{"id":14898,"date":"2025-02-24T10:11:03","date_gmt":"2025-02-24T15:11:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/song-vs-dance-unveiled-at-mip-london\/"},"modified":"2025-03-05T09:27:23","modified_gmt":"2025-03-05T14:27:23","slug":"song-vs-dance-unveiled-at-mip-london","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/song-vs-dance-unveiled-at-mip-london\/","title":{"rendered":"Song vs Dance Unveiled at MIP London"},"content":{"rendered":"

TV Asahi\u2019s Takaaki Kitano and Smart Dog Media\u2019s Craig Plestis and Clara Plestis discussed their co-developed format Song vs Dance<\/em> at a session at the inaugural MIP London moderated by World Screen<\/em>\u2019s Mansha Daswani.<\/p>\n

The brand-new talent competition, which pits singers against dancers, is in production in Japan for broadcast on TV Asahi, with the format now being pitched to broadcasters and platforms across the globe.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s never been a show that covers song and dance,\u201d with the format featuring nonstop battles, Clara Plestis, executive producer at Smart Dog Media, noted before introducing a teaser of the new IP.<\/p>\n

Craig Plestis, executive producer at Smart Dog, brought Got Talent<\/em> to the U.S. when he was at NBC. \u201cI was always obsessed, even at that time, with pitting those two gigantic forms of entertainment [song and dance] against each other. With that show, everyone kept saying, how do you judge a juggler versus a painter? It\u2019s as simple as which one entertains you the most. That\u2019s a little bit at the core of what we wanted to do with this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Social media plays a crucial role in both finding talent for the show and building engagement with the brand, Clara explained. \u201cEveryone on the show is huge on TikTok and Instagram. We\u2019re having these epic battles between people at the top of their game. But also, we have these stars that are bringing in their own audience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Craig stressed the importance of the battles, referencing his experience on The Masked Singer<\/em>, which he landed at FOX. \u201cEveryone kept waiting to find out who won a battle. [Engagement] spiked during every single battle, as long as they were well produced. Song vs Dance<\/em> follows that same template, but even better because you make the choice between these two incredible pop icons.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s instant gratification on every minute of the show because you\u2019re getting a winner,\u201d Clara added.<\/p>\n

Kitano, a creator and producer at TV Asahi, offered up some insights on casting the show based on his learnings from the Japanese original. The Japanese lineup includes comedian Naomi Watanabe, who has more than 10 million followers on Instagram.<\/p>\n

\u201cPart of the secret ingredient of the show is comedy,\u201d Craig said. \u201cIt\u2019s not just a great competition where everyone\u2019s sitting there making astute observations; it is a funny show to watch, as well as thrilling. Even though it\u2019s fresh and different, it feels like a legacy format already, like it\u2019s been here already.\u201d<\/p>\n

Song vs Dance <\/em>marks the first U.S. co-pro for TV Asahi. Kitano, speaking on the panel with translation provided by his TV Asahi colleague Megumi Shirokawa, said the goal was to create a show \u201cthat neither Japan nor the U.S. could create alone. It\u2019s a product of the two cultures coming together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gaming is also a key element in the show\u2019s design, with Kitano referencing his love of Pok\u00e9mon cards. \u201cWhen the coaches select which contestants go [to battle], I had this idea of using cards. Our key visual is animation\u2014that also came from my background in variety and entertainment shows.\u201d<\/p>\n

Elements that are uniquely Japanese also include the use of anime avatars, Clara added. \u201cWe\u2019re incorporating a cool American variety competition show with distinct Japanese elements.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cross-cultural collaboration \u201cis the future,\u201d Craig said. \u201cScripted or non-scripted, we\u2019re finding partnerships around the world to make things happen. This is the only way to make shows happen nowadays. With that, you get unique elements that you just don\u2019t get if you\u2019re producing one show in your own country and are isolated. There are a lot of things we probably wouldn\u2019t have done in the show if we were just doing it in the U.S. These are all pluses that will make it better for the global market.\u201d<\/p>\n

The winner of the Japanese original will be given a spot in a U.S. version, Kitano added. \u201cThese are dancers and singers who are aiming to be in the global market; that motivated them to do really well. That couldn\u2019t have been done if it weren\u2019t for this co-production.\u201d<\/p>\n

The teams also collaborated on the design of the LED screen on the stage. A \u201cdistinct, unique set\u201d is important for big variety shows, Clara said, referencing The Masked Singer <\/em>and The Voice<\/em>. That unique set can be replicated in any territory, Clara added, as can the format\u2019s other key pillars. \u201cThis show was always meant to be economical.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re all under these price constraints,\u201d Craig added. \u201cAny country can produce it. And we made it simple. So many producers make things complicated. For the first season, it should be extremely simple to understand. It\u2019s head-to-head battles. There\u2019s comedy and other elements. That\u2019s what makes a show successful: don\u2019t over-complicate it. We make sure whatever formats we create are easy to duplicate around the world, and anyone can understand it quickly. That\u2019s the key to success.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis can be adapted for a traditional network, or it could be on a streamer,\u201d Craig added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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