It’s almost time to play “spot the local scenery” once again, as CTV and CTV 2 get set to air Holiday Spin, a made-for-television movie shot exclusively in Langley and Abbotsford.
The Christmas-themed dance movie, which aired on Lifetime in the U.S. last month and stars Ralph Macchio, was shot here last August, with the Fraser Valley communities standing in for (of all places) Miami.
Not surprisingly, the ubiquitous Fort Langley Community Hall makes yet another television movie appearance in Holiday Spin. It is here that the feature’s main dance competition takes place.
But crews also shot footage at the Langley Senior Resources Centre and at a few locations in Abbotsford.
One of the film’s stars is Allie Bertram, a 23-year-old dancer turned actress, who was featured on the first season of So You Think You Can Dance Canada.
Originally from Calgary, Bertram moved to Vancouver following her run on the competitive dance show in order to pursue acting.
“That (SYTYCDC) was my first experience on set, working with a camera,” she said over the phone from YVR, while waiting for a flight to California.
Though she’s had a few smaller roles — usually based around her skills as a dancer — Holiday Spin was the first major role Bertram landed.
“It was nice to get an entire script with my name throughout it,” said the actress, who will also appear in upcoming episodes of Fringe and Psych.
And because Holiday Spin was a dance-based role, Bertram was very comfortable with it from the outset, she said.
In the film, she plays 18-year-old dance student Pia who, with the help of her instructor, Ruben, (Macchio) is training for the upcoming Holiday Spin, a Christmas Eve dance contest.
But when a romance develops between Pia and Ruben’s son Blake — an up-and-coming MMA fighter — things become complicated and threaten to derail the fragile reconciliation between father and son.
Asked to assess her co-star’s dance skills, Bertram was enthusiastic.
“He’s really good,” she said of the the 51-year-old Macchio. “At that age, he still works really hard, he’s very concerned about his form.”
It was a lot of fun to be on set with the veteran actor, too, said Bertram.
“He has so many stories to tell, from ‘wax on, wax off’ to (his run on last year’s) Dancing With the Stars.”
Holiday Spin “has a lot of everything,” said Bertram.
“It has dancing, fighting, it’s a love story, a Christmas story.
“It’s a nice easy story to watch.”
It airs on CTV on Friday, Dec. 21 at 9 p.m. and on CTV 2 on Christmas Day at 7 p.m.
