Read to know who is the winner of &TV’s So You Think...

After months of intense competition and enchanting performances, &TV’s dance reality show So You Think You Can Dance culminated tonight amidst much fanfare and aplomb! From the array of extraordinary performances and mind-numbing acts, 17-year-old Alisha Behura from Bhillai also called the “Krump Queen” emerged as Dance Star of the Indian edition of this globally popular format. In an excruciatingly suspenseful moment built up by Terence and Bosco, Madhuri Dixit announced Alisha’s name only to see her dancing with joy!

As Alisha basked in the glory of achieving a monumental feat, she walked away with a cash prize of Rs. 25 lakh, a Maruti Suzuki Alto K10 and a gift voucher worth Rs. 20,000 from YepMe. The finale was a grand extravaganza infused with an array of amazing performances and heartwarming comments by the special guests and jury. Motivating and cheering the outstanding performances put forth by the finalists were the Dishoom cast Varun Dhawan and Jacqueline Fernandez. A not so known fact is that Alisha is a huge fan of Varun Dhawan and she got an opportunity to meet him in the finale was like an icing on the cake! Ryan Martyr from Delhi, who was amongst the Top 6 contestants, received a special award. For his zindadil efforts throughout the show, Ryan won a sparkling new Yamaha Saluto Rx.

Alisha Behura who hails from Bhilai, Chhattisgarh is one of the few dancers who practices international dance forms like Krumping, Hip-Hop and B-Girling. Fellow contestants call her a live wire and a confident girl who battled it out till the end. The win was definitely not a cakewalk for this teenager as she was in the Top 4 contestants and faced stiff competition from Aryan, Kalpita and Tarun who were all extremely talented dancers.

Extremely elated with her win, Alisha shared, “The journey on &TV’s So You Think You Can Dance has been really good for me. But it was definitely not a cakewalk and all of us faced several hurdles during the competition. I learnt teamwork, how to handle stress right from the audition stage. With this win I encourage all those aspiring dancers in our country to think big and not restrict them to anything. The judges, Madhuri Ma’am, Terence sir and Bosco sir have been extremely supportive when we all were under pressure. They use to personally come and meet us and give us valuable advice. I would take this opportunity to also thank my parents for their undying trust in me and the dear audience for their votes without which this would never have been possible.”

A delighted Madhuri Dixit shared, “Alisha has always been a powerhouse performer and she is the first girl I have seen doing Krumping so well on So You Think You Can Dance. She has a lot of style, oomph factor and innocence. She makes herself lovable to the audience and they have chosen her as India’s first Dance Star.”

Bosco said, “One of the finest performers Alisha truly deserved to win. She is a super who used to give others stiff competition. Also because she is a street dancer I have a special bond with her. I wish her all the best.”

“Alisha’s journey has been s ‘googly’ right from the auditions. There were times when she didn’t get the right song, sometimes not the right dance partner but she used to always win the audiences hearts with her performances and that is what made her journey so beautiful till the finale. Also she hails from a small town and she is a Krump queen that was her forte and Hip-Hop was her strength. Her most memorable performance was when she danced to Kangana Ranaut’ song with her all-star partner Vaishnavi which was a super-dhamakedar performance and I loved that. I wish the young girl all the best and I hope from here Alisha’s future will take her to newer heights”, added Terence.

During the course of the Grand Finale, the judges Madhuri Dixit-Nene, Terence Lewis and Bosco Martis added to the excitement as they reveled in the festivities with their power packed performances. Hosts Rithvik Dhanjhani and Mouni Roy graced the evening with their energetic performance as well. The magical evening came to a blockbuster close when Alisha was announced as the winner in the presence of celebrity guests – Varun Dhawan and Jacqueline Fernandez.