Dreamgirls co-choreographer Shane Sparks has been arrested on eight counts of felony child molestation charges, E! Online reports. Sparks was arrested early this morning at his home in Hollywood and taken to a Van Nuys, California jail. Bail is set at $590,000. Said LAPD spokesman, Richard French, to TVGuide.com. Sparks has been the "subject of an ongoing child molestation investigation."
The incident in question is nearly a decade old. The alleged victim's identity is being withheld, as she was a minor at the time.
Sparks rose to fame as a co-choreographer on the 2004 movie You Got Served before becoming a part of Fox's So You Think You Can Dance, for which he received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Choreography. He then became a judge on MTV's dance-themed competition, America's Best Dance Crew, which just completed its fourth season. Most recently, he co-choreographed the current tour of Dreamgirls that kicked-off at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem on November 7 and ran through December 6. The tour is currently playing cities across the country and buzz has begun surrounding a possible Broadway finale stop sometime next year.
Dreamgirls will play Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Chicago, Boston, Columbus, Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland, Costa Mesa, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, and more. For information on the tour, visit www.dreamgirlsonstage.com.
Sparks is the second choreographer connected to So You Think You Can Dance to be arrested for sex crimes recently. Alex Da Silva, was arrested in August on allegations that he raped four of hi students.
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