The first episode of the Indian edition of the popular international
dance reality show So You Think You Can Dance, premiered in India last
night on &TV. With Madhuri Dixit, Terence Lewis, and Bosco Martis as
judges, and popular TV faces Rithvik Dhanjani and Mouni Roy as anchors,
the show started off-as all reality shows predictably do--by showcasing
bits of the auditions in different cities.
But before we review
the episode, here's an aside. So You Think You Can Dance is an
international franchise that was created way back in 2005 and has seen
some 26 adaptations in different countries since. With 12 seasons in the
US alone, it is a reality dance show to reckon with. If you take its
legacy into perspective, it's a little surprising that the Indian
version had hardly any buzz about it, and that the producers would
choose &TV to premiere it on.
But, if you review the show
in isolation, or even compare it to the other dance reality shows that
we have here, then we'd have to concede that though it started off with a
little less noise than would be expected, the talent it showcased was
not to be dismissed lightly.
Here's
how the show is structured: The two anchors represent Team Street
(Rithvik) and Team Stage (Mouni) and the dancers can perform any dance
form. Most of the contestants are very young, and several of them will
be worth watching out for. From Sneha Singh, who performed a Latin style
dance to London Thumakda, to 19-year-old Kalpita Kachroo from Delhi,
who earned a standing ovation for her Kathak recital. In fact, on
Bosco's insistence, Madhuri performed too and we've never seen Kathak
performed so gracefully in pants and stilettos.
The show
did have its wow moments. Young Rahul Behera impressed Terence to such
an extent with his B-boying that the judge said, "You brought in so many
different elements; you did something new. You inspire me."
Most
of these contestants received the Golden Ticket to enable them to enter
the second round. One contestant who was not so lucky, however, was
Arunachal's Namni Dera. Born a man, Namni is an ace at female belly
dancing, a form he has taught himself. However, while the judges
commended him for his mastery of the form and his courage, they wanted
versatility and gave him a choreographer and some time to rehearse to
come back and show them if he could attempt any other dance form. He
didn't qualify.
Another
promising contestant--who had Bosco saying, "I wish I could dance like
you"--was 18-year-old Ratul Chatterji who said Michael Jackson was his
inspiration. Interestingly though, he didn't ape MJ's moves, but
impressed the judges with his rendition of hip-hop. Ratul's father, who
couldn't contain his tears, told the judges that this was Ratul's eighth
attempt at a reality show, and that the boy was frustrated at not
making it. His father went on to say that he pushed his son out of the
house, encouraging him to try again. A die-hard Madhuri fan, he received
the Golden Ticket on his son's behalf from the diva herself.
Terence
observed that while earlier on reality shows, most contestants would
talk about how they had run away or fought with their parents to attend
the auditions, now parents are supporting their children, which is a sea
change.
A small break--and some lighter moments--came when
Tiger Shroff met the contestants and of course, danced with them. He
spoke to them and wished them all, with a special mention for Juilee
Vaidya--they attended the same dance school and she even helped
choreograph one of his numbers from his debut film. Needless to say,
Juilee's stage performance was fantastic and she won a Golden Ticket
too. What was interesting was that she chose to do hip-hop--though her
backstory said she started off with Bharatanatyam--and the judges were
impressed and happy that girls too were taking yup this form of dancing.
The show, on the whole, looks promising, with a firm focus
on dance. Madhuri, despite the number of reality shows she's done,
refuses to look jaded. Not only does she dance like a dream but also
exudes a certain warmth and charm. Terence knows his subject and is the
hard taskmaster while Bosco as a seasoned Bollywood choreographer
represents the ultimate dream that most actors aspire to.
We're looking forward to next week.
article source: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/so-you-think-you-can-dance-review-madhuris-unfading-charm-and-some-brilliant-dancers-madhuri-dixit-terence-lewis-bosco-martis-andtv/1/650704.html
