Selection Process of Dance India Dance
The selection process of Dance India Dance can be further broken down into two distinct stages
- Open Auditions
- Mega Auditions
1. The Open Auditions
It takes place in 5-6 major Indian cities and is typically open to anyone aged 15–30 at the time of their audition. The cities in which auditions are held from season to season but some, such as New Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata have featured in almost every season.
During this stage, dancers perform a brief routine before three masters. The masters will then make an on-the-spot decision as to whether the dancer demonstrated enough ability. If the dancer impresses the masters with his/her dancing abilities, masters will award a Hat called Taqdeer Ki Topi (Hat of Destiny), moving them instantly one step forward in the competition.
2. The Mega Auditions
Mega Auditions are a several-day-long process in which the 100 hopefuls are tested for overall well-rounded dance ability, stamina, and ability to perform under pressure. The dancers are put through a battery of rounds that test their ability to pick up various dance styles "typically some of the more well-represented genres that will later be prominent in the competition phase, such as Hip hop, Bollywood, Jazz, Bharat Natyam, Kathak, Mohiniyattam, Odissi and Contemporary".
At the end of this process, only the top 36 competitors will be chosen. The top 36 are then again asked to give solo performances, after which 18 are chosen in the final auditions. Then, those top 18 get divided into 3 teams which are named according to the 3 masters of the show such as:
- Mudassar Ki Mandali,
- Marzi Ke Mastane,
- Mini Ke Masterblasters.
Each team containing 6 dancers then competes in the show.