BRING A PLATE

You could argue that Brisbane’s own Wade Robson kick started the worldwide phenomenon that reality dancing shows have become over the last half-decade. Robson, who was invited by Michael Jackson to dance at his Brisbane show in 1987 (at the age of five), started it all with MTV’s ‘The Wade Robson Project’ in 2003. Since that time, reality television has been bombarded with all manner of quality, and not so quality shows, revolving around the artform of dance.

Over the last couple of weeks, the Original Mystique has been getting in on the act with the Can You Bring It? Part II dance-off. This weekend sees the final go down, and our dancefloor experts are predicting plenty of flares, swirls, flips, handstands and all number of body-contorting moves. One of the finalists is 19-year old Bekky Carter, who won her place into the final at the weekend. The Forest Lake resident is busily preparing her routine, as she battles it out with the other contestants for a bevy of prizes.

Now fess up, did you have some major nerves prior to the competition?
Yes, I was definitely nervous. Before the competition I danced with the crowd there to get comfortable with the environment.

So you got up on the night. The competition must have been fierce?
I was intimidated by a fair few of the, that was the thing that made me the most nervous. The quality of the competition was outstanding.

Did you feed off the crowd and the energy the room had?
Yes and no; some things on the night I had a great crowd response from, but there wasn’t many of my own supporters there, which I am sure would have helped me out.

Winning this comp, the bar has certainly been raised personally; what's the next step for you?
I’m not sure. I try and listen out to what’s on. I am always looking for challenges, but I guess I am just playing it by ear.

As Brisbane’s premier R&B club, you must see some pretty dope moves on the floor on a regular basis?
Yeah definitely, Mystique has some great dancers that turn up every week.

On the flipside, did anybody come a cropper?
No, I didn’t see many mistakes on the night. Everyone seemed really into it, which was great.

These kind of dance-offs are big business – do you have a hard time keeping it real? Or are you constantly checking the mirror prior to the competition?
I find it is a bit of both, it is always a challenge to do your own thing when there is so much out there, but at the end of the day the most important thing is to keep learning.

Did any of the runner-ups blow your mind?
Yeah, there were a few dancers there that I thought were going to win. There was a lot of good competition and they all have great potential.

Were the ladies representing on the night?
All the girls in the comp, all brought something different. Everyone had their own unique style, I was impressed with all of them.

With the glut of dancing reality shows on the box, we now expect people to bring the best of R&B and hip hop styles to these competitions – but did you have any classical dancing sessions?
I did as a kid, but this kind of dance definitely appeals to me more.

So what sort of goodies did you dance away with on the night?
I won a big cash prize, which I am hoping to add to this Friday with the ‘Dance Flick’ night, my friends will all be lining up for that one.

Make sure you have floor seats when the final of Can You Bring It? Part II shakes the timber at the Mystique Nightclub, 25 Warner St, this Friday August 14.