DeGarmo and Duff to Serve as Celebrity Judges in Hairspray‘s Internet Dance Contest

Hairspray stars Diana DeGarmo and Haylie Duff will serve as special guest judges for the musical’s “Big Bopper Dance Topper” dance contest, presented by Ladies’ Home Journal. The winner of the contest, selected through Internet voting, will get to dance onstage in the hit Broadway show.

Applicants are encouraged to “tease up that hair, polish up those saddle shoes, fire up the videocam, and get bopping to the Hairspray tune of your choice!” The top 10 videos submitted through the Internet will be posted online, and America will vote for its three favorites. Then the panel of judges — including DeGarmo and Duff — will narrow them down to the top three, and there will be a final round of Internet voting. The winner will be flown to New York to work with Hairspray‘s dance captain and will dance in the Broadway production of the show for one night.

Based on the New Line Cinema film written and directed by John Waters, Hairspray has a book by Mark O’Donnell and Thomas Meehan, music by Marc Shaiman, and lyrics by Shaiman and Scott Wittman. The show opened in 2002 and won eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Set in 1962 Baltimore, it centers around Tracy Turnblad, a big girl with big hair and an even bigger heart, whose one passion is to dance. She wins a spot on The Corny Collins Show and, in the process, spearheads a movement for racial integration.

Submissions to the “Big Bopper Dance Topper” contest are being accepted via the Hairspray website now through October 11. Semi-finalists will be chosen and announced on October 18, and the winner will be announced on December 20. For complete information about the contest, including the official rules, visit www.hairspraythemusical.com/dance.