By Arré Bench Sep. 18, 2020
Indian dancing duo BAD Salsa has made the finals of Season 15 of America’s Got Talent. The story of its female dancer is especially inspiring. Fifteen-year-old Sonali Majumdar was brought up in a village in Bengal, where her father earned around ₹70 a day.
The coronavirus pandemic has made countries worldwide shut down their borders and focus inwards, on containing the virus and resurrecting their economies. But if you thought that meant that multiculturalism would take a back seat, treat yourself to BAD Salsa, a dancing troupe that just made the finals of Season 15 of America’s Got Talent. It features dancers from Kolkata, representing a school from Mumbai, appearing on a US talent competition, while performing a Cuban dance form. Now that’s multiculturalism at its finest. The pair of 15-year-old Sonali Majumdar and 21-year-old Maraju Sumanth have impressed the judges on the popular talent competition, sealing their place in the finals with some eye-catching dance performances.
Who else wants to dance after watching @badsalsagroup? 🙋 pic.twitter.com/LW7ItW4Lq7
— America’s Got Talent⁷ 💜 (@AGT) September 16, 2020
Sonali’s story is especially inspiring. In a video, she revealed that she grew up in a village and her father is a poor farmer from West Bengal, who earned around ₹70 a day. Life was hard but she says, “There was one escape and that was watching Bollywood films.” From dreaming about films to dancing on an international stage to those movie songs, Sonali has certainly come a long long way.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by BAD SALSA GROUP (@badsalsagroup) on
This is not BAD Salsa’s first rodeo, or to be more accurate, salsa. Before appearing on America’s Got Talent, BAD Salsa were winners of India’s Got Talent, and then went on to appear on a special Champions edition of Britain’s Got Talent. However, the duo of Sonali and Maraju, who won India’s Got Talent, could not compete together in Britain’s Got Talent because Maraju could not make it to the competition. Now, the winning combination is back together for the American edition of the show and they’ve gone all the way to the finals.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by BAD SALSA GROUP (@badsalsagroup) on
In 2013, Sonali was the second-runner up on Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa. She teamed up with Maraju in 2017 and made an appearance on Dance Champions.
Folks in India are elated by the success of BAD Salsa. The troupe’s name, while appearing misleading at first, is actually an acronym for Bivash Academy of Dance, a Mumbai-based dance school. Clearly, they’re doing something right over there because their star students are winning fans worldwide.
. @AGT a show that is famous globally , A scintillating performance by this Indian duo @badsalsagroup had blown away the judges , that too choosing our telugu mass number #Toplesipoddi 🔥 made us proud , All The Very Best for their entry to finale ❤️https://t.co/7RRELxbT4u
— Aditya Music (@adityamusic) September 17, 2020
Sidharth Shukla, someone who knows a thing or two about winning a popular reality show, also gave BAD Salsa a shout-out and wished them luck before their tilt in the finals.
Just came across this video couldn’t stop myself from sharing ….So proud of you two Sumant and Sonali god bless you’ll…. do you’ll Remember them from my Jhalak days …… @ColorsTV remember them ….. https://t.co/HJq1hyT3GT
— Sidharth Shukla (@sidharth_shukla) September 12, 2020
With one great performance between them and another title, BAD Salsa is ready to dance circles around the competition.
Related Content
Pop Culture In Micheal Bay’s Songbird it’s 2024 and Covid-23 is Raging. It’s the Last Thing We Want to Watch
Do we really need a thriller about the pandemic in the middle of one? The trailer of Micheal Bay’s Songbird, where the world has been under lockdown for four years, is just causing more anxiety.
Add to listPop Culture What’s Not to Love about Netflix’s The White Tiger? Save for Priyanka Chopra’s Accent
The trailer of The White Tiger, an adaptation of Aravind Adiga’s award-winning novel, starring Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Rajkummar Rao, and Adarsh Gourav, promises a dark yet comedic retelling of the book. What’s annoying though is PeeCee’s accent.
Add to listPop Culture A Suitable Boy Review: Mira Nair’s Adaptation Will Make You Want to Read (or Re-read) the Book
For those who’ve read and loved the book, watching Mira Nair’s adaptation of Vikram Seth’s wildly popular 1993 novel, A Suitable Boy, is going to be a delicate dance between agony and joy. If you haven’t, you’re in for six hours of impeccable art direction, some mediocrity, and several sparks of pure genius.
Add to listPop Culture Mirzapur 2 Review: Shakespearean Characters, a Macho Town, & a World Unlike Any We’ve Seen Before
Mirzapur’s unprecedented popularity stems from its ability to write Shakespearean characters into the boilerplate premise of a town high on masculinity. A thoroughly engrossing and mature second season cements the show’s place as a world unlike anything else we have seen.
Add to listPop Culture Two Seasons Down and No One Can Stop Talking about Mirzapur’s Kaleen Bhaiya
Everyone seems to be loving Mirzapur 2 and looks like Pankaj Tripathi’s Kaleen Bhaiya has stolen the show again.
Add to listYour weekly dose of Arré
Get the best from arre.co.in, straight to your inbox!
Comments