E! has greenlit eight one-hour episodes of “L.A. Clippers Dance Squad,” an unscripted series chronicling the lives of the Clippers dance team, Variety has learned.
“L.A. Clippers Dance Squad” hails from Mandalay Sports Media, and is slated to premiere in early 2016 on the cable net.
The series will give fans an inside look at what it takes to be a member of the L.A. Clippers dance team, both on and off the court, from hours of auditions and rehearsals to the Staples Center to balancing personal lives and relationships.
“The Clippers dance team is an established and popular part of L.A.’s sports story, and we are excited to give our fans an exclusive peek into this high-energy world,” said Jeff Olde, exec vice president of programming and development at E! “This series will bring a fascinating and revealing look at this exclusive organization and the glamorous, larger-than-life women who are competing in a very high-stakes game both on and off the court.”
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“The women of the Clippers dance team embody the physical and spiritual essence of the modern woman,” said Petra Pope, creative director of entertainment teams, L.A. Clippers. “These athletes come from various ethnic backgrounds and dance training. We look to them to be aspirational ambassadors to all those they encounter.”
Exec producer Jon Weinbach, Mandalay Sports Media’s exec vice president, commented, “The women on this dance squad are pursuing their entertainment dreams, living full lives in L.A., and performing for huge crowds. We’re incredibly excited to team up with E! and the Clippers to showcase this alluring side of the sports world.”
Weinbach will exec produce with Mandalay’s Mike Tollin. Leola Westbrook (“America’s Next Top Model”) is also an exec producer, and Cash Warren will serve as a producer.
“Dance Squad” isn’t the first female-led athletic docuseries on E!, as it joins “Total Divas,” the cabler’s hit series that follows the female wrestlers of the WWE and will enter its fifth season in early 2016.
