Microsoft reboots Electric Circus

The Electric Circus TV program, which ran on MuchMusic and Citytv from 1988 to 2003, let people audition for the chance to dance on camera while dressed in their best clubbing outfits.

In the fall of 2012, Microsoft decided to bring back the live dancing show in a special Halloween episode on MuchMusic and Muchmusic.com in celebration of the launch of its Dance Central 3 Xbox videogame. People could audition to be on the show, which included songs found in the game and featured 150 Canadians dressed in club attire and dancing, just like the game's avatars.

Before the show was broadcast, MuchMusic's flagship program New.Music.Live featured dance crews battling for a finalist spot on Electric Circus and the chance to win $5,000 in a dance-off during the program.

The show became a trending topic on Twitter not only in Canada, but worldwide. Hundreds of people showed up for the two-day auditions and MuchMusic received 50% more contest entries than projected. In addition, the Dance Central 3 game received over 4.5 million impressions as a result of bringing back the Electric Circus show.