City Parsis unite community with a jig

When this group of Parsis decided to get the country’s Zoroastrian youth on one platform, they chose to do it reality-TV style.

When this group of Parsis decided to get the country’s Zoroastrian youth on one platform, they chose to do it reality-TV style.

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On Saturday evening, Mumbai’s Zoroastrian Youth for the Next Generation (ZYNG) will host Dance Bawa Dance, a showcase of some of the most talented Parsi dancers in India.

Guests include actor Boman Irani and celebrity choreographers Longines Fernandes, Geeta Kapoor and Feroz Khan.

“Our community is small, but is brimming with talent. We just wanted to bring it out,” said Pearl Tirandaz, a ZYNG organiser and dance trainer.

With help from Fernandes, ZYNG members went through hundreds of video entries and held auditions in several cities before selecting six dancers in the solo, duet and group categories. The final performers come from Navsari, Pune and Surat, and Tirandaz is glad “Mumbai is not taking over”.

“This is a wonderful medium for connecting and networking,” said Mumbai’s Behzad Bhesania (32), a chartered accountant, who will perform a rumba routine in the duet category.