FIA-NY-NJ-CT Announces Winners of Dance Competition ‘Dance Pe Chance’
Shreya Baral won the top prize in the adult category of the dance competition, “Dance Pe Chance,” organized recently by the Federation of Indian Associations of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut (FIA-Tri-state), which saw participation by many local Indian Americans. (photo provided)
India-West Staff Reporter
Winners of the 37th edition of the annual solo dance competition, “Dance Pe Chance,” organized by the Federation of Indian Associations of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, were announced Feb. 23.
The winners were selected from across four categories of participants – minor, junior, senior and adult.
The virtual event, part of the 72nd Indian Republic Day celebration, was organized over a span of two weekends. The auditions were held on Feb. 13 and 14, while the finals were on Feb. 20 and 21.
The contest started out with 200 participants in the auditions, of which 26 were selected for the finale.
Rayan Siddamsettiwar was adjudged the best dancer in the minor category, followed by Nayan Nampally and Dhilan Shetty in the second and third positions, respectively.
In the junior category, Ria Jain took the first prize, while Arya Prasad and Simone Shah took home the second and third prizes, respectively. Jain was also declared America’s Best Bollywood Dancer.
Keshav Agiwal ranked first in the senior category. Diya Bhatt took the second spot while Riya Chaturvedi came in third in the same category.
Among the adult participants, Shreya Baral took the top spot, followed by Kiran Kumar Jandhyala, who came in second place, while Carol Chettiar took third place.
Celebrity judges for the final round were well-known Indian actress and dancer Sudha Chandran; South Indian actress and Kuchipudi dancer Laya Gorty; and Bollywood choreographer Feroz Khan. Expert judges included choreographers and dancers Swati Vaishnav, Prashasti Majmundar and Anil Diwakar.
Started nearly four decades ago, “Dance Pe Chance” has so far had approximately 20,000 participants who have showcased their Bollywood dancing skills, according to a press release.
Applications for the next edition of the dance competition will begin on Oct. 1 this year, FIA-NY-NJ-CT president Anil Bansal announced.
On the recently concluded event, he said, “We are proud of our team for putting together such a wonderful program and of all the children and their parents who have worked hard on their performances. FIA is committed to promoting and encouraging our next-generation children, artists and performers, while promoting our culture and to reinforce our commitment, we are increasing the first prize from $2,000 to 5,000 for next year.”
Ankur Vaidya, chairman of FIA NY NJ CT, said, “‘Dance Pe Chance,’ also America’s Best Bollywood Dancer and FIA’s almost four-decade-old Republic Day celebration platform, was forced to become virtual due to the pandemic. The contest was held in strict compliance with CDC guidelines and Covid-related mandates. It is indeed a privilege to see a sincerely dedicated and 100 percent voluntary effort placed to showcase our community’s talent.”
