A season for dance: Dance USA Dance goes to 15 cities

The Season 2 of the Dance USA Dance (DUD) competition and reality show by 5678 Media Group and ZEE TV has kicked off at a colorful event held at the Marriott Marquis in New York City, January 31.

The exclusive, invite-only event at the Marriott Marquis NYC drew numerous media outlets and select guests who were received on red carpet and learnt about the success of Season 1 in 2017 and the overview of the upcoming Season II of Dance USA Dance. The room was filled with members of the Dance USA Dance leadership team, 5678 Media Group, ZEE TV and the competition’s four official international celebrities from the dance industry: Matt Steffanina, Nakul Dev Mahajan, Lauren Gottlieb and Sarish Khan.

‘It will be a platform for dancers, Indians and others, to showcase their talents and bring out the joy of dance,’ said Ashwani Kumar, executive producer. It will be celebrating Bollywood as well as give a space for the minority communities to embrace their cultures. This is much more than dance. A product is as great as the team that organizes it and we aspire to be the best, he said. “Our vision is to tackle challenging issues by bringing people from around the world to one platform. Where there is dance, there are no differences.”

Auditions have already started and 20 teams will be selected for performances in each of the 15 cities starting with Atlanta on March 4. The finale will be held in New York City in July and the winners will be presented with a $10,000 and a unique trophy. Other cities include Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas, Toronto and Dubai among others.

Indrajit Mozumder of Zee TV, the official broadcast partner of Dance USA Dance, said the content from Season -1 was loved by the people around the world. In the Season 2 the amalgamation of talent and cultures will attract more people from around the world. “We’re proud to partner with such a unique platform and help share it with the global community. This type of content doesn’t come around very often, and we’re excited to help take it to the next level.”

Kunal Kumar, supervising producer, said the show will bring the spirit of Bollywood to different cultures of America. In each stage at least 200 dancers will perform. Any team can join, be it African American, Hispanic or others. “Video auditions are accepted through February 15 with Bollyshake, an internet dance community platform, selecting which teams will move on to the regional rounds in 15 tour cities, including New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas, Toronto and Dubai. Two teams from each city will get a chance to compete in the semi-finals this summer, in their quest to win the title of Dance USA Dance Season 2 Champion.”

Anjana Kumar, chairperson and executive producer, spoke about how the shows are linked to a charity cause. She said earlier that the organizers conceived it not for making lot of money, but create a platform for talent. She shared her vision to contribute to global peace and a united world through the platform as it expands to other countries.

Sunil Hali, producer, noted that the show has created much excitement and enthusiasm in the community, especially among the youngsters. “We want to build a global platform where Bollywood meets dancing stars from various countries all over the world,” Hali said.

Sarish Khan, the host of the event, is also the host for Season 2. She is the Miss Pakistan USA 2015. She is also a dancer, actor and activist and an attorney.

Nakul Dev Mahajan, season 2 finale judge, touched the hearts of the audience with his journey as a dancer. When he wanted to become a dancer in his early days, his mother denounced it saying that boys don’t dance. But he was the black sheep in the family not opting for the traditional careers like medicine or engineering. Dance was the only thing that attracted him.

“Dance USA Dance is not just a dance competition. It elevates the performers and the viewers,” said Mahajan who is best known for his Bollywood choreography on the hit show So You Think You Can Dance. He opened the first Bollywood dance school in India and choreographed the famous Bollywood performance on the hit Netflix show, Fuller House.

Lauren Gottlieb, another judge, said that she wanted to quit thinking that she was not a good dancer. But her performance in Los Angles at the age of 18 appeared on TV which was seen in 180 countries. A director saw it and it changed her life. She moved to India for five years.

A dancer and actress from Scottsdale, Arizona, she was a contestant on the third season of So You Think You Can Dance and played the lead role in the 2013 Indian dance film ABCD: Any Body Can Dance. She also appeared on shows such as CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Glee, Disaster Movie, Bring It On: Fight to the finish and more.

The third judge, Matt Steffanina said he started dancing only at the age of 18. Till then he was playing basket ball. One day he saw an artist sing and dance, which inspired him to learn break dance. The 6”2’ tall Matt started learning dance with kids.

Then he moved to Los Angeles to learn more and endured a ‘terrible time’ for two years. But finally it all happened big and he became a well known dancer.

Matt is a choreographer, producer and entrepreneur most known for his work with Taylor Swift, Chris Brown, Jason Derulo and Snoop Dogg. He has also been seen on So You

Auditions for season 2 are now open. For more information about Dance USA Dance and auditions, visit danceusadance.us

The 5678 Media Group is a full-service entertainment agency connecting brand to youth culture.