NBC'S "WORLD OF DANCE" WELCOMES CIARA, JULIANNE HOUGH, MEL B, MISTY COPELAND, PAULA ABDUL AND SAVION GLOVER AS GUEST MENTORS AND JUDGES

World-Renowned Dancers Bring Extraordinary Expertise to NBC's Hit Summer Dance Competition Series

"World of Dance" Airs Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET/PT and Will Expand to a Two-Hour Telecast Beginning Wednesday, July 25 at 8 p.m.

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. - July 23, 2018 - The hit summer series "World of Dance," starring Jennifer Lopez, Derek Hough, NE-YO and Jenna Dewan, will bring aboard several of the most accomplished and celebrated dancers in the world as guest mentors and guest judges during its highly successful second season.

As the season moves along, six extraordinary dancers/choreographers will share their insight with aspiring dancers looking to change their lives.

During the two episodes of "The Cut" round of the competition (airing Wednesday, Aug. 22 and Wednesday, Aug. 29 at 9 p.m. ET/PT), guest mentors will include:

· Tony Award winner Savion Glover will collaborate with judge Jennifer Lopez with the Junior Team division;

· Actress, dancer, singer and Emmy Award-winning choreographer Julianne Hough, who will be working with her brother, judge Derek Hough, in the Upper division;

· "America's Got Talent" judge Mel B will join forces with judge NE-YO in mentoring the Junior division;

· World-renowned dancer/choreographer Paula Abdul will team with host/mentor Jenna Dewan in the Upper Team division.

Misty Copeland, principal dancer of the American Ballet Theatre, will serve as a guest judge during the Divisional Final, with Grammy Award-winning and multi-platinum selling artist Ciara joining as guest mentor during the Divisional Final as well (airing Wednesday, Sept. 5 at 9 p.m. ET/PT).

In "The Cut," the acts face the deepest and most intense cut of the season. The judges will score each act's performance based on their artistry, precision and athleticism. Only the top three highest-scoring acts from each division will move on to the Divisional Final. In the "Divisional Final," the top three acts from each division will compete for a spot in the "World Final." The top scoring act from each division will be one step closer to winning the $1 million grand prize.

So far this summer "World of Dance" is averaging a 2.1 rating in adults 18-49 and 8.5 million viewers overall in "live plus seven day" Nielsens, and ranks #2 in "most current" averages for the summer to date in adults 18-49, behind only "America's Got Talent." "World of Dance" has completely dominated its 10 p.m. Tuesday timeslot, defeating the combined "live plus same day" results for its ABC and CBS competition every week it's been in first-run in every key demographic category - adults, men and women 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54.

"World of Dance" gives dancers the platform to showcase their talents and compete for a life-altering grand prize of $1 million, led by a judging team of extraordinary dance superstars - Jennifer Lopez (who also serves as an executive producer), Derek Hough, NE-YO and host/mentor Jenna Dewan.

In partnership with preeminent global dance brand World of Dance, the series brings the world's elite dancers together to compete in epic battles of artistry, precision and athleticism. Solo dancers will compete against duos and crews in an unlimited range of dance, including hip-hop, popping, locking, tap, ballet, break dancing, ballroom, stomping and more.

Handpicked from qualifying events around the nation and thousands of online submissions, competitors are divided into three divisions: Junior (any size act, 17 years old and under), Upper (groups of 1-4, 18 and older) and Team (groups of 5+, 18 and older). Our panel of experts score the acts using a precise point system developed by World of Dance, using the following criteria: Performance, Technique, Choreography, Creativity and Presentation. The competition consists of five rounds: Qualifiers, Duels, The Cut, Divisional Final and the World Final. In the first four rounds, dancers only compete within their division, but in the World Final - the winner from each division will compete against each other for the $1 million grand prize.

World of Dance is among the most trusted and fastest growing dance and music entertainment brands, combining a successful digital platform of more than 8 million subscribers with the world's largest international urban dance competition. What began in 2008 as a single event is now a continent-spanning, tour de force of human spirit and sick dance moves. The World of Dance Tour attracts YouTube stars, industry icons and tens of thousands of fans to events in more than 25 countries, spanning the U.S., Europe, South America, and Asia. The inspiring performance videos captured from these events drive 30 million monthly views online, making World of Dance the largest dance entertainment channel on YouTube. No language barriers. No animosity. Just pure, awe-inspiring movement.

Jennifer Lopez, Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas & Benny Medina executive produce "World of Dance" for Nuyorican Productions. Also executive producing are Kris Curry, Matilda Zoltowski, Alex Katz, Alex Rudzinski, David Gonzalez and Matthew Everitt. The series is produced by Universal Television Alternative Studio in association with Nuyorican Productions and World of Dance.

"World of Dance" airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT and will expand to a two-hour telecast beginning Wednesday, July 25 at 8 p.m.

ABOUT CIARA

Ciara is a Grammy Award winning singer/songwriter, producer, model and actress. Over her 13-year career, she has sold more than 23 million records and 16 million singles worldwide, including chart-topping hits "Goodies," "Ride," "Oh," "1, 2 Step," "Body Party," and "I Bet." Most recently, she released chart-topping song "Level Up" with accompanying video that showcases her incredible visuals and stellar dance abilities. Ciara's videos have been viewed over 1.4 billion times accurately earning her the moniker of "Queen of Dance." Ciara continues to captivate with her social media prowess reaching over 50 million fans across her platforms and channels.

ABOUT JULIANNE HOUGH

Julianne Hough is an actress, dancer, singer and Emmy Award-winning choreographer, known to audiences around the world for her success in film, television, and music. She has appeared in such films as "Footloose," "Rock of Ages" and "Safe Haven." She earned rave reviews as Sandy in the Emmy-winning live broadcast "Grease: Live!" in early 2016. In film, Hough will next star as fitness pioneer Betty Weider in the upcoming feature "Bigger." Julianne is the face of Giorgio Beverly Hills fragrances. She is active in a wide range of philanthropic endeavors, charities and humanitarian efforts.

ABOUT MEL B

Melanie Brown, aka Scary Spice and best known to audiences worldwide as part of the iconic '90s pop group Spice Girls, is a chart-topping singer/song-writer, actor, author, host, television personality, producer and groundbreaking entrepreneur. She is currently a judge on summer's #1 series, "America's Got Talent." In 2014, she made her return to the "X Factor" brand and within one year had six shows in seven continents. Mel B has also judged "The X Factor" in Australia, "Dancing with the Stars" in Australia and the "2013 Miss Universe," to name but a few.

ABOUT MISTY COPELAND

Misty Copeland is one of the world's greatest ballet dancers and was the first African-American woman to be promoted to principal dancer by the American Ballet Theatre. She joined ABT as a member of the corps de ballet in 2001 and in 2007 became the company's second African-American female soloist and the first in two decades. Copeland made her Broadway debut in the role of Ivy Smith/Miss Turnstiles in the critically acclaimed show "On the Town." In 2014, she made history as the first black woman to perform the lead role of Odette/Odile in ABT's "Swan Lake" during the company's inaugural tour to Australia.

ABOUT PAULA ABDUL

A two-time Emmy Award winner, Grammy Award winner, American Music Award winner and multi-platinum recording artist, Paula Abdul has been entertaining her fans for years as a singer, songwriter, dancer, choreographer, television personality, actress, producer and entrepreneur. Abdul will be seen this Fall touring the US on her first solo headlining tour in over 25 years, STRAIGHT UP PAULA! In 2017 she toured with Live Nation's "The Total Package Tour," where she hit more than 40 cities in the U.S. alongside Boyz II Men and New Kids on the Block. The arena tour sold over 500,000 tickets and grossed over $40 million. A triumphant return for one of America's pop music pioneers.

ABOUT SAVION GLOVER

Tap dancer, choreographer and actor Savion Glover's work has helped maintain tap dancing as an art form in the modern dance world. His starring role in the musical "Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk," which he also choreographed, debuted on Broadway in 1996. The musical chronicles events in African-American history and brought Glover a Tony Award for Best Choreographer. Before he was a teenager, Savion made his mark starring in the leading role in the Broadway musical "The Tap Dance Kid." Among his credits is "Jelly's Last Jam," a role for which he made history as the youngest ever recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts grant. He is currently directing and choreographing "Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope" on the mainstage of New York City center.