Lifetime Premieres ABBY'S ULTIMATE DANCE COMPETITION Tonight, 10/9

Lifetime's new reality series ABBY'S ULTIMATE DANCE COMPETITION is set to premiere tonight, October 9, at 9 pm ET/PT. Headlined by Dance Moms' Abby Lee Miller, the competition series will feature 12 of the country's most talented girl and boy dancers competing for a $100,000 cash prize and a scholarship to the Young Dancer Program at the Joffrey Ballet School in New York. Joining Miller at the judges table will be Robin Antin, founder of the pop group sensation Pussycat Dolls, and dancer and cutting-edge celebrity choreographer Richard Jackson (Lady Gaga's "Marry the Night"). Kevin Manno (MTV's The Seven) will host.

Leading into the series' premiere at 8 pm PT/ET, Lifetime will air the Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition Casting Special to unveil the competition's dancers, their moms and judges. Lifetime has ordered 10 episodes of Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition, which will lead-in to the premiere of the network's all-new hidden-camera comedy show Prank My Mom, hosted by Vivica A. Fox.

Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition will begin by following a dozen aspiring dancers -- ages six through 13 - who will learn new routines and compete in a number of challenges designed to test their skills when they perform before Miller, Antin and Jackson, as well as a live audience, at the historic Los Angeles Theatre. Along the way, each competitor will be accompanied and coached by his or her own mother, who will make critical training, costume, music and choreographic decisions for their child while also navigating the precarious waters of the other highly competitive parents. As Miller, Antin and Jackson must make the sometimes easy and other times difficult decision to eliminate one dancer each week, the intense on stage competition and stakes between dancers and mothers increase throughout the season - culminating with a finale performance that assuredly will change the winning dancer's life forever.

Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition is produced by Collins Avenue, with Jeff Collins (Dance Moms, Fly Girls), Michael Hammond (Dance Moms, Hell's Kitchen), Mike Aho (Dance Moms, The Bachelorette), Bryan Stinson (Dance Moms, High Society), Sandi Johnson (The Bachelor, Under Cover Boss) and Abby Lee Miller executive producing along with Rob Sharenow, Gena McCarthy and Kimberly Chessler of Lifetime. Adam Vetri (The Devil's Ride, The Amazing Race) and John Corella (Dance Moms) co-executive produce.

Collins Avenue, a premier reality programming producer located in Los Angeles, works in partnership with Content Media Corporation. The London-based global entertainment and media company, with offices in Los Angeles, New York and Toronto, owns and distributes a significant library of film, television and digital assets. Led by prolific reality producer Jeff Collins, Collins Avenue produces many reality and docu-series, including the highly successful Lifetime franchises Dance Moms and Dance Moms: Miami; Animal Planet's acclaimed American Stuffers; and National Geographic Channel's recently launched hit American Colony: Meet the Hutterites. Previously, Collins Avenue produced TLC's Outrageous Kid Parties and, earlier in his career, Collins served as showrunner of A&E's popular Billy The Exterminator and WE tv's highest-rated series, Bridezillas.

Lifetime Television is committed to offering the highest quality entertainment and information programming, and advocating a wide range of issues affecting women and their families. The network posted major growth in viewership among the key demographics in Second Quarter 2012 versus Second Quarter 2011, posting a 13% jump among Women 18-49, +5% among Adults 18-49 and +1% in Women 25-54. Additionally, among Women 18-49, Lifetime marked the network's strongest 2Q growth in 10 years. Lifetime Television(R), LMN(R), Lifetime Real Women(R) and Lifetime Digital(TM) are part of Lifetime Entertainment Services, LLC, a subsidiary of A+E Networks. A+E Networks is a joint venture of the Disney-ABC Television Group and Hearst Corporation.

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