Canada, the show also airs on Vrak in French. In August 2017, the U.S. rights to the series were sold to Universal Kids, with the network also becoming a production partner for the sixth season. Boat Rocker Media, owner of the show's producer, Radical Sheep Productions, cited a reduction in funding for the series from DHX Media (owner of the series' Canadian broadcaster Family) as an impetus for the arrangement.[24]
In July 2020, The Next Step was praised by viewers and the media for airing a same-sex kiss, when characters Cleo (Dani Verayo) and Jude (Molly Saunders) kissed after performing a duet together.[25] This was the first same-sex kiss to be featured in the series, following a gay couple being briefly featured in an episode of the fourth season.[26] The scene also made history as the first same-sex kiss to be aired on CBBC.[27]
Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref. |
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2013 | Shaw Rocket Prize | Children (ages 6-to-12) | The Next Step | Won | [28] |
Digi Awards | Best in Cross-Platform Kids | The Next Step Interactive | Won | [11] | |
2014 | KidScreen Awards | Best Companion Website | The Next Step Interactive | Nominated | [29][30] |
Canadian Cinema Editors Awards | Best Editing in 1/2 Hour Broadcast Short Form | Jay Prychidny | Won | [31] | |
Canadian Screen Awards | Best Children's or Youth Fiction Program or Series | The Next Step | Nominated | [32][33] | |
Best Direction in a Children's or Youth Program or Series | Episode – "Sabotage" | Nominated | [32][33] | ||
2015 | Canadian Screen Awards | Best Children's or Youth Fiction Program or Series | The Next Step | Nominated | [34] |
Best Writing in a Children's or Youth Program or Series | Alejandro Alcoba and Carling Tedesco | Nominated | [34] | ||
Best Performance in a Children's or Youth Program or Series | Brittany Raymond | Nominated | [34] | ||
British Academy Children's Awards | Kids' Vote | Frank van Keeken | Won | [35] | |
2016 | British Academy Children's Awards | Kids' Vote | Frank van Keeken | Won | [36] |
Young Artist Awards | Best Performance in a TV Series - Recurring Young Actor (14 - 21) | Myles Erlick | Nominated | [37] | |
2017 | Canadian Screen Awards | Best Performance in a Children's or Youth Program or Series | Brittany Raymond | Won | [38] |
2018 | Canadian Screen Awards | Best Children's or Youth Fiction Program or Series | The Next Step | Nominated | [39] |
Best Performance, Children's or Youth | Akiel Julien | Nominated | [39] | ||
Best Writing, Children's or Youth | Rachael Schaefer | Nominated | [39] | ||
Best Direction, Children's or Youth | Derby Crewe | Nominated | [39] | ||
2019 | Canadian Screen Awards | Best Children's or Youth Fiction Program or Series | The Next Step | Nominated | |
Best Performance, Children's or Youth | Akiel Julien | Nominated | [40] | ||
Best Writing, Children's or Youth | Karen McClellan | Nominated | [40] | ||
Best Direction in a Children's or Youth Program or Series | Mitchell Ness | Nominated | [40] | ||
2021 | British LGBT Awards | Media Moment | The Next Step | Nominated | [41] |
The Next Step set up a spinoff series in its third season, called Lost & Found Music Studios, which uses a similar mockumentary format, and which features some of the cast from The Next Step. The spinoff focuses on musicians and songwriters enrolled together in a special program at a music studio.[42] The series debuted on Family Channel in Canada on December 11, 2015.[43] and later was released on Netflix.[42] The series consists of two seasons of 27 episodes.
The aftershow started when an episode finished.[44] It was approximately 1–3 minutes long, and was hosted by five members: Asha Bromfield, Lovell Adams-Gray, Luke Watters, Kelly McNamee, and Samantha "Sam" Munro.[45] The aftershow talks about The Next Step and breaks down some parts to help the viewer understand storylines.[44][46]
The Next Step: The Off Season (also titled The Next Step: Off Season) is a short series that depicts events that take place between the fourth and fifth seasons of The Next Step. The series was initially released exclusively on The Family Channel App, and was made be available on YouTube and the Family Channel website starting on May 19, 2017.[14] The short series includes hints for the subsequent fifth season, as well as introducing new characters that are featured in season 5. A second season, titled The Next Step: The Scholarship, depicted events between the fifth and sixth seasons of the series, and introduced characters that would appear in season 6. A third season, titled The Next Step: Mini Episodes, presents events that take place between the sixth and seventh seasons.
The Next Step has a website with information about the characters, a schedule of episodes, a gallery of shots and videos from the show and a store, with The Next Step related clothing. It also includes a soundtrack for The Next Step.[47][48]
![]() | This section needs additional citations for verification. (November 2021) |
Shopping Mall tour by The Next Step | |
![]() A promotional poster for the Conestoga Mall tour date | |
Start date | October 19, 2013 (2013-10-19) |
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End date | October 27, 2013 (2013-10-27) |
No. of shows | 9 |
In September 2013, Paul Cormack of Family Channel announced that The Next Step cast would go on a tour of Canada:
"We are always looking for new and exciting ways to connect with our audience on a national level. The Next Step Hit The Floor Tour reaches viewers in their own communities, providing a one-of-a-kind, interactive experience that demonstrates Family Channel's commitment to creating unique opportunities for its fans."
— Paul Cormack, Director of Marketing, Family Channel[49]
The cast members that hosted the Hit the Floor Tour were Victoria Baldesarra, Lamar Johnson, Isaac Lupien, Jennifer Pappas, Brittany Raymond, and Trevor Tordjman. Each event consisted of the cast performing on stage in groups, and a Q&A session where the audience could ask questions and get "takeaways" for attending the event. The first 200 attendees were given a wristband, which would get them an autograph signed by the hosts.[49]
Date | City | Country | Venue |
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October 19, 2013 | Oshawa | Canada | Oshawa Centre |
Toronto | Scarborough Town Centre | ||
October 20, 2013 | Richmond Hill | Hillcrest Mall | |
October 21, 2013 | Waterloo | Conestoga Mall | |
October 22, 2013 | Halifax | Mic Mac Mall | |
October 24, 2013 | Winnipeg | Kildonan Place | |
October 25, 2013 | Edmonton | Kingsway Mall | |
October 26, 2013 | Calgary | The Core | |
October 27, 2013 | Vancouver | Metrotown |
Due to the attendance numbers at the previous six malls, Family Channel moved the event in the Kingsway Mall in Edmonton, Alberta from inside to the parking lot.[50]
![]() | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (January 2022) |
The Next Step: Live on Stage was a cross-Canada tour that took place in the winter of 2015. It was the second tour for the show.[51] The documentary film The Next Step Live: The Movie depicts the events of this tour. Castmembers on this tour were Victoria Baldesarra, Brittany Raymond, Trevor Tordjman, Jordan Clark, Lamar Johnson, Isaac Lupien, Jennifer Pappas, Logan Fabbro, Samantha Grecchi and Myles Erlick.
The cast of The Next Step put on a third tour in 2016. This was the first international tour by the cast, and was initially scheduled to hold performances in Canada, Spain, England and Ireland;[52] subsequently show performances were added, including in Portugal, Italy, Australia, and New Zealand.[citation needed] The European and Australian legs of this tour are depicted in the documentary film The Next Step Live on Stage: Show the World.
The cast for the Wild Rhythm Tour were Victoria Baldesarra, Trevor Tordjman, Jordan Clark, Taveeta Szymanowicz, Isaac Lupien, Myles Erlick, and Briar Nolet, with newcomer Isaiah Peck, who was to star as Henry in season 4, also performing on the tour;[52] Lamar Johnson was added to the tour cast later. Szymanowicz was only on the Canadian leg of the tour, while Brittany Raymond performed in some of the European shows but could not go to the shows in Australia and New Zealand because of a family issue.[citation needed]
Date | City | Country | Venue |
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North America | |||
February 3, 2016 | London | Canada | Budweiser Gardens |
February 4, 2016 | Hamilton | FirstOntario Concert Hall | |
February 5, 2016 | St. Catharines | Meridian Centre | |
February 6, 2016 | Kitchener | Centre In The Square | |
February 7, 2016 | Sudbury | Sudbury Community Arena | |
February 9, 2016 | Thunder Bay | Thunder Bay Community Auditorium | |
February 11, 2016 | Regina | Saskatchewan Centre of the Arts | |
February 12, 2016 | Edmonton | Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium | |
February 13, 2016 | Medicine Hat | Esplanade Arts and Heritage Centre | |
February 14, 2016 | Kelowna | Kelowna Community Theatre | |
February 15, 2016 | Vancouver | Queen Elizabeth Theatre | |
February 17, 2016 | Calgary | Stampede Corral | |
February 18, 2016 | Saskatoon | TCU Place | |
February 19, 2016 | Winnipeg | Pantages Playhouse Theatre | |
February 21, 2016 | Sault Ste. Marue | GFL Memorial Gardens | |
February 24, 2016 | Montreal | Place des Arts | |
February 25, 2016 | Kingston | Leon's Centre | |
February 26, 2016 | Toronto | Sony Centre for the Performing Arts | |
February 27, 2016 | Québec | Grand Théâtre de Québec | |
February 28, 2016 | Moncton | Casino New Brunswick | |
February 29, 2016 | |||
March 1, 2016 | Halifax | Scotiabank Centre | |
March 3, 2016 | St. John's | Mile One Centre | |
Europe | |||
April 1, 2016 | Madrid | Spain | Auditorio A. Recinto Ferial Juan Carlos I |
April 2, 2016 | Barcelona | L'Auditori | |
April 4, 2016 | London | England | Lyric Theatre |
April 5, 2016 | New Wimbledon Theatre | ||
April 6, 2016 | Dublin | Ireland | Olympia Theatre |
April 7, 2016 | York | England | Barbican Centre |
April 8, 2016 | Newcastle | Newcastle City Hall | |
April 9, 2016 | Birmingham | Birmingham Town Hall | |
April 10, 2016 | Manchester | The Lowry | |
Oceania | |||
September 18, 2016 | Melbourne | Australia | Hamer Hall, Melbourne |
September 20, 2016 | Adelaide | Thebarton Theatre | |
September 22, 2016 | Perth | Perth Concert Hall | |
September 24, 2016 | Sydney | Big Top Sydney | |
September 26, 2016 | Brisbane | Queensland Performing Arts Centre | |
September 28, 2016 | Auckland | New Zealand | Aotea Centre |
Europe | |||
October 29, 2016 | Bath | England | The Forum |
The cast of The Next Step went on tour in 2017 to Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom and Dublin, Ireland.
The cast on this tour was similar to the Wild Rhythm Tour but with a few additions. The main cast included Victoria Baldesarra (Michelle), Jordan Clark (Giselle), Brittany Raymond (Riley), Myles Erlick (Noah), Briar Nolet (Richelle), Isaiah Peck (Henry) and Shelby Bain (Amy). For the Australian & New Zealand Leg, the show also included cast members Trevor Tordjman (James), Lamar Johnson (West) and Issac Lupien (Eldon). For the UK & Ireland leg, the shows also included Alexandra Chaves (Piper). In Australia & New Zealand the show was hosted by Disney presenters Adam Roberts & Ashleigh Wells (from Hanging with Adam & Ash). Trevor Tordjman was originally meant to perform on the UK leg of the tour but unfortunately had to pull out due to the filming of Disney Channel's Zombies, and Isaiah Peck missed a couple of the UK shows.
Date | City | Country | Venue |
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Oceania | |||
April 13, 2017 | Newcastle | Australia | Newcastle Civic Theatre |
April 15, 2017 | Sydney | Big Top Sydney | |
April 16, 2017 | |||
April 18, 2017 | Brisbane | QPAC | |
April 20, 2017 | Canberra | Canberra Theatre Centre | |
April 22, 2017 | Hobart | Derwent Entertainment Centre | |
April 23, 2017 | Melbourne | Hamer Hall | |
April 26, 2017 | Christchurch | New Zealand | Horncastle Arena |
April 28, 2017 | Wellington | St James Theatre | |
April 30, 2017 | Auckland | Spark Arena | |
Europe | |||
May 24, 2017 | Dublin | Ireland | Olympia Theatre |
May 26, 2017 | Bristol | England | Colston Hall |
May 27, 2017 | Plymouth | Plymouth Pavilions | |
May 28, 2017 | Ipswich | Regent Theatre | |
May 30, 2017 | Bournemouth | Bournemouth International Centre | |
May 31, 2017 | Newcastle | Newcastle City Hall | |
June 1, 2017 | Edinburgh | Scotland | Usher Hall |
June 2, 2017 | Blackpool | England | Opera House |
June 3, 2017 | York | Barbican | |
June 4, 2017 | Liverpool | Empire Theatre |
Nine of the season 6 cast toured Australia,[53] Scotland, England,[54] and Ireland,[55][56] in September, October, and November 2019. The cast for the Absolute Dance Tour were Isaiah Peck, Shelby Bain, Alexandra Chaves, Berkeley Ratzlaff, Sage Linder, Dylan Ratzlaff, Liam Mackie, Noah Zulfikar, and Briar Nolet.[56] Victoria Baldesarra joined for the Australia leg of the tour, with Myles Erlick joining on the UK leg.[citation needed] Alexandra Chaves missed the first few UK shows due to health issues, but rejoined in Manchester initially doing fewer dances before recovering completely towards the end of the tour.[citation needed]
Fans also had the chance to meet and greet the cast and have their photo taken with them. The meet and greet included watching them rehearse, a private question and answer session, a signed poster and a VIP meet and greet lanyard all before the show. They did two shows on some days, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, whereas on other days, they only did one.[citation needed]
Date | City | Country | Venue |
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Oceania[53] | |||
September 19, 2019 | Newcastle | Australia | Newcastle Civic Theatre |
September 21, 2019 | Melbourne | Melbourne Convention Centre | |
September 22, 2019 | Geelong | Geelong Performing Arts Centre | |
September 24, 2019 | Brisbane | Fortitude Music Hall | |
September 25, 2019 | Gold Coast | Home of the Arts | |
September 28, 2019 | Wollongong | Wollongong Entertainment Centre | |
September 29, 2019 | Canberra | Canberra Theatre Centre | |
October 1, 2019 | Adelaide | Thebarton Theatre | |
October 3, 2019 | Hobart | Wrest Point Hotel Casino | |
October 5, 2019 | Sydney | Big Top Auditorium | |
October 8, 2019 | Perth | Perth Superdrome | |
Europe[54][55][56] | |||
October 17, 2019 | Glasgow | Scotland | SEC Armadillo |
October 19, 2019 | Manchester | England | O2 Apollo |
October 20, 2019 | Nottingham | Nottingham Royal Concert Hall | |
October 21, 2019 | Leicester | De Montfort Hall | |
October 22, 2019 | London | Hammersmith Apollo | |
October 24, 2019 | Plymouth | Plymouth Pavilions | |
October 25, 2019 | Brighton | Brighton Centre | |
October 26, 2019 | Portsmouth | Portsmouth Guildhall | |
October 27, 2019 | Bournemouth | Bournemouth International Centre | |
October 29, 2019 | Newcastle | Newcastle City Hall | |
October 30, 2019 | York | Barbican Centre | |
October 31, 2019 | Bath | The Forum | |
November 2, 2019 | Dublin | Ireland | Olympia Theatre |
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