Mumbai: Disney+ Hotstar, India’s largest premium streaming platform, announces a first-of-its-kind online dance competition – Home Dancer. As people across India remain confined to their homes, Disney+ Hotstar is gearing up to offer a unique opportunity for dance lovers to showcase their moves from the comfort of their homes. Within the first week of the show’s announcement, Disney+ Hotstar has received thousands of submissions, far surpassing what an on-ground show would achieve in terms of entries, encompassing participants across age groups and regions. While most submissions have come from the younger generation (below 30 years), there has also been a great response from people in the age groups of 30 years and above. The show has not only received several entries from metros but also from smaller cities and towns such as Banswara, Jhunjhunu, Bhilwara, showing that India is full of budding talent. Disney+Hotstar will air the pilot episode of Home Dancer on 25th May.
The show will feature an exciting celebrity line-up and selected performances from the best entertainers in India. Bollywood star, Jacqueline Fernandez will launch Home Dancer, which will be hosted by popular television actor, Karan Wahi. Acclaimed choreographers, Chandni Srivastava and Chetan Salunke of Dance+ fame, will be the judges of the show.
Home Dancer, which will air bi-weekly, is the first online competition of its kind in India that allows viewers to vote for their favorite entries. Spanning a period of five weeks, there will be a cash prize of INR 4 lakhs up for grabs every week.
Speaking about the initiative, Disney+ Hotstar spokesperson said, “We are thrilled to announce the launch of Home Dancer as part of our endeavor to offer interactive and innovative ways to connect with our viewers while we continue to stay at home. We are glad to receive participation from metros and non-metros while tapping into a diverse set of audiences and cultures”
To be able to participate in the campaign, interested viewers can login to the Disney+ Hotstar app, select the theme of the week and choose any one of the 10 pre-loaded tracks to submit their respective 60-90-second dance videos on the microsite. The first week’s theme is #LockdownDanceUp. After receiving the entry submissions, the judges will shortlist the top 10 entries. Every week two episodes will be released on Disney+ Hotstar wherein the shortlisted performances will be featured in an episode, following which voting lines will be open for two days. Thereafter, in the follow-up episode, the contestant with the maximum number of votes will be announced the winner of Home Dancer for the week.
Expressing her excitement on the launch of Home Dancer, Bollywood actor Jacqueline Fernandez shared, “I’m extremely happy that Disney+ Hotstar has launched Home Dancer, to connect with their audiences as we continue to stay quarantined. What appealed to me is that it caters to both – dance lovers as it gives their talent the stage it deserves and viewers, who are always eager to watch fresh content.”
Meanwhile, actor and host Karan Wahi said, “I’m thrilled to host Home Dancer. I urge all viewers to put their best foot forward and participate in the show while others can lend their support by voting for their favourites”
Speaking about judging ‘Home Dancer’, Chandni Srivastava said, “The lockdown has encouraged brands to think out of the box and I am truly excited to be associated with such a unique show format. As a judge, I can’t wait to witness the talent and love for dance that people have in our country. I’m looking forward to new learnings and a fun-filled experience.”
Home Dancer will be an exciting and a super fun addition to Disney+ Hotstar’s offering of high-quality free content, which includes daily catch-up TV shows in 8 Indian languages, a vast library of blockbuster movies and LIVE and on-demand news in 8 languages from the country’s leading news channels. It also features comprehensive sports clips covering major sporting events, such as the IPL, BCCI cricket series, Premier League, ISL and PKL, with all the exciting action from the day available as match highlights, key individual performances and match analysis.
