Elizabeth Berkley and Jerry Mitchell dish 'Dance'

By April MacIntyre Apr 3, 2008, 3:22 GMT

Elizabeth Berkley - © Albert L. Ortega / PR Photos

Bravo does reality television with panache and intelligence.  Fans of "Top Chef" and "Project Runway" can attest to this.

Now, the stunning actress and trained dancer, Elizabeth Berkley, once known for her role as "Jessie" on the classic TV series "Saved By the Bell," claims her new dance show follows suit and replicates the higher standards of the other Bravo efforts.

Berkley is the host of Bravo's "Step It Up & Dance," premiering April 3 at 8:00 p.m.

She is joined by Tony award-winning choreographer Jerry Mitchell, who serves as a mentor for the contestants in the reality dance competition.

The Bravo series will air on Thursdays at 10:00 pm. The show introduces us to 12 talented trained (some classical, some home-schooled) dancers from around the country as they struggle to learn different styles of dance and compete in weekly challenges to win the grand prize: $100,000.

Monsters and Critics spoke to Elizabeth and Jerry with a few other journalists about their latest show:

Do dancers have to know more styles than they did like a decade or so ago?

Jerry Mitchell: First of all, if dancers want to work with me, they have to be well rounded and part of the great joy of Step It Up and Dance, and what we’re trying to accomplish, and why I was so psyched about the show is because the challenges actually will require them to step outside of their comfort zone as a dancer.

For instance, if they excel in ballet or hip hop, or tap or jazz, this show will expose them to different styles and different choreographers where they each will have to literally - quite literally step it up if they want to survive. Right Elizabeth?

Elizabeth Berkley: Absolutely.

Have choreographers expanded what they expect lately compared to what they would have expected 10 or 20 years ago?

Jerry Mitchell: No, there’s a huge difference between media choreography -- film, television, videos -- and Broadway choreography. Most recently shows on Broadway don’t require ballet technique like they used to.
When I got started, I was dancing for Agnes de Mille and Jerry Robbins, and they gave ballet combinations at the start of each audition. That doesn’t happen so much anymore because the stories that are being written don’t require that style of dancing.

But the recent revival of Oklahoma! that Susan Stroman choreographed certainly did require ballet. So I think it’s always in a dancer’s best interest to be well versed in every style of dance. It just opens you up to being more hirable.

Elizabeth – can you talk about the connection between dancing and building self-esteem?

Elizabeth Berkley: That’s a great, great question because I was blessed enough to have parents that got me into dance from a very young age. I don’t know if they knew that it was going to be something that I was going to devote my life to.

But at first, I think it was something - just a recreational type thing at the age of four, you know, that other little girls in the neighborhood were doing.

When they noticed pretty early on, though, that I had a propensity for it, as well as a desire to do it almost on a daily basis -- which then turned into about 17 lessons a week -- it was me pushing and driving them because they saw the joy that I got out of doing it which, you know, obviously I’ve used it in my professional life.

But the truth is the real gift that it’s given me on every level, obviously as an artist and creatively, it’s been a profound thing in my life. But at the same time, what’s amazing about it is first of all, for anyone the connection to one’s body - there’s a certain self-esteem that comes from that when you’re in touch with yourself and feeling in your body that’s a strength that you have that no one can take away from you.

Whether it’s a boy or girl who’s dancing -- the self-esteem that you get from it, just from having goals and intentions, and the work ethic that you learn from it and the discipline - these are things you can take out into the world, into anything you do in life.

Jerry Mitchell: Yeah, I want to second that. dance for Elizabeth, also - not only does it make her a beautiful, statuesque woman who knows how to straighten her legs when she’s walking in high heels, but it gives you confidence and teaches you discipline because you can’t succeed at dance unless you do it every single day.

Elizabeth Berkley: The connection that all dancers have - it’s that inner knowing that - I mean, you can’t just get handed - you might have a certain gift or a natural kind of ease with picking up choreography.

That might be something innate. But the work ethic that is necessary to become great is something no one can give you. That’s the hours in that studio.

To tell you the truth, one of the reasons that I really wanted to be a part of this show, especially in the world of reality television right now and in our world where there’s this kind of strange democracy of fame, if you will -- what I truly love about this show and a few of the shows that are on Bravo, where it’s really about the artistry.

Whether it’s 'Top Chef' or 'Project Runway', or our show where it’s dancers - these are true artists that are expressing themselves creatively. And it’s not just about oh, the entitlement for wanting to be famous.

It’s about working hard, going after your dreams and I think it’s going to be a great, kind of reminder for people of what it really, really takes.

Jerry Mitchell: And reminding people that you may think you’re fabulous, but there are ten other people who are just as fabulous.

Elizabeth -  how do you balance doing this show with acting?

Elizabeth Berkley: It’s a real blessing because the schedule with this show - with Step it Up really is a condensed kind of schedule where in approximately, I think it was two and a half, almost three weeks of shooting and my CSI schedule started right before then.

And then right now I’m doing it continuously, you know, week after week. So I was already clear and finished with Step it Up. We have two more to film of Step it Up, but it won’t conflict.

It’s definitely a problem you want to have, right?   I’m doing right now, what I love so much and what I’ve worked so hard to do.  I’m really grateful.   Luckily, the schedules haven’t been a conflict and it all can be, I’m always a believer it all can be worked out because they both help each other, too.

I get to explore this great character creatively on CSI that I’m just loving. It’s getting juicier by the minute. David Caruso is an absolute joy to work with. I just love every minute of that.  Then I get to go dip into the world of dance and work alongside and collaborate with the most extraordinary - I mean, Jerry Mitchell. Come on. It doesn’t get bigger and better.

Jerry Mitchell: Yeah, you got to go tell David Caruso that.

Elizabeth Berkley: And then - I’m saying it’s - in the dance. . So, to be really - and that’s always been my goal and intention in whatever I’m doing as an artist, is to really be collaborating with the best artists. It’s…

Jerry Mitchell: Maybe we can get David Caruso to come do an episode of Step it Up and Dance?

Elizabeth Berkley: You never know. But yeah, so it’s been wonderful and a lot of the choreographers -- including Vincent Patterson as well -- I’ve worked with professionally where they’ve actually choreographed me in things, as well as people who I’ve been training with - who have been my mentors since I was about 12 years old. So there’s a lot of meaning there for me.

Jerry Mitchell: The dance world is amazingly small.

Elizabeth Berkley: Yeah, it’s a very insular world. Right, Jerry?

Jerry Mitchell: Yeah.

Elizabeth, you’ve been on the receiving end of being judged, either in an audition or in a film review. And you know how vulnerable one can be in that situation - is it hard to sit there at that table with the judges and critique someone’s performance?

Elizabeth Berkley: In terms of the dialogue that we have, in terms of the afflict of the critique, that isn’t as hard as - because the hard part is them standing right there and I pray to god that they can’t hear everything at that moment because that is so vulnerable.

I definitely have compassion for what they’re going through at every moment. And of course, because I’ve been there, and it’s not easy at all.
But I think dancers, more than actors, are used to -- let’s say in a rehearsal situation -- you immediately are corrected and have to assimilate very quickly. Wouldn’t you say, Jerry?

Jerry Mitchell: Absolutely.

Elizabeth Berkley: And so in this kind of a case, it’s - as opposed to let’s say an acting audition, you go in and it’s almost like presentational where you do your scene and if the director has some feedback to kind of tweak it - whatever.

Then you have that kind of interaction. But as a dancer, it’s constant critique. So I feel like I definitely have the compassion because I know exactly where they are.

But at the same time, you have to be tough enough to take it because this is what the business is and so it’s kind of a wake up call.

Jerry Mitchell: The truth of the matter is that I saw 1700 people audition to - for me, for 32 spots on Broadway - 1700. And you know what? They come into the room and that’s not just one audition they had that week. They had nine auditions.

We’re speaking specifically about dancers who want to succeed in this profession. And guess what? You have to be comfortable going into the room and giving it your all no matter what the outcome is.  That’s really what the business is about.

What are some of the styles that you consider your strong points?

Elizabeth Berkley: I can’t really think of one that I don’t have a feel for just because dance is so in my bones and in my blood. Maybe - well I’ll say that ballet for me growing up was always something that my teacher always wanted me to stop the tap and jazz because he believed in me becoming a ballerina.

But I just loved tap and jazz way too much to give those up. So the truth is, ballet for me was always the foundation to make my tap and jazz better. So if someone said, would you have been in a ballet company?  First of all, I would have been about 6’2” on point. Jerry, that wouldn’t have been so good, would it?

Jerry Mitchell: Not a problem for me, but…

Elizabeth Berkley: Jerry, we could’ve partnered together.

Jerry Mitchell: Exactly.

Elizabeth Berkley: But that would have been an issue. And then truly, I just - maybe hip hop. I’m a true - I’m a hoofer. I loved (Bob) Fosse.   I think ballet and hip hop are my top, top for me and my body type.
I think when dancers are a little bit like lower to the ground, with hip hop it just looks better or maybe that’s just my feeling. I’m better with the kind of longer lines, a little more sensual.

That’s a little bit more my style, but only because I feel like it suits my body better.

When we heard about this show, the first thing we thought of was So You Think You Can Dance which is on Fox.  How the two shows are different from one another?

Elizabeth Berkley: Absolutely. I’ll tell you a little bit and then Jerry will share as well. Truly - I mean, what’s really, really exciting about our show is each week - it’s the producers who did Project Runway as well.

What’s exciting about that format that works so well is you really, first of all, get involved with the dancers’ personal lives because you see them at their apartment as well together.

The stakes are so high on our show where you’re seeing them learn choreography and the turnaround is so fast where they have to then perform for the judges and the guest judge.

What’s also incredible is each world that we’re taking the dancers and the audience into is so different every challenge. So I mean, one week it’s Latin. One week it’s burlesque. One week it’s Broadway. One - so it’s really exciting what the audience gets to - kind of the journey they get to go on with the dancers.

They’re so invested because it’s new and different every week. So you get invested in the dancers because you get to know them personally as well.

Jerry Mitchell: I would add that, 'So You Think You Can Dance', the series, as I’ve watched it -- which is spectacular and the dancers are tremendous -- is based more on the competitions that go around the United States where dancers compete in competitions just like that - young dancers from different dance schools. It’s…

Elizabeth Berkley: Like they’re different conventions like Tremaine and all of those kinds of different things.

Jerry Mitchell: Yeah, and it’s pretty much based around one style. This show -- Step It Up and Dance -- is going to expose these dancers to choreographers who actually work at the top of their line in different styles of choreography.
And on the episodes, those dancers will get a chance to really do things that they probably never would have been asked to do before. And that’s going to be interesting to watch how that evolves.

Elizabeth Berkley: Oh, definitely and to see them with the skill that they have being thrust into these new circumstances is - I mean, anyone watching at home, it’s going to definitely be entertaining for them to see these people they begin to care about, and then just have to see them and how they literally step it up.?

Did your height ever work against you?

Elizabeth Berkley:  Well on that one, that one I was too tall. But no - you know what? It’s never really hurt me.  I think when I was a kid, at times -- because I think I was always a bit of an old soul and, here I was always a little taller -- people maybe thought I was more sophisticated or something just - or older because of the way maybe I carried myself.

But I think that was just because of having the background in dance which it - you don’t hold yourself like maybe a typical kid, you know, when you’ve been standing for hours with your shoulders back and heart open. And so it’s a whole different kind of trip. But no, it didn’t really hurt me. Maybe as a teenager, as an actress, sometimes the boys were so much shorter. Then I would always end up working with older costars, so that wasn’t bad either.

Jerry, Elizabeth - I loved seeing Mel B. as your surprise guest judge.  Can you  talk about some of the guest choreographers and judges that will be gracing the show? If you can divulge just a little bit?

Jerry Mitchell: I don’t know. Are we allowed to, Kristen?

Kristen Andersen (BRAVO) Yeah, you can. I know Jason Alexander has already been announced and, you know, if you - you can go into the details on that.

Jerry Mitchell: Well I personally am really excited because a couple of the episodes, we have Jacques Heim who is coming - who has choreographed for Cirque du Soleil.

And will be challenging the dancers to really step outside of their boundaries. And we have Stomp, who are going to be a part of this series and they’ll be, again, asking these dancers to do things that they’ve never done before.
We have amazing, amazing choreographers coming on this series that are going to test the limits of these dancers and take them in directions that a lot of them have never ever thought they’d ever get the opportunity to A, learn, or B, would they be able to excel in this kind of choreography.

And I just think that’s really going to be exciting.

Jerry - you’ve seen so many dancers over the years and how the shift has gone from classical ballet training -- which is still crucial to more of the hip hop, more physical and athletic tumbling type dancing. What do you think is the hardest dance discipline for anyone to learn in your estimation?

Jerry Mitchell: Well,  ballet is the hardest. There’s no question about it. I mean, to excel at ballet it requires a daily training session. You can’t be a great ballet dancer - ballet dancers are like thoroughbred horses.

You know, when they’re that good and basically that kind of athleticism in ballet is just - is the same as in any sport. I played all sports when I was a kid but I never took ballet until I got to college.

And when I got to college and studied ballet, I realized how unbelievably demanding it is on the physical body.

What about you, Elizabeth?

Elizabeth Berkley: I would say ballet is definitely -- like Jerry said -- is the most - I mean it’s, I would say, the hardest on the body.  The  devotion is - it’s beyond and you look at the life of a ballet dancer, just what they go through in a company - just even, what’s so kind of sad sometimes is that there is this aspect - that there is a certain window because it is like an athlete, like Jerry said.

There’s a certain window just like there is for a baseball player or a football player because it is so hard on the body. So I mean, but it’s so beautiful and it just takes its hold, for sure.

There are so many dance shows on TV right now. There is Dancing with the Stars and Dance Wars, So You Think You Can Dance, Dance Machine coming up from ABC, the Randy Jackson Dance Crew show on MTV.  Why you think dancers are so popular right now?

Jerry Mitchell: Well I just think dancers - I think dance is infectious. Dance is - I say to people - the general population - I say dance is like a bird flying for most people. It’s something everyone wants to do, but very few can.

Elizabeth Berkley: That’s great. No and it’s true. It’s true. That’s why, you know, Dancing With the Stars works so well because people can identify with, you know, being - let’s say they can put themselves and envision themselves as the fish out of water, you know, like the celebrities are on that show.

But what our show has that’s so different and so great is that these are - most of the dancers are professional dancers. So it’s a - just kind of a different take on it with - on a different level and its own great ride.

Jerry, which style do you like the least?

Jerry Mitchell: Do I like the least? You know, it’s kind of - if you would have asked me that probably 15 years ago, I would have probably said hip hop. But today, it’s probably my favorite thing.

You know, it’s sort of strange. I think the more - and this is probably another great thing about this show. The more you’re exposed to different things, the more open you become to those possibilities.

And I find as I’ve grown as a dancer, I’ve come to appreciate other styles of dance and other choreographers, and the way they work.

I’m like a freak for You Tube dance stuff because I see so many different things. Somebody just sent me something the other day by a dance company that’s doing this amazing aerial work and I was so mesmerized by it.

So I don’t think I have a style of dance that I don’t like because movement is movement and anything from Pina Bausch to Paul Taylor, to a Broadway show, to a movie musical, to hip hop - I’m for it all.

I love it all. Even in Dancing with the Stars - ballroom. I’m so into it. I just love dance. Anywhere I can get it, anyway.

Elizabeth, how did you deal with injuries?

Elizabeth Berkley: Our tool as a dancer is our body and obviously it’s a delicate thing at times. And, you know, we push ourselves and push ourselves beyond the norm. Right?

So it’s obviously essential to always stay warm and warm up before because sometimes people just go right into it. Jerry, and don’t you think that’s where a lot of injuries occur?

Jerry Mitchell: Yeah. That’s exactly what I was going to say - warm up.

Elizabeth Berkley: Yeah, always warm up. And truly listen to your body. Some people - you know, the adrenaline and the drive and the passion sometimes overtake that little voice inside when you know something is not okay.

And so it’s really important to just keep in tune with it and listen to your body at those moments where it’s saying to you, that’s enough or this is not making me comfortable - to really honor that.

Elizabeth. how do you feel about Mario (Lopez) doing his dance show on MTV? Do you think there’ll be any kind of competition there? Do you still kind of keep in close contact with him?

Elizabeth Berkley: Well first of all, I love Mario and we still keep in touch. And as a matter of fact, when he was on 'Dancing With the Stars,' I went and I was in the audience supporting him.

I’m so happy for him and I hear that he’s making his Broadway debut in a Chorus Line. So that’s really exciting, too, especially when you’ve know someone since childhood. And I know how hard he’s worked.

In this case, with Mario what’s so great is he’s worked towards this his whole life so it’s not like someone just handed him something without him actually stepping up to the plate.  He’s really devoted many years to his training and hasn’t taken it lightly. He’s also an athlete, and he’s a dancer as well. And I’m so thrilled for him.

He has a fabulous personality. It’s so exciting when you see someone you care about and then they step into their life, a moment where all the things you’ve known about them they’re finally getting to use.  I couldn’t be happier for him.

To me, it just kind of makes perfect sense because we both have always shared a great love for dance. So it kind of - and then being that in our kind of culture at this time, dance is being embraced in the way that it has which is such a great, great joy.