MTV "Taking the Stage" at SCPA

MTV finally has a website up for its new show "Taking the Stage", which is set in Cincinnati at the School of Creative and Performing Arts, which is in Over-The-Rhine.

The show follows five SCPA students as they pursue their dreams of stardom, much the way Nick Lachey, Sex and the City's Sarah Jessica Parker, actor/director Todd Luiso (High Fidelity, Love Liza), and actor Rocky Carroll of NCIS did.

There are five main characters, according to the website, they are as follows:

* Jasmine is a prima ballerina who dreams of dancing with the famed Alvin Ailey dance troupe. "I want to be one of the best professional dancers of my generation," she says. Jasmine hopes to attend New York performing arts conservatory Juilliard after graduating from SCPA.

* Malik -- Jasmine's best friend -- leads the school's only hip-hop dance group, The Definition. "When I dance," he says, "people notice. I want to inspire." In addition to his formidable dance skills, he is also a talented choreographer and a singer/songwriter.

* Shaakira is a dancer and aspiring actress. "I want to be an all-around entertainer. I have really big dreams," she says. "I will do whatever it takes to be famous." Shaakira is an accomplished ballet dancer -- one of the best SCPA has ever produced -- but prefers hip-hop dance and is an integral member of Malik's team.

* Mia is a singer-songwriter whose talent is matched only by her drive. "My whole life I've had the same goal, to make music and get a record contract by the time that I'm 18," Mia says. "I know I have what it takes to make it happen."

* And, finally, there's Tyler, a gifted hip-hop dancer. Along with his little brother, Chris (also a dancer), he's new to the School for Creative and Performing Arts, and he's about to shake things up. "Dancing is my world; it just comes out of me," he says. "I am hip-hop dance. Hip-hop dance is me."

In a news-related twist, the school is currently dealing with a tragedy in its midst after one of their students was killed. 13 year old Esme Kenney was murdered sometime Sunday. SCPA held a very emotional memorial Tuesday night. It's unclear as to how, or even if, this affected production of the show.