YouTube, TV Dancers Pop Into Found Footage Dance Pic ‘Breaking Through’

EXCLUSIVE: Writer-director John Swetnam (Step Up: All In, Into the Storm) and exec producer John Legend have cast the twinkle-toed lineup for their found footage dance pic, Breaking Through. Dancer, choreographer, and actress Sophia Aguiar was discovered via YouTube after performing with Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez, Ne-Yo, Usher, Katy Perry, Justin Timberlake, and Britney Spears. She’ll make her first feature splash in the pic alongside Jordan Rodrigues, who starred on Aussie teen dance drama Dance Academy and currently recurs on ABC Family’s The Fosters.

Swetnam’s casting search also led him to Robert Roldan who appeared on Season 7 of So You Think You Can Dance, contortionist and dancer Marissa Heart who’s danced with Miley Cyrus, J. Lo, and Kanye West, and Taeko McCarroll who appeared on America’s Best Dance Crew. Pic will be choreographed by YouTube star Ian Eastwood (American’s Best Dance Crew, Season 7) with performances by dance groups Les Twins, Poreotics, dance personality Dominic D-Trix Sandoval (So You Think You Can Dance, America’s Best Dance Crew) and hip hop violinist-dancer Lindsey Stirling (America’s Got Talent).

Breaking Through will also feature original music from Grammy-winning John Legend, who is exec producing with Get Lifted’s Ty Stiklorius. BB Films Productions’ Uri Singer and Fabio Golombek’s FJ Productions are producers alongside Swetnam for his Mad Horse Films, Mike Jackson of Get Lifted Film Company and the Perimeter Group’s Luis Fragali. The filmmakers have also partnered with YouTube multi-channel dance network DanceOn, which will promote and create interactive programs in connection with the film. Perimeter Media Group is financing, with Paradigm handling domestic sales and Voltage Pictures selling international.