Zee Entertainment’s popular general entertainment channel, Zee World (DStv channel 166 and GOtv channel 125) is set to premiere ‘Dance Naija Dance’, a reality TV dance series geared at revealing the best dance crew in Nigeria. The show will run for 10 weeks, with a grand cash prize of N5m and other prizes for the winning teams.
While Zee World has evolved into a brand of global celebration bringing Africa and India together, Dance Naija Dance offers a fusion of Nigerian-Indian dance moves uniting both cultures through music, vibrancy, colour and diversity.
Dance Naija Dance will be anchored by a blend of Nollywood and Bollywood personalities and dancers. These include the hosts – Hero Daniels and Pelumi Buari, Choreographers/Mentors – Sashin Kandhai and Kenneth Agabata; while Kunle Remi and Uraysha Ramrachia will be the judges.
Production has begun for the top 16 finalists selected from the over 350 entries across Nigeria for a dance series that will air in 52 countries in Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands. “Introducing this show is one of our ways to thank Nigerians for all the love they have shown to us over the years.
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Nigerians are notable for their incredible dancing talents,” Somnath Malakar, CEO, ZEE Africa (Sub-Saharan Africa & Indian Ocean Islands) said.
Malakar said that the TV channel is aware of the harsh economic reality of the country; however, he believes entertainment is one of the ways to lessen worries, provide an escape and make people happy. According to him, Zee World being an enabler of family happiness saw it fit to create something unique and electrifying for its viewing audience.
“Knowing full well how Zee World is important to the family entertainment needs in Nigeria, we have taken steps to ensure that we would always deliver. There is a deep love for Zee World among Nigerians and Zee World has become part of lifestyles,” he said.
Kunle Remi, one of the Dance Naija Dance judges, said that the two cultures are known for using dance for storytelling. “I am proud to be part of this show to mentor young talents, helping them tell stories with their bodies and ensuring that whatever is finally presented on stage is of high quality.
The highlight for me will be to see how the contestants will use their dance steps to tell entertaining stories that tickle both the judges and viewers at home”.
Zee World has been a trailblazer in redefining entertainment across Africa over the years with being the first to dub Indian series and movies dubbed in English, showcasing the first Afro-Indian Telenovela, Mehek in 2018 and the first Pan-African inter-country fusion dance challenge, Dance Africa Dance in 2021.
