Dancers Competing for the Chance to Perform On Stage at the 2011 IIFA Awards Show

TORONTO, June 9, 2011 /CNW/ - On Friday June 10, CIBC (TSX: CM) (NYSE: CM) will introduce the 10 finalists in its national search for Canada's next great Bollywood dancer at a media conference in its downtown Toronto offices. The 10 finalists will compete on the weekend for the chance to perform on-stage at the 2011 International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards show in front of a sold out Rogers Centre and a global TV audience of 700 million people.

"CIBC is proud to introduce these 10 amazing performers who will be competing for the chance to dance on one of the world's biggest stages," says Raza Hasan, CIBC Senior Vice President. "They have all worked hard to get here and have a great passion for dancing. We are thrilled to be able to provide this unique opportunity, something that has never been done before in the history of the IIFAs."

Visit cibciifa.com for a full schedule of all CIBC-sponsored IIFA events including the CIBC IIFA Bollywood Move Dance Competition Finale at Yonge-Dundas Square on June 11^th.

Natalia Bonafin
Vaughan ON

Natalia Bonafin loves to express herself through dance and says there is no better feeling than performing on stage. "My passion is performing," says Natalia. "And Bollywood dancing is so visually entertaining - the freedom, passion and energy are so strong, so powerful."

The Vaughan resident started dancing when she was 13 and today, in addition to Bollywood, she dances hip hop, jazz, salsa a bit of tango. She is currently a dancer in the Toronto-based hip-hop and jazz company, GeoMetriX Dance, and performs at various festivals and corporate events. Her dance style is influenced by her love for travel and learning new cultures. She recently returned from her first visit to India.

Natalie is a recent University of Toronto graduate, with an Honours Bachelor of Science degree (Biology).

Kalpita Desai
North Vancouver, BC

Kalpita Desai describes herself as a shy person who used dance to help her build confidence, finally working up the nerve to perform in front of an audience during her college years.

"While dance has always been my passion, I was always too shy to perform on stage," said Kalpita. "But seeing the movie Taal and hearing the song Kahin Aag Lage inspired me to break from my shyness."

Once on stage, there was no stopping her. Kalpita actually won the first dance competition she entered at her college in India, where she performed before about 1,000 people. With that success she has continued to perform and continued to take chances.

Kalipta has an MBA from Vancouver Island University and works as a claims coordinator for BC Hydro.

Chelsea-Rayne Gordon     
Toronto ON

Chelsea began dancing when she was six years old, on the recommendation of her family doctor who felt ballet would help correct how she walked. Not only did it help her walking, dance became her release. She now dances and teaches ballet, jazz, hip-hop and Bollywood. 

Chelsea is heading into her third year at the University of Toronto where she studies Biological Chemistry and Economics. The Calgary native plans to go to medical school after she completes her undergrad. 

Though a life-long dancer, Chelsea didn't grow up with Bollywood dancing. Her two best friends introduced her to it when she was a teenager in Calgary and she has been in love with it since. "It is so much more than just movement," says Chelsea. "It is a true cultural expression." 

Chelsea's mom, Raine Mayers is flying in from Barbados to watch her daughter dance in the finals.

Alice Howell      
Vancouver BC
Alice has been dancing most of her life and has performed in numerous theatre, movie and television productions including the Bollywood film, "Main Aurr Mrs Khanna", and the CW network show "Hellcats", filmed in Vancouver.

Her passion for Bollywood began when she saw the film Devdas. "I found the emotion in the movie very powerful," says Alice. "Ever since then I've been hooked on the passion of Indian culture and cinema."

The New Zealand native recently added choreography to her resume. She was the lead dancer and choreographer of the film "Pehchaan" (Identity), the first ever Punjabi Film shot in 3D, slated for release in 2012.

Should Alice be chosen to dance at this year's IIFAs she will call upon her experience dancing on another global stage - Alice was a dancer in Michael Bublé's performance at the closing ceremonies of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.

Seema Singh
Woodbridge ON

Seema Singh is a self-proclaimed Bollywood fanatic. "I watch every movie that comes out," she said. "I love every part of Bollywood - the dancing, the music, the imagery." 

Like many dancers, Seema started at a young age but it was in high school that she truly began to pursue her interest in dance and joined her first dance team. By the time she hit university she had progressed to not only dancing with various teams, but also choreographing routines. She is very interested in doing more choreography and one day hopes to meet Shiamak Davar. 

The York University Kinesiology and Health Sciences major gives a lot of credit for her success to her family. "I love dancing and my family has been amazing and supported me all the way."

Alex Arora
Abbottsford, BC

A meeting with Shiamak Davar in 2009 changed Alex Arora's outlook on dancing and on life. He met the world famous choreographer at a show in Surrey BC and was empowered by the encounter. "He had a book by his spiritual leader which he gave me," said Alex. "The book was called the Laws of the Spirit World. It helped me stay positive and do good deeds - which came in place during dance competitions."

Alex is following in the footsteps of his father who was a dancer in his youth. His goal is to run his own dance studio but he is also pursuing his other passion which is flying. He recently gained his private pilot's licence and is working towards getting his commercial airline licence.

When he is not flying airplanes he also loves to jump out of them - as an avid skydiver.

Arvind Chauhan
Abbotsford, BC

Arvind Chauhan loves the Bollywood movie scene and one day hopes to be directing his own feature films. The second year Business Administration student at the University of Fraser Valley in Abbotsford is already writing scripts, choreographing and filming short movies. He recently saw 3 Idiots and would like to shoot his own comedy.

He started dancing when he was seven, studying Bhangra for five years. Since then he has also studied Bollywood and hip-hop dance styles. Before moving to Canada, Arvind won a number of provincial level dance competitions and was a contestant on the hit Indian television dance show Boogie Woogie.

Arvind manages and choreographs his dance team - the UFV Dance Quake which performs across the Fraser Valley and the Lower Mainland.

Chase Constantino
Mississauga ON

Chase Constantino's life these days seems to revolve around dance - whether it is performing or choreographing, his work has been showing up in movies, music videos and even in a performance for the Queen.

Chase performed a Bollywood-fusion piece for the Queen on the last Royal Visit to Canada and has been in videos by the likes of K-os, Feist and Ludacris. He also choreographed a scene in the movie Breakaway.

The Mississauga resident started acting and singing when he was four years old and really got serious about dance while in university. He joined the school's South Asian dance team and before he knew it he was organizing multi-university competitions.

Chase has a BA in humanities and writing from York University and a diploma in creative advertising and marketing from Seneca College.

Raman Srivastava
Toronto ON 

For Raman Srivastava, Bollywood is more than just entertainment. He finds that the essence of the stories, music, and dance unites people. "Whenever I'd come home after being away at university for a while, my family would get together and watch movies," notes Raman. "The films represent a set of values such as family, heroism, kindness, and true love, which bring communities together. Bollywood reconnects me to my culture."

His family first saw his commitment to dancing at the age of two when at his aunt's wedding he danced until he passed out from exhaustion. When he woke up his first words were "Rhumba Ho" - the last song he danced to. Since then he has continued to dance with a focus on cultural and hip-hop styles.

The recent graduate from the University of Western Ontario in Medical Sciences plans to pursue medical school or consulting in the future.

Tobin Thomas
Mississauga ON

Tobin Thomas first got involved in dancing when he was five and his sisters dragged him out to their dance competitions. Today, it's Tobin's sisters who are heading out to watch him dance at shows and events across the city - and they soon hope at events across the world. 

"When I first started dancing I tried to copy my sisters' classical style of dance (Bharatanatyam)," notes Tobin. "But watching Bollywood films and feeling the magic grew my interest and made me want to be the best dancer I could be." 

Today he dances Bhartanatyam, Bollywood, Hip-Hop and Bhangra. He is part of two dance teams, DK Dance Pak and NTP Entertainment. He has performed in a number of major events including the Canadian auditions for the hit Indian TV dance competition, Boogie Woogie, choreographed/danced for South Asian Alliance at York University and was a featured dancer in Sinister's music video "Braggin".