Prabhu Deva crowns winners of Josh app's Nach Baby Dance contest

The short-video app Josh wrapped up its hunt for India’s next dance icons in its annual event, Nach Baby Dance, in a grand finale in Mumbai earlier this week.

Sponsored by A23, CoinDCX, Crax and Playerzpo, celebrity judges Malaika Arora and Prabhu Deva awarded the winners, Raja and Niki Naidu, cash prizes of Rs50,000 each. Karan Bhatiya and Aishwarya Pandey were named the best solo male and female dancer respectively and also won cash prizes.

The organizers of the country-wide campaign, which began on 21 March, received over one lakh registrations; more than 200 entries were shortlisted as the finalists. Dancers from all over competed to impress the celebrity judges and audiences to make their way to India’s best dance party. Josh creator Ablu Rajesh Kumar, a specially abled dancer, made a special appearance at the event and impressed the audience with his performance.

“The response we’ve received for Nach Baby Dance has been absolutely amazing,” Seher Bedi, head of Josh Studios, shared. “This is a platform that recognizes and nurtures Bharat’s diverse talent in dance. It is also a testimony to the potential that the creators of our country possess and the passion they bring with it. I would like to congratulate all participants for dancing with Josh into this finale. It is when we witness performances such as those we have witnessed tonight, that we are reminded of the mission we are trying to achieve and the talented creator community we aim to showcase across Bharat.”

Actress and dancer Arora added, “The performances we have witnessed this evening have been revelatory of the talent that is waiting to be discovered in India. A big congratulations to all participants here this evening. Each and everyone here danced with their hearts on their sleeves. It has been an absolute honour and pleasure to bear witness to the rise of India’s next dance icons.”

The National award-winning choreographer Prabhu Deva thanked the team at Josh for including him in the event. “Dancing is something that is extremely close to my heart and witnessing everyone perform with such passion and energy this evening has brought me the greatest joy,” he said. “I would also like to extend my congratulations to all the participants – each one of you is extremely talented. I hope your talent is something you will never give up on when you have platforms such as Josh helping you support your dreams.”

Sudarshan, head of acquisition at A23, said. “Showcasing outstanding talent consistently is always challenging, and we congratulate those who are willing to put in their hard work. Be it gaming or dancing, the skills of an individual play a vital role in how far along the journey they go. A23 is proud to partner with Josh as it strives to give India's talented, upcoming creator community, an opportunity to realize their potential and pursue their dreams.”