The nip in the winter air adds to the excitement that is building up in the crowd that is gathered before the mainstage at Dubai’s Global Village on January 4. V.Unbeatable – winners of America’s Got Talent: The Champions, Season 2, are set to perform for the first time in Dubai as part of the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) celebrations. (For that matter it would be the first time they are performing in the Middle East.)
Soon, an eclectic bunch of dancers, ranging in age from teens to thirties, attired in bright orange costumes, appear on stage. Grooving to a medley of the latest Bollywood hits, they begin by gently gyrating before quickly stepping up the pace and accelerating perfectly to a splendid synchronised dance with steps that are smooth and acrobatics that are gravity-defying even as they make spectacular use of a range of props that include chairs and bicycles.
The frisson of excitement that radiates from the stage spreads through the crowd and within seconds the crowd that has gathered to witness the stars on stage are shrieking and screaming tapping their feet to the pulsating music while trying to keep rhythm with the dancers.
As the music rises to a crescendo, the dancers smoothly and effortlessly go through their moves before freezing a pose in their signature pagoda style at the climax of the show.
After the thunderous applause that ensues, I go backstage to meet the troupe as they are taking a breather before their next show is to go on stage.
‘We are very happy to be in such an amazing city like Dubai and perform in such an exciting venue, the Global Village,’ says the Team Leader Mahesh More, who is also the Creative Director of the group.
‘We are very happy to be in such an amazing city like Dubai and perform in such an exciting venue, the Global Village,’ says the Team Leader Mahesh More, who is also the Creative Director of the group.
Omprakash Chauhan, the choreographer (known fondly as Prakash), nods his head in agreement. ‘We have heard a lot about Dubai and the love and hospitality we have been receiving here has surpassed our expectations,’ he says.
In memoriam
The group was formed in 2014, when Prakash, then 22, and his friend Vikas from Nallasopara suburb of Mumbai, set out to turn their passion for dance into a profession. ‘Back then dance shows were very popular on television with the potential to change the participants’ life overnight,’ he says.
‘We used to practice in a public garden in Bhayander, East Mumbai. We had to wait hours for the crowd to disperse so that we could rehearse without any disturbance,’ says Mahesh
But, as fate would have it, one day during practice, Vikas took a very bad fall leaving him completely paralysed from the neck down. He eventually succumbed to his injuries.
Devastated by the loss of their leader, the troupe nearly broke up. ‘Three months after his death, Vikas’s parents approached me and asked to continue to fulfil his dream. They were willing to support us in every way. I decided to scout for more talents. I also changed the troupe’s name from Unbeatable to V.Unbeatable, (a combination of Vikas and Unbeatable) because everything we stand for is thanks to his vision of taking us to a global stage,’ says Prakash.
Devastated by the loss of their leader, the troupe nearly broke up. ‘Three months after his death, Vikas’s parents approached me and asked to continue to fulfil his dream. They were willing to support us in every way. I decided to scout for more talents. I also changed the troupe’s name from Unbeatable to V.Unbeatable, (a combination of Vikas and Unbeatable) because everything we stand for is thanks to his vision of taking us to a global stage,’ says Prakash.
Steps to stardom
For four years, the troupe performed locally, taking part in small competitions and regional shows like Dance Maharashtra Dance. In 2018, they auditioned for Season 4 of India’s best-known dance competition, Dance Plus (the show’s hosts include Bollywood choreographer Remo D’Souza), and made it through to the top four.
Mahesh still remembers the day when they received an email from America’s Got Talent in 2019. More than a bit sceptical, he was sure it was someone playing a prank on them. ‘We thought it was a scam; but later when their confirmation came, I was dumbfounded,’ recalls Mahesh.
With a one-month deadline to make it to season 14 of America’s Got Talent, there was a lot of preparation to be done. For one, the team members had to get their passports. Many of them belong to families who are far from well-off and raising funds for travel and travel documents was no easy task. Except for Prakash, the other members didn’t even have valid identification papers, let alone a passport. ‘I took a loan and paid for all of their passports,’ says Prakash. ‘We couldn’t even concentrate on our rehearsals because we were still in disbelief.’
Luckily for them, passports and visas all came through in time and they were able to head to the US to participate in the show.
Putting their all into their performance, the group turned in a splendid show leaving the audience and the judges slack- jawed.
Of V. Unbeatable’s incredible performance Judge Julianne Hough said: ‘Some people are just dance crews and some people are just acrobats, you have the combination of both.’
Former NBA player Dwayne Wade, who was a guest judge at the show, hit the golden buzzer, qualifying them directly to the quarter finals, where they finished in fourth place.
One of the dancers in the troup, Abhishek Male recounts it as his favourite memory to date. ‘I was so excited that I collected the golden confetti with me and brought it back home to show my mom,’ says the 16-year-old 10th grade student who joined the troupe when he was just nine years old.
On the same day, another dancer, Vishal Yadav injured his leg during rehearsals but so deteremined and committed was he that he did not allow it to prevent it from going up on stage to perform. ‘I remember smiling through my pain when we got the golden buzzer,’ he says.
V. Unbeatable returned to America’s Got Talent: The Champions in 2020 and received a golden buzzer from judge Howie Mandel which lead to them clinching the championship title.
Creative process
Prakash’s role as a choreographer requires him to be very observant of even the slightest moves and steps of accomplished dancers. Deriving most of his inspiration from Bollywood, he infuses them with multiple flips to form unique acrobatic moves. ‘We call it ‘Jhamaa’,’ he says. ‘It’s a very hard process to implement, especially with many dancers. We have two brave heroes, Abhishek and Vishal, who do most of the acrobatics. They have so much faith in each other that it becomes easy for me to choreograph a tough acrobatic Jhamaa routine with them. It’s all about trust, unity and hard work. Our dancers have a strong bond which helps us to create tricks never seen before,’ he says, proud of his team members.
The routines are constantly improvised, and no room is left for error. ‘We practice one move for at least 10,000 times before showcasing it to the public.’
Challenges galore
According to Mahesh, challenges were like shadows which followed the troupe at every stage. The biggest setback was the mental block the parents had about sending their kids to rehearsal after the tragic incident of Vikas.
Arranging funds for rehearsals, finding the space to practice in, funds for costumes, clearing documents for international travel were just a few of the other thorny issues that challenged the team. ‘Back then no one was suitably employed so you can imagine the difficulty of handling a team of 30 dancers. Some of the team members like Veer-Govinda used to work as a bus conductor, Dabloo used to sell flutes, Suraj would leave home at 5am to distribute newspapers... We had very meagre earnings,’ recalls Mahesh.
Then there was the language barrier. Since no one from the team knew English fluently or was qualified enough to understand all the documentation process of visas and flight tickets, it was a struggle to manage everything on their own.
‘It was the first time we were flying in a plane, that too internationally,’ chips in Prakash.
‘Since most of us knew little English, we made a secret deal that we would just nod and smile at anyone who said something we didn’t understand,’ says Trupti Pingulkar, an 18 year old dancer in the troupe. ‘It worked like a charm.’
Winning AGT was a dream come true for the team and their families. After the finale, the team received a shout-out from Bollywood star Ranveer Singh. (The troupe had performed a dance to the popular number Tattad Tattad, from Ranveer’s movie Goliyon Ki Rasleela: Ram-Leela). Other Bollywood actors who also congratulated the team after their win included Akshay Kumar and Hrithik Roshan.
Looking ahead
Having toured the USA and now Dubai, the troupe is all set to take the world stage by storm with their electrifying dance moves. What started out as a team of two, how now grown to more than 40 dancers.
‘We want to do more and more shows and events worldwide, showcasing our talent around world,’ says Mahesh.
‘At every stage we perform, we remember Vikas and the dream he had for us. Now we want to tell all those people who have a dream that dreams do come true and they shouldn’t stop chasing it. If we can do it, you can do it too.’
For Prakash, his ultimate aim is to create a good quality of life for his teammates.
‘Many of our dancers don’t have their own house. Now our main target is to work hard and do as many shows as possible so our dancers have their own homes,’ he says.
For more information, visit @v.unbeatable_official_india, @globalvillageuae
V.Unbeatable will be performing at the Global Village until January 20
