Super Stars Of Dance Dipti Nagpaul D'souza
Posted online: Jul 03, 2009 at 1454 hrs

: Quick Steps
Monday, 9 pm, Star World
It is probably the popularity of the reality dance show So You Think You Can Dance that made its producers come up with another. Instead of taking the easy route, the makers instead chose a format so completely different from their first show that it compels one to catch at least the initial few episodes. Superstars of Dance invites performers - dancers, sportspersons and entertainers-from eight countries (Argentina, Australia, China, India, Ireland, Russia, South Africa and the United States) to perform solos, duets and group numbers. The scores are rendered by a panel of seven judges, one from each of the participating countries. But the judges abstain from voting on their compatriots. The nation with the highest number of scores, of course, takes home the trophy.

The jury comprises eight highly-respected choreographers and retired dancers. India is represented by Shirish Dayal who has been choreographing stage shows for over a decade in the US. An aggressive Michael Flatley, a noted choreographer from the US, hosts the show alongside a pleasant Susie Castillo, an ex-beauty queen.
The show differs from other reality dance competitions on television in a number of ways. It features professionals instead of amateurs, including several world champions. Additionally, the contestants are chosen by their respective countries, rather than by the show producers. In fact, most contestants are professional dancers and several are world champions in their respective genres, lending maturity to the competition and, at the same time, assuring that what one views is pure quality. However, the biggest difference lies in the scoring system. The winners are not decided by audience votes, but rather by a panel of eight judges. In fact, Superstars does not even have a live component, giving professionals the power to choose rightly.

However, the show brings together dancers from eight nations, which anyone will agree, does not even represent a quarter of the world’s countries. The competitors are an assortment of dancers from eight nations who perform different genres of dance. It sounds unfair to pit dance forms as different as chalk and cheese against one another. To rate a Tango against a Bharatnatyam or, for that matter, against Tap Dance, is lopsided.
Verdict:
In an episode, China chose a Shaolin monk to perform a stunning dance-cum-martial art routine and the contestant - the best their nation has - was sent back with a score of six simply because the judges didn’t see much of ‘dance’ element in the performance. The able contestant, however, wasn’t disheartened and explained his disposition by saying that the scores didn’t affect him because the judges probably aren’t even familiar with his art form. He was probably right.