The consumer-engagement activity, entitled Barclays Live, includes heats in seven cities across the UK to find the best local dance act.
In each contest, Brendan Cole, one of the professional dancers who regularly appears on the BBC show 'Strictly Come Dancing', will select a local champion to receive a £1,000 prize. The regional winners will then go on to the national finals, at which an overall winner will be selected.
Barclays is backing each event with a regional print and outdoor advertising campaign, as well as through partnerships with local commercial radio stations.
The initiative is intended to tap into the recent success of a rash of TV talent shows such as ITV1's Britain's Got Talent, Sky1's Got To Dance and the BBC's 'So You Think You Can Dance'.
The project was given a soft launch in Reading last month and a more high-profile roll-out has been pencilled in to coincide with a Barclays branch opening in Birmingham in June.
Consumers can follow the contest's progress through a dedicated website, as well as on Facebook and YouTube pages, and via a Twitter feed.
Barclays began a five-year programme to overhaul its branch network in 2007, and has refurbished more than 450 sites. The bank opened its flagship branch at London's Piccadilly Circus in February 2009.
The branches' open layout, which features hotel-style enquiry desks and roving members of staff with hand-held computers, is designed to improve customer service.
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