The Traitors’ creepy clown dancers from Inverness, Nairn, Ross-shire and Moray return in US version of TV show
They were awarded a 10 by Strictly’s Claudia Winkleman in her role as presenter of the popular BBC TV reality show, The Traitors, filmed in the Highlands.
Now the creepy clown dancers have made another appearance - this time in the US version of The Traitors hosted by Scottish actor, Alan Cumming.
The routine choreographed by Antonia Di Carlo, of the TruUnity Dance studio in Inverness, featured dancers from Inverness, Nairn, Fortrose, Ross-shire, Forres as well as Loch Lomond, Edinburgh, Perth and Glasgow.
Antonia described being in the presence of Claudia Winkleman as “super cool”, saying the presenter’s energy dominated the whole place.
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Both the UK version of the hit show and its US counterpart, which is currently being screened, are filmed at Ardross Castle near Alness.
The contestants take on the roles of faithfuls or traitors for a game which tests their detection, backstabbing and trust with the chance of winning up to £120,000.
One memorable moment from the show involves a group of sinister-looking clowns performing a complex routine at the end of which contestants try to guess which ones have pots of money.
Antonia Di Carlo revealed how she and her dancers became involved in Traitors.
“They approached me to lead as the movement coach and dancer on the UK and American series three but in the end, the task was going to be too complicated so I took part in the beginning rehearsals and on the shoot days I was solely the choreographer,” she said.
Antonia said the production team was also interested in a couple of famous eerie dance scenes - one from the Netflix Wednesday series and another from the film, Poor Things - which she had previously taught local children at her studio in the Telford Retail Park in Inverness.
Recalling working with Claudia Winkleman, she said it was “very cool” to be in her presence.
“The very first moment she walked on set her energy just dominated the whole place.
“She was amazing.
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“She was really in the zone, the way she carried herself as the iconic Traitor host. I couldn’t take my eyes off her.
“She was a super professional, chilled and fun lady.”
Antonia explained in creating the clown dance, her aim was to get the dancers to act a spooky way.
“Personally, I think stillness is very powerful and probably the most scariest,” she said.
“I think the team did amazingly to source the costumes. Those alone were suitably scary.
“I played around with formations in hip hop and contemporary styles and used aggressive actions like fake throat slicing, kicks, imaginary shooting, and a whole load of crazy things thrown in along with at least three to four different themed demos for the final take.
“There was no music involved in the piece, so timing and placement was everything.”
The days leading up to filming were hot and sunny but when it came to shooting their scenes, it was pouring with rain which meant the location was wet, slippery, muddy and dangerous to reach.
“It makes it more challenging and fun and all the people involved had great working attitude - super positive, determined and we had the best health and safety team looking after us,” Antonia said.
“We were contracted to work 12-hour shoot days.
“However, we did a really good job and the camera team managed to get some really good takes fast.
“Most days we finished early.
“I have been working in TV since I was 14 and this is not usually the case!”
The TruUnity studio, which offers local community dance training, is set to welcome a professional dance school from Washington DC this summer following an inquiry about Antonia’s choreography for a show.
