WINNERS ALL:  The Top 5 contestants who made their way to the Grand Finale.
By Usha Wagle Gautam

The semi-final of Non-resident Nepalese Dance 2015, a dance reality show, concluded at Quality Hypermarket, Salwa Road last week. Five contestants out of 10 were selected at the gala event chaired by Rhythm Art Center (RAC) president Kisor Tiwari and Non-Resident Nepalese Association -- National Co-ordination Council (NRNA-NCC) president Maksud Alam. Over 400 watched the show.
In the beginning there were 16 contestants, competition filtered 13 from the first round, and 10 from the second round. All contestants danced as per the songs selected by the panel of judges.
The show started with one-minute silence for those who lost their lives during the April 25 earthquake, and during the recent political violence in Nepal. Puspa BC, one of the contestants who made her way to the grand finale, has been in Qatar since 2013, and works in a cleaning company. She was a tourist guide in Nepal.
Owing to the hardships back home, she came to Qatar. BC says, “I didn’t expect that I would get a chance to express my talents in a foreign country. This is a great moment for me as I can take part in the grand finale.”
Another finalist Sanju Rai has been in Qatar for only two months. She works at Hamad International Airport. Back in Nepal, she owned a beauty parlour. She chose Qatar as a foreign job destination as one of her friends suggested. “Recurrent strikes and political instability ruined my profession and enterprise,” Rai says. “In just two months, I have found a community that I cherish,” Rai says, “It is a huge opportunity for me to take part in the prestigious reality show and become a finalist.”
Kamal Sunuwar is also a newcomer. He has been in Qatar for four months and works as a security guard in Hemaya Company. He has earned an undergraduate degree in music and was a dance teacher in a school in Nepal. “Being a part of the reality show made me familiar with the non-resident community,” Sunuwar said, adding “and I’m more than happy to become a finalist in the prestigious dance competition.”
Tanka Thapa, also a newcomer, is a security guard in G-Force Securities. In Nepal, when he was attending an undergraduate course, he took part in many dance events. He was desperately looking for a job in Nepal before he opted to come to Qatar. “I came here to fulfil the basic needs of my family,” he says. Thapa is a member of Nepalese Cultural Center (NCC) where Jerry Rai suggested him to take part in the show.
Finalist Shekhar Khasan has been working as an office boy since 2012. His family does farming in Nepal, and he learnt dancing from his two elder sisters. “I practice dancing during weekends,” Khasan says, “being a finalist is a dream come true for me.”
The reality show is being judged by Binod Lama and Kiran Gurung. Lama was in Qatar from 2007 to 2010. Since 2010, he worked as a choreographer in the Nepalese movie industry. He has also produced a movie, Pardeshi ko Zindagi (Life of a Foreigner), and premiered it in Doha. Again in early 2015, he came back to work in Qatar. “Rhythm Art Center trusted my talent and included me in its panel of judges,” Lama says.
Another judge Kiran Gurung works as a salesman in a green grocery. Before coming to Qatar, he was running a dancing institute in Kathmandu. He was a child prodigy, and was awarded by the government of Nepal when he was seven years old. “Talent doesn’t feed one in Nepal,” Gurung says, “and I am equally sad for our contestants who, despite their talents, were forced to come to Qatar to earn.”
Likewise, Doha-based artists also performed during the programme. Singer Rym Kumar Lama performed two songs from his album. Artist Rabin Thapa performed a hip-hop dance. Likewise, artists of Helping Hands Youth Society (HHYS) performed a 30-minute long dance.                               
The Non Resident Nepalese Dance winner will go home with a cash prize of QR3,800. Likewise, first runner-up and second runner-up will get cash prize of QR2,000 and QR1,000 respectively and the third runner-up will get the cash prize of QR500.
The second prize is sponsored by Dambar Khadka, the third by International Artist Forum (IAF) and the fourth one is sponsored by Meg Moktan.
According to the programme co-ordinator Prabal Khada, the grand finale will be held in the second week of October. The second runner-up of Dance India 2012 Prabin Gurung, Miss India top five finalist Chiwati Chhetri and Nepalese artists Gambhir Bista and Sanjay Poudel will also attend the finale.
The programme was supported by NEFTA Film awards 2015, UNI Dance Group, Basanta Films, Tamu Society Qatar, Thakuri Help Network, Nepalese Cultural Center and SB Film.