Sometimes You Just ‘Gotta Dance’

Love to dance, but haven't been invited to audition for Dancing With The Stars yet? Me neither. Don't despair—now you have another option. A new Hip Hop dance adventure that transcends all ages, languages, and skill levels is taking Royal Caribbean ships by storm.

Royal Caribbean’s new Gotta Dance program offers you the opportunity to let loose, chase a dream, and ‘wow’ your cruisemates with cool new dance moves. Royal Caribbean’s Gotta Dance is inspired by the award-winning documentary film of the same name, which will hit the big screen across the United States beginning in July 2009. Gotta Dance chronicles the first-ever, senior-citizen hip-hop dance troupe for the New Jersey Nets Basketball Team. Just like the film, Royal Caribbean’s Gotta Dance program will offer guests—from the young to the young-at-heart—a chance to grab their moment in the spotlight. The participatory Gotta Dance experience is being offered exclusively by Royal Caribbean and will roll out fleetwide in summer 2009.

“Gotta Dance is the newest Royal Caribbean program that offers guests an opportunity to try something different on their vacation regardless of age and experience,” said Peter Compton, V.P., Entertainment, Royal Caribbean Intl. “Every age is welcome and no experience is necessary.”

A special screening of the film will kick off each cruise. Guests sailing on select ships before the nationwide roll-out of the movie will be treated to advance viewings of Gotta Dance. Participants will then be divided into teams and, over the course of their vacation, will learn choreographed routines with a member of the Royal Caribbean dance team in rehearsals during sea days. The program will culminate with the main event—a farewell show on the last evening of the cruise, during which each of the teams will perform their routines in the ship’s main theater. Each group will perform a different routine, all of which were choreographed by New Jersey Nets Dance Coach Kimberlee Garris, who also appears in the Gotta Dance film. For each song an easy and more complex choreography has been designed, and Royal Caribbean’s Gotta Dance instructors will have the option of tweaking these versions further based on group skill level.