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Alesha Dixon is swapping salsa and samba for locking and popping in her brand new series Alesha's Street Dance Stars which is due to air on the C³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ channel later this year.

Commissioned by Damian Kavanagh, Controller C³ÉÈËÂÛ̳, the 10 x 30minute series is on a mission to find Britain's most original, entertaining and accomplished young street dancers. Alesha will be scouring the nation searching for eye-popping, jaw-dropping routines married with tight showmanship and electrifying acrobatic dance skills.

Dance crews of up to 12 young street dancers will compete in a series of auditions, rounds and finals over the coming months with one crew winning both the title of Alesha's Street Dance Stars and a "money can't buy prize".

Alesha said: "Street dance has taken the nation by storm and I am delighted to be fronting this brand new series showcasing the UK's most talented young crews."

Damian Kavanagh said: "Alesha is the perfect host for the series, she knows what it is like to have to judge and be judged on dancing skills, is a fantastic dancer and our audience adore her.

The street dance crews will be put to the test at each of the rounds by the panel of judges: Kenrick Sandy – a Laurence Olivier Award-winning choreographer and co-founder of the Boy Blue Entertainment hip hop dance company; Lizzie Gough – internationally acclaimed dancer and So You Think You Can Dance finalist; and Turbo – one of the UK's most versatile street dancers with a string of impressive credits including working with Madonna, Will Smith and Whitney Houston.

Across the series Perri Luc Kiely and Jordan Banjo, members of the celebrated UK street dance troupe Diversity and popular dance stars of stage, TV and the big screen will be mentoring and supporting the kids as they progress, providing pointers around the challenges of performing in front of an audience and sharing their secrets of success.

The show will start with 24 crews competing in the qualifiers, all hoping to claim one of the 15 slots in the heats. Only nine teams can then make it through to the semi-finals and then the judges have a tough decision choosing which three crews to put through to the nail-biting Grand Final.

VT