Name: Joao Santos
Age: 28
Talent: Chinese pole
Background: Joao Pereira dos Santos is Portuguese, and has been performing on the Chinese pole for eight years. He learnt the pole at the age of 20, and has been honing his act since then. Joao learnt the traditional Chinese techniques through rigorous and dedicated training, but he’s put a European spin on the traditionally Chinese act. Joao says he likes to break away from the regimented feel of the Chinese way, although he has enormous respect for the circus tradition.

Joao has his own company, which he runs with his brother. His act incorporates live music, video installations and storytelling, bringing a more artistic approach to his act. He also has a choreographer that he works with to make the show spectacular.

Name: 8 Storey
Age: 13 and 10
Talent: Acrobatics
Background: 8 Storey is made up of three different acrobatic teams from the same gym in Wakefield. For many of them, the gym is the only outlet for kids in the area. The majority of the club comes from a nearby area known as Lupset – described by club coach as the Beirut of Wakefield, “I refuse to drive through it. Most of the kids live round there and those that don’t come to the gym end up hanging round the streets at night”.

This group has already been approached by talent spotters for Cirque du Soleil. To move on to this circus would be the ultimate achievement for this group, and is what they are all aspiring to.

Name: Lilia Stepanova
Age: N/A
Talent: Bow firing contortionist
Background: Lilia Stepanova was born in Moldova, she now lives in Las Vegas. A worldwide performer and contortionist , she has appeared as a guest artist on a number of big-name US shows, and was recently in the semi finals of America’s Got Talent.

As a contortionist, Lilia combines her supple, body-bending moves with elevated hand balancing, giving her act an extra dimension of difficulty and accomplishment. It is from this position that she performs her signature, most astounding trick, that of shooting an arrow from a bow to a target in the distance, using only her feet and toes.

choir Name: Red Hot Chilli Pipers
Age: 24 – 41
Talent: Rock piping band
Background: There aren’t many groups which can boast members that include the BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year 2005, a twice-world champion snare drummer and three recent graduates from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (RSAMD), but the Red Hot Chilli Pipers are just such a band.

The band was came together when four the musicans within the group performed at Kevin MacDonald’s wedding. They realised they could perform this act for corporate events, and a business was born!

The group appeared on the main stage at the T in the Park festival with the headline band, rock group The Darkness. The group is in high demand, performing all over the world from the USA to China. HRH The Princess Royal, Ewan McGregor, Phil Collins and The Darkness are known to be big fans of the band!

Name: Stringfever
Age: N/A
Talent: String quartet
Background: This is a family affair: all four members of the quartet are from the same, highly musical family, who draw their inspiration from their Grandad, an amateur musician. Having already played for hundreds of birthday parties – and even for the new Iraqi Government – performing on the show will give the group the break they’re looking for to bring their music to a wider audience. They’re confident that anyone that hears them will love them!

Name: Swe Bounce
Age: 27
Talent: Acrobatics using spring stilts
Background: Swe Bounce, real name Mattias Lindstrom, began learning circus skills as the age of 16 when he decided that school was not for him and he wanted to be in the circus. He doesn’t come from a circus family, but now performs professionally with his younger brother, Mikael.

Mattias was taught at Cirkus Cirkors circus school in Sweden where he learned acrobatics, trampolining, juggling and stilt walking. It was here, in his first year at the school, that he heard about power skipping, also known as spring stilt walking, and convinced his head teacher to invest in some powerskippers. Mattias had heard about them through the internet and was keen to test them out. He took to them immediately, with his expertise in stilt walking and trampolining proving to be invaluable experience.

Name: Ioan Veniamin Oprea (winners Show Two)
Talent: Human Slinky
Background: 46-year-old Ioan Veniamin Oprea was born in a Transylvanian town in Romania, and is the first generation of his family to be a circus artist.

He began training as a gymnast at the age of seven, hiding what he was doing from his family, who believed he was at school. Ioan trained until he was 18 years old, and underwent the rigours of professional training in order to compete as a gymnast and acrobat.

In 1986 his artistic career began at the Romanian State Circus in Bucharest. In 1987, he devised the concept of Mr Slinky and entered the act into the Monte Carlo Festival. He went on to win the Festival, and won the special prize of a contract to perform at Disney Land in Orlando, Florida, which he still does today.

View the original post When Will I Be Famous: Show Four Contestants on Unreality TV

Libera is made up of 13 young boys from a wide variety of backgrounds in South London. The boys don’t think of themselves as choirboys, more of an alternative boy band. The group’s three albums have topped both mainstream and classical charts in many countries. Libera have an enthusiastic fan base in many countries, particularly in the United States. They are currently looking forward to touring Japan and Korea.

View the original post Libera Return To ‘When Will I Be Famous’ on Unreality TV

Illusionists, contortionists, dancers, cabaret artists and comedy acts all compete in a series of head-to-head challenges. A panel of three celebrity judges pass comment on the acts which range from seasoned variety professionals to complete novices and cast their vote. A panel of 101 pre-registered viewers can then vote from home and make the casting decision as to which acts go through to the live final.

In the second show of the evening the finalists compete with each other with the overall winner being decided on by an open public phone vote, with all profits going to Comic Relief.

Many of the acts who don’t make it through the audition process ranging from the breathtaking to the bizarre also feature as part of the programme in Graham’s Sideshow.

Executive Producer Phil Parsons says: “When Will I Be Famous? will provide a shot of glamour and excitement. The production team has been scouring the globe for the world’s best variety acts throughout the autumn and, as well providing a platform for established acts to reach a wider audience, we have also unearthed some exciting, unsigned and unseen talent for BBC viewers.”

Viewers can register to become part of the 101 Armchair Panellists who appear on the programme each week by going to www.bbc.co.uk.

View the original post Graham Norton To Host When Will I Be Famous On BBC1 on Unreality TV