Choreographer/Actor Cris Judd ('Unfabulous'), Tony(R) Award Winner Ben Vereen ('Pippin') and Singer/Actress Vitamin C ('The Amanda Show') Named as Judges of Lifetime's Dance Competition Series, 'Your Mama Don't Dance,' Premiering Friday, February 29

Hosted By Ian Ziering ('Dancing With The Stars'), Series Pairs Young Professional Dancers With One of Their Parents for an Eight Week Competition Where America Determines the Winner

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 26 -- Choreographer/actor Cris Judd ("Unfabulous), Tony(R) Award-winning actor/dancer Ben Vereen ("Pippin") and singer/actress Vitamin C ("The Amanda Show") will serve as the judges in Lifetime's first-ever dance competition series, "Your Mama Don't Dance." The show teams young professional dancers with one of their parents as they compete for $100,000 in cash and prizes and premieres Friday, February 29, at 9PM (ET/PT). The eight week series is hosted by Ian Ziering ("Dancing with the Stars," "Beverly Hills, 90210").

"Your Mama Don't Dance" takes the typical "dance show" to a whole new level by exploring the sometimes love-hate but always complicated relationship between kids and their parents. Some of America's hottest dancers auditioned for a chance to be a part of a new dance competition show under the pseudonym "Dance Nation," but none had any idea what was in store. On January 26, 2008, contestants gathered at the Orpheum Theater in Los Angeles where they soon discovered shocking news -- that they would be competing with a partner and that their partner would be one of their parents!

Now, these up-and-coming dancers will be counting on their parents to learn the moves to help them realize their dreams, while their parents will undoubtedly feel the pressure to work harder than ever to keep in step and not let their kids down. Each week the judges will put the two lowest-rated teams on the chopping block, then it's up to America to determine which team stays in the competition via phone, text and online votes on myLifetime.com, as monitored by the firm, Telescope Inc. The competition concludes Friday, April 18th in a live finale extravaganza where three teams face off in front of the judges and America one final time. The winning team will be announced at the end of the show following a live vote.

Cris Judd is a well known dancer, choreographer and actor. He most recently guest-starred on the Nickelodeon's "Unfabulous" with Emma Roberts and appeared on episodes of "Eve," "Half and Half" and "Everybody Loves Raymond." He made his television debut on the ABC reality series, "I'm a Celebrity -- Get Me Out of Here," where he won the title of 'King of the Jungle' and $200,000 for the Make-a-Wish Foundation. He was also host of the WE dance series, "Dirty Dancing." Judd made an acting cameo in the film, "Bringing Down the House" and served as the choreographer for Steve Martin in his dance scenes. Judd also coached Nicole Kidman her dancing scenes for "The Human Stain."

Ben Vereen is a Tony(R) Award-winning actor, dancer and singer. Nominated for a Tony for his role in "Jesus Christ Superstar," Vereen won the award for his lead role in "Pippin." He's since starred on Broadway's "I'm Not Rappaport," "Fosse," "Chicago," and as the Wizard of Oz in Broadway's "Wicked." Vereen is also a three-time Emmy(R) nominee for his work on "Roots," "The Bell Telephone Jubilee" and "Intruders." His additional television credits include "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," "Star Trek: The Next Generation," "Touched By An Angel" and "Law & Order: SVU" and "Grey's Anatomy." He is also a two-time Golden Globe(R) nominee for his work in "Ellis Island" and "Funny Lady."

Vitamin C is an actress and singer, best known for her massive hit single "Graduation (Friends Forever)." In addition to working on her third album, she recently assembled a singing group "The Truth Squad." Vitamin C's television credits include judging The WB series, "Superstar USA," appearing on MTV's "The Andy Dick Show," and "Celebrity Bootcamp." She also made cameos on "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch," "The Brothers Garcia," "The Amanda Show" and "The Sausage Factory." Her film credits include John Waters' 1988 feature "Hairspray," "The Naked Gun 2-1/2: The Smell of Fear," "Dracula 2000," "Rock Star," "Get Over It" and "Scary Movie 2."

"Your Mama Don't Dance" is produced by City Lights Television in association with Bob Bain Productions for Lifetime Television. Bob Bain ("Billboard Music Awards," "Miss America," "Kid's Choice Awards"), Dave Noll and Linda Lea ("Queer Eye for the Straight Guy") serve as executive producers. Stephanie Chambers ("Bam's Unholy Union") is co-executive producer and Nate Green ("Dance Life") is supervising producer.

LIFETIME is the leader in women's television and one of the top-rated basic cable television networks. A diverse, multi-media company, LIFETIME is committed to offering the highest quality entertainment and information programming, and advocating a wide range of issues affecting women and their families. LIFETIME Television, Lifetime Movie Network, Lifetime Real Women and Lifetime Digital (including myLifetime.com) are part of LIFETIME Entertainment Services, a 50/50 joint venture of The Hearst Corporation and The Walt Disney Company.

SOURCE Lifetime
http://www.lifetimetv.com http://myLifetime.com