Dare 2 Dance: Novel concept, amazing performers

Dare 2 Dance
Life Ok
Saturday-Sunday, 8.30 pm

The first-of-its-kind-show on television, Dare 2 Dance combines our love for song and dance with daredevilry. And who better than Akshay Kumar, the original khatron ka khiladi, to mentor the contestants! Reason enough to grab your attention.

What is it about: Ten contestants have been chosen from previous dance shows – while some have been finalists, a couple of them are winners. There are two foreign imports too who have been a part of Bolly films. The contestants have to perform in extreme conditions - underwater, heights, fire, etc. They will be judged by two experts – film choreographer Sanjay Shetty and an international action director Francois Grobbelaar. If they are happy with the performance they dole out green cards, if not it's red. The ones with red cards have to introspect on what they lacked sitting in a tent and talking to a mirror! For a change there will be no eliminations.

What works: The mix of dance and stunts is novel and arouses your curiosity as to how they will go about it. Akshay himself is quite a daredevil and his entry was nothing short of thrills. He appeared from underwater and soared high on a flyboard a la Hrithik Roshan as seen in the trailer of Bang Bang! Amongst the performers, Amar who was the first to dance on the make-shift platform 45 feet above the sea chose to blindfold himself and did a jaw-dropping dance on Galiyan. We were told the temperature is a chilly 10 degrees, it's extremely windy, and the platform is shaky and slippery. The others who impressed in the dare were Emile Callion with her oh-so-flexible body and daring moves, Karan Pangali and Sanam Johar. Akshay plays the big brother to contestants, is stern and never lets them forget that they are there to perform a dare and not just dance. He does compliment them on a good performance – his line of praise is 'AK is ok' and his humour is so subtle that they are caught unawares. Wish he eases up a bit and is more jovial. However, when he is addressing the viewers he is friendly and goes all out to give the contestants their due. The picturesque Cape Town makes it a visual treat. When it comes to stunt-based shows, South Africa has become TV's go-to destination.

What does not work: Apart from minor niggles like the constant drumming of Jismein dare uski khair nahi there's nothing much to complain, so far.

Verdict: Being used to watching the regular dance shows, this daring dance may not be everybody's cup of tea. But you should watch it for the sheer novelty and the amazing performances.

Rating: Two-and-a-half