Local prime time talent show Brillanti is kicking off its second season on February 17, this year with a focus on dance.

The brainchild of presenter and violinist Joseph Chetcuti, Brillanti held its inaugural season last year with a spotlight on musicians, with violinist Samuel Cutajar being crowned the winner.

Following the success of the first season, this year saw over 200 applicants seeking to take part in season two of the programme.

Brillanti aims to reward certain talents in Malta that are often sidelined or not given their due importance, says the presenter.

Despite practising violin for countless hours and going to school to receive his licentiate, Chetcuti says he was nevertheless known as “il-vjolinista ta’ Xarabank” (the Xarabank violinist).

Spurred by this, Chetcuti decided to create Brillanti to shine a spotlight on often-overlooked talent across Malta and Gozo. 

“Brillanti is the first ever TV show to give a platform to musicians and dancers,” says Chetcuti.

“The idea behind the show is precisely to show everybody that music and dance are important in their own right, that it takes sweat and blood to become a dancer or musician, and that these deserve to be known, respected and acknowledged for themselves, not as part of someone else’s act.”

This year, Brillanti received over 200 applications out of which 70 were shortlisted for initial auditions.

“We were inundated with applications, which means that the level is very high”, said Chetcuti, adding that the judges for the upcoming season are likewise of a high calibre.

“We wanted budding dancers to be judged by professionals, as was the case last year for the musicians.”

The first season was judged by musician and conductor Wayne Marshall, music critic Albert Storace and soprano Nicola Said while the upcoming programme will feature three new judges steeped in the discipline of dance.

Of these is Andrea Attila Felice, known as Attila, who was one of the participants of Italian talent show Amici and one of the choreographers of Drag Race Italia.

The season will also be judged by Patrick Odametey, known as P-Dog – an international champion in hip-hop and street dancing.

The chair is Maltese dancer Brenda Lee Grech who is a professional dancer working with Rambert in the UK.

Apart from the judges, members of the national dance company ŻfinMalta will serve as mentors for the dancers throughout the competition.

“It was an amazing voyage,” said Chetcuti of the collaboration with ŻfinMalta.

“Their direction, imparting that artistic touch, giving advice and mentoring our semi-finalists, was priceless.”

A unique format

The upcoming season will see performances of anything from classical ballet to breakdance, with dancers of all genres competing against each other.

Asked how they make this work, Chetcuti explained that the format melds these diverse dance combinations together in surprising, yet successful, ways. 

“From the original 70 auditions, 25 are chosen for the quarter-finals, with each choosing a piece of music at random. They then have two hours to prepare it there and then, without any help whatsoever, and after the two hours are up, they have to perform their piece in front of the judges,” he explains.

First ever TV show to give a platform to musicians and dancers

“This is where the sparks and emotions start to fly”.

The competition will see such sights as a classical ballet dancer needing to choreograph and perform a piece to hip-hop music, for example, or vice versa.

The 25 quarter-finalists will eventually be whittled to 14 semi-finalists who in turn will participate in six semi-finals, each one themed.

The themed semi-finals, first featuring in season one, are how Brillanti bring music and dance to the public, said Chetcuti.

“You have, for example ‘Brillanti Goes Film’ or ‘Brillanti Goes Prop’ as a theme and dancers need to interpret these prompts in their own way. This led to some very original ideas.”

Finally, six contestants are chosen for the finale, which will take place at the Manoel Theatre.

Last year, the winning contestant received a €10,000 cash prize while this year the prize was increased to €15,000.

Apart from the cash prize for the winner, Brillanti also wanted to reward all the finalists.

While the winner will receive €15,000, there will be €2,000 prize given to the contestant placing second and a €1,000 prize for those placing third to the sixth.

There will also be a special prize for budding dancers called Brillantini.

The programme is supported by the European Foundation for Support of Culture (EUFSC) and the Malta Tourism Authority.

Cutajar, who won last year’s edition, was given the opportunity by the EUFSC to perform in Chieti, Rome as part of his winnings.

This year, apart from the cash prize, the winner will be given the opportunity to play in one of the concerts to be held by the MTA.

A positive response

“People were a bit diffident of the idea of Brillanti in the beginning,” says Chetcuti.

“They thought it would not be worth showcasing music on prime-time TV, but it caught on like a house on fire.”

He says the programme successfully brought music and dance in all its forms to the public.

“People could appreciate a musician because they could see that the violin is much more versatile than they may have taught,” says Chetcuti, “so they saw that violins aren’t just limited to playing classical music.”

“Last year, we assumed people would not be interested in seeing whole 20-minute segments of someone playing the piano, for example, so we decided to show clips, leaving musicians’ comments in between, but we had a barrage of people from all walks of life on social media asking to hear the entire piece.”

The presenter says that infusing the programme with style and colour and a professional vestiture makes it or breaks it.

“Everything is done with care and with heart. I have a lovely team behind me, and I wanted Brillanti to be the project that asserts me. I believe the programme has shown everyone that we as Maltese can do a good job because Maltese talent is top notch.”

Watch the first episode of the first season of Brillanti on February 17 at 8.30pm on ONE TV. Brillanti is supported by the European Foundation for Support of Culture (EUFSC) and the Malta Tourism Authority.