Dance Singapore Dance, Zee TV APAC’s reality dance competition in Singapore has announced the completion of its auditions and selection of “Terrific 12” dancers for the studio rounds. The shortlisted dancers represent different ethnicities – Indian, Chinese, Malay, Filipino and Australian.
Dance Singapore Dance launched its inaugural season in 2015 and was highly popular. The winner of the show, Shahrin Johry, went on to win a $15,000 cash prize.
After four rounds of grueling auditions, the “Terrific 12” will now be put through intense training over the next one and a half months. They will train under mentors who will prepare them for the various studio challenges. The Terrific 12 will compete to fight for the title of “Singapore’s Best Dancing Star” and a cash prize of S$15,000.
Auditions took place over the weekend at the LASALLE College of the Arts. Like Season 1, the participants transcended cultural boundaries and showcased a variety of dance styles including jazz, freestyle, B-boying, contemporary, hip-hop, Indian classical and of course, Bollywood.
Contestants brought in props and wore carefully designed costumes that helped to elevate their performances. One contestant, Pawan Kumar, wore a 1970s costume, inspired by the disco era, which took him three days to make.
The participants were judged by Mr. Mudassar Khan and Ms. Shanta Ratii. Mr. Khan is a well-known Bollywood choreographer and a former judge on Dance India Dance. Ms. Shanta Ratii is a multi-faceted personality – dancer, choreographer, teacher, promoter of the arts, a cultural activist and a filmmaker who also serves on the specialist panel at National Arts Council of Singapore.
Mukund Cairae, CEO Middle East & Asia Pacific said, “The second season of Dance Singapore Dance has seen participants from countries like Singapore, China, Malaysia, India, Philippines, Indonesia and Australia. This is a testimonial to the fact that Dance truly transcends boundaries.”
“Zee’s presence in International markets and our channels that are created for local population in addition to the Indian channels are a perfect medium for dance and music enthusiasts to express themselves. We are working to re-create the same formats in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Philippines in this year. This should culminate in a Dance Asia Dance season that will showcase the best dance talent that Asia has to offer”.
Tripta Singh, Senior Vice President – International Business, Zee TV APAC said, “The response for the on-ground auditions has been overwhelming. Dance Singapore Dance provides a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for dancers in Singapore. At the auditions the dancers exhibited original choreography, strong technique, immaculate timing and never-before-seen passion. This year also included many young performers that were looking to use DSD as a platform to challenge themselves and step out of their comfort zone”.
Bollywood Choreographer & Dance India Dance Judge, Mudassar Khan said, “From the performances I saw today, I can say it was awesome. The passion and motivation for dance is different from India, but they still have the same level of energy.”