Julianne Hough, lately of "Safe Haven," and her brother Derek, are turning their experiences as competitive ballroom dancers on the world championship circuit into a scripted television series produced by Starz.
The two siblings, who found mainstream success on "Dancing with the Stars," have channelled their talents into other creative endeavors from acting to music. The Houghs will serve as executive producers and head choreographers on the new series, titled "Blackpool," which will explore "the dancer’s obsession with perfection and the darker side of the glamorous world of ballroom dance," according to a statement on Julianne's website. The show will revolve around an annual ballroom dance competition in Blackpool, England.
Not to be confused with the ambitious BBC series of the same name, Derek Hough called the new show a "fictionalized view of the world that [he] experienced growing up."
“Viewers are going to see a twisted, sexy, funny, dark and passionate side of the drama and politics in the world of ballroom dance that delves deeper than spray tans and sequins," Hough said in a statement.
“When you’re in the world, you’re so invested. It’s literally the be-all and end-all," Julianne said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. "But when you step back from it, you see that obsession with perfection and the fact that the lifestyle that you thought was so glamorous is actually a little shocking,”
“We’re going to start with our experiences in the world and stories that we’ve either seen or gone through, but it'll be fun to be able to elaborate and fictionalize these characters," she said.
Julianne, who moved to Britain to dance competitively as a 10-year-old, criticized her dancer's upbringing in a February issue of Cosmopolitan, in which she also admitted to suffering physical and emotional abuse when she hit puberty.
“I was 10 years old looking like I was 28, being a very sensual dancer. I was a tormented little kid who had to put on this sexy façade because that was my job and my life," Hough said.
