Dance Plus

Overview

Dance Plus is an Indian dance reality television series broadcast on StarPlus and produced by Frames Production Company, the production house founded by filmmaker and choreographer Remo D'Souza. The show invites dancers and dance groups from across India to compete across multiple genres, with contestants mentored by celebrity choreographers serving as captains. It is among the prominent dance-based competition formats on Indian television, distinguished by its emphasis on contemporary, hip-hop, and freestyle dance forms in addition to classical and folk styles.

Key Facts

Format

The series follows a captain-based format. Contestants, who may be solo dancers, duos, or groups, audition before a panel of dance captains, each of whom selects performers for their respective teams. The captains mentor and choreograph their contestants through subsequent rounds. A "super judge" presides over the competition, providing final feedback and acting as the ultimate authority on performances. The winning act receives a cash prize along with a trophy.

Unlike many traditional Indian dance shows that focus heavily on Bollywood-style or classical idioms, Dance Plus has placed strong emphasis on urban dance styles, including hip-hop, popping, locking, b-boying, contemporary, and Indian folk fusion. Acts often integrate props, narrative storytelling, and theatrical staging.

Production and Personnel

Choreographer and director Remo D'Souza has served as the super judge across the seasons of the show, anchoring its identity. The captains have included well-known choreographers from the Indian dance and television circuit, such as Dharmesh Yelande, Punit Pathak, Shakti Mohan, and Sumeet Nagdev, with line-ups changing across seasons. The show has been hosted by personalities including Raghav Juyal, who became closely associated with the series for his comic style of presentation.

History and Seasons

Dance Plus premiered in 2015 on StarPlus and ran for several successive seasons. The show was filmed primarily in Mumbai and incorporated audition rounds held in major Indian cities to draw a wide pool of regional talent. Subsequent seasons retained the captain-led structure while refreshing the panel and introducing new themes, including special editions during festive periods.

Cultural Reach

The show provided a televised platform to dancers from smaller towns and non-metropolitan regions of India, several of whom went on to careers in choreography, film, and stage performance. Acts originating on the show have featured in viral online videos, expanding the programme's reach beyond traditional television viewership.

Significance

Dance Plus is regarded as one of the formats that helped popularise non-Bollywood dance styles on mainstream Indian television, particularly contemporary and hip-hop genres. By showcasing crews and solo artists working outside the film industry's mainstream choreography, it contributed to the visibility of India's independent dance community. The presence of Remo D'Souza, whose feature films ABCD: Any Body Can Dance and its sequels were prominent in the Indian dance-film genre, lent the programme continuity with the broader popular dance culture of the period.

Related Topics

• Remo D'Souza
• StarPlus
• Disney+ Hotstar
• Dance India Dance
• Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa
• Raghav Juyal
• Dharmesh Yelande
• Shakti Mohan
• Punit Pathak
• Indian television

References

• Official programme listings, StarPlus.
• Programme catalogue, Disney+ Hotstar.
• Frames Production Company corporate information.