Principal photography began Thursday in Toronto, Canada on The Next Step, a single-cam scripted tween drama from Temple Street Productions for Astral’s Family Channel.

The series follows a group of elite dancers at The Next Step Dance Studio gunning to win a regional dance competition.

The Next Step will include original songs and professional choreography in the 26 half-hour episodes.

Extra content, including an after-show web series featuring character interviews and behind-the-scenes footage and commentary, will be available on Family.ca.

Victoria Baldessara, Alexandra Beaton, Brittany Raymond, Shamier Anderson and Bree Wasylenko will star as The Next Step Dance Studio dancers, following an extensive casting search.

The series also features So You Think You Can Dance Canada season four winner Jordan Clark, Trevor Flannigan-Tordjman, Isaac Lupien, Samantha Grecchi, Tamina Pollack-Paris, Jennifer Pappas, Brennan Clost and Lamar Johnson.

The Next Step is created by Frank van Keeken (pictured), also the creator of Temple Street’s Wingin’ It, which airs on Family Channel and Disney XD.

The series, commissioned by Family Channel, is exec produced by van Keeken with Temple Street co-presidents David Fortier and Ivan Schneeberg, and produced with assistance from the Shaw Rocket Fund.

BBC Worldwide has international distribution rights.

From Playback online.