Ex-members of Indian troupe cry foul over role in Hong Kong Lunar New Year parade
Controversy centres on the Mumbai-based V.Unbeatable Dance Group, winner of America’s Got Talent in 2020
Former members of an award-winning Indian dance troupe have accused the manager of misleading the organiser of Hong Kong’s Lunar New Year parade as all of the original team have left and will not perform in the city, while the Tourism Board has said the group taking part holds an official trademark.
The controversy centres on the Mumbai-based V.Unbeatable Dance Group, which will take part in the Lunar New Year night parade on Wednesday.
A press release for the event from the Tourism Board, which organises the annual parade, highlighted the group’s achievement in 2020, when it won first place on the popular United States television show America’s Got Talent.
But in an email to the Post, former V.Unbeatable members, who now operate under the name “Vikas Unbeatable Dream Team”, said everyone in the original troupe, which is being advertised as the winner of America’s Got Talent, had already left.
“We are in a legal battle and all the original dancers are currently in Mumbai, India, and are not performing at the Hong Kong parade,” they said.
They alleged that manager Omprakash Chauhan fraudulently registered the group’s trademark without their consent, undermining their hard work and tarnishing their legacy.
“Regarding the inclusion of Mr Chauhan’s current team being promoted as the winners of America’s Got Talent 2020, we feel it is both misleading and unfair,” the former members said.
