Zee TV Americas, together with Arya Dance Academy International, presented the first ever Dance India Dance USA Edition on Saturday, December 7th. The event was judged by DID 4 Judge Feroz Khan, DID Winner Salman Khan and Arya Dance Academy Founder Rupal Patel. Punar Vivah’s Karan V. Grover hosted the evening’s festivities.
A total of 20 contestants demonstrated their unique styles of dancing from Bollywood to Contemporary to Classical Indian Dance. Contestants ranging from 14 to 30 years old were selected from 5,000 auditioners in over 16 cities. The dancers graced the stage with self-choreographed performances. The judges were pleasantly surprised by the fresh and energetic talent onstage. Both Salman and Feroz expressed their willingness to return to the US to work with the contestants again.
Punar Vivah sensation and host for the night, Karan V. Grover, with his charismatic smile, entertained over 1,200 audience members. He kept the audience in splits and rallied them to chant “Dance it Out!” The audience seemed to share in the energy and enthusiasm of the dancers. The final 7 contestants competed in a suspenseful dance-off. 3 winners took home a total of $7,500 and a Dance India Dance taqdeer ki topi. Although only 3 winners went home with prizes, most of the contestants were ecstatic to be a part of the event. One contestant said, “Getting the valuable feedback of Master Salman and Master Feroz means more than winning a trophy.” Another contestant said, “I am so grateful to Zee TV for bringing DID to the US and providing me with the opportunity I thought I’d never have!”
The Arya Dance Academy Instructors and Professional Dance Company also lit up the stage with beautiful performances and set designs.
Sameer Targe, General Manager of Zee TV Americas says, “We are very delighted to see how successful this event has turned out to be. We will make sure, going forward, this is an annual feature. I personally was amazed to see such good quality of talent amongst second generation South Asians. Strategically, it was very important for the brand to connect locally.”
Find out who takes home the taqdeer ki topi! Don’t miss the Dance India Dance USA Edition telecast on Zee TV on Saturday, December 21, 2013 at 9p ET, 6p PT.