Chattisgarh girl wins first Indian 'So You Think You Can Dance'

Mumbai: Chhattisgarh lass Alisha Behura, also called the 'Krump Queen', emerged on Sunday night as 'Dance Star' of the first Indian edition of dance reality show “So You Think You Can Dance 'Ab India ki Baari". The 17-year-old, who hails from Bhilai, won the title after months of intense competition and enchanting performances on the show, which is the 'desi' version of the globally popular format. Elated with her win, Alisha said: "With this win, I encourage all those aspiring dancers in our country to think big and not restrict them to anything." When Bollywood's dancing diva Madhuri Dixit-Nene, choreographers Terence Lewis and Bosco Martis announced Alisha's name, she broke into an impromptu jig at the finale, which had "Dishoom" stars Varun Dhawan and Jacqueline Fernandez in attendance. A delighted Madhuri lauded Alisha's dancing skills. She said: "She is the first girl I have seen doing krumping so well. She has a lot of style, oomph factor and innocence." Terence said: "Alisha's journey has been 'googly' right from the auditions." Alisha won a cash prize of Rs 2.5 million, a Maruti Suzuki Alto K10 and gift vouchers worth Rs. 20,000 from YepMe. She was among the top four contestants and faced stiff competition from Tarun Nihalani, Kalpita Kachroo and Aryan Patra. The finale was a grand extravaganza infused with an array of superb performances. Varun and Jacqueline, who became part of the &TV show to promote their film “Dishoom”, added a fun vibe. Madhuri gave a special tribute to Sridevi, and presented a remix version of the song "Deewani mastani" from "Bajirao Mastani". Terence danced on "Malhari" from "Bajirao Mastani", and Bosco portrayed his journey through his dance. Hosts Rithvik Dhanjhani and Mouni Roy also took the stage to show their dancing skills and bring the curtain down on the show, which went on air in April  

IANS