Disney-owned platform National Geographic is set to release a competitive six-episode dance series that will follow the high-stakes world of competitive collegiate Bollywood fusion dance.
Going by the working title ‘Legends,’ the new series will showcase two rival Bollywood fusion dance teams as they experience a range of emotions while juggling practice to be crowned winners.
Every major university in the US has a Bollywood fusion dance team that mixes hip-hop, contemporary, and pop with traditional Indian dance styles like bhangra, raas, kathak, and Bharatnatyam. The top 10 teams in the country convene each April to compete in the Legends National Championship.
According to a report by Deadline, ‘Legends’ is produced by Academy Award, and three-time Emmy Award-nominated director Smriti Mundhra’s Meralta Films, Amplify Pictures, and 30West.
“This series is my ode to young adulthood, a universal coming-of-age story told uniquely through the South Asian lens,” said Mundhra. “It is the story of first-generation college students tasting freedom and chasing a glory that could transform their lives forever. I’m so honored to have the opportunity to introduce this vibrant world to Nat Geo’s global audiences and hope it inspires others the way it has lit a fire for me.”
“National Geographic has a long and storied history of exploring different cultures and sub-cultures all around the world,” said Tom McDonald, EVP, Global Factual and Unscripted Content, National Geographic.
“In Legends, we’re taking a very contemporary lens to a very competitive world. But more than that, we’re exploring what it means to be a young first- or second-generation South Asian American in the 21st century. This is a timely series infused with high stakes and, of course, jaw-dropping dance,” he added.
Legends Dance Championship was founded in 2016 to foster a community of South Asian performing artists. The championship was developed to help over 150 South Asian collegiate dance teams showcase their talent, spread their culture, and compete for prize money.
Each performance integrates styles of dance such as hip-hop, bhangra, contemporary, and classical, while telling a story and spreading a message. A “fair, hospitable, and truly enjoyable” championship is organized on a weekend in April.
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