Electric Circus

Handling

Electric Circus, aka EC, was a Canadian live dance music television program aired on MuchMusic and Citytv. It aired from September 16, 1988 until December 12, 2003.

The name originated from the nightclub that once existed at Citytv's first studio at 99 Queen Street East in Toronto.

The show was also simulcast on MuchUSA starting in 1994, during the show's run and also had a loyal following among American viewers, especially dance music fans who tuned in since it was the only place to see artists and videos from the genre, which usually gets shunned or avoided by MTV in the United States. In addition, a Francophone version of Electric Circus aired on Musique Plus, telecasting live from Montreal and had the same set up as Toronto's.

The dance hall where people were invited to dance which the show used was the MuchMusic studios on the main floor of the CHUM-City Building in Toronto, but audiences often spilled out onto Queen Street West, and on warm days the windows to the studio were opened, with some acts performing outside. It was also not uncommon for dancers to be stationed on the CHUM-City rooftop or even on rooftops of buildings across the street, effectively making the surrounding neighbourhood part of the set. Most music played was pre-recorded but live acts also were invited on some shows, and in the 1990s guest deejays were also featured. The show was hosted by Monika Deol until 1996, along with Michael Williams, followed by George Lagogianes, and also featured dancing floor director MC Craig F. After that, a rotation of various hosts took over. The show was an hour and a half, until 2001, when it shortened to just an hour long. Two concerts were hosted annually. One at Canada's Wonderland, during the summer and another in the winter, at Winterlude in Ottawa.