• by Daisy Whitney , Op-Ed Contributor, May 10, 2012

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and it’s working too for DanceOn, a YouTube Channel that’s quickly piling up the views. Buoyed by the success of TV dance competitions such as “So You Think You Can Dance?” and “Dancing With the Stars,” the new-ish YouTube network that’s part of the video site’s original content push is tracking to hit 10 million views for its “Dance Showdown” dance competition show that launched April 5 and runs through the end of this month. Already at more than 6 million views, “Dance Showdown” pits YouTube celebs such as Obama Girl and HotforWords in dance competitions against each other as they’re coached by choreographers.

The show is part of the YouTube channel initiative to bring more original programming that’s ad-friendly to the site. But “Dance Showdown” doesn’t have marketers yet, which raises the question of whether big numbers on YouTube translate into sponsorships. The other question is whether we’ll see more imitation. Will the sheer mass of views lead to a replication of other TV formats on YouTube? More singing competitions next? My money is on What The Buck in a Broadway karaoke showdown .

Dance Showdown is DanceOn’s first show for the YouTube initiative.