CIBC IIFA Bollywood Moves Dance Competition Finalists Announced -Winners to Perform on Stage at the 2011 IIFAs

Principal dancer Deeba Patel, who has performed globally with IIFA and Bollywood's biggest stars, among judges of live finale

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TORONTO, June 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ - CIBC (TSX: CM) (NYSE: CM) announced today the top 10 dancers who will take part in the live finale of the CIBC IIFA Bollywood Moves Dance Competition for a once-in-a-lifetime chance to perform on stage at the 2011 International Indian Film Academy Awards.

From these top 10 finalists, the top male and top female contestants will win an exciting experience to dance on stage at one of the world's most watched awards shows. The CIBC IIFA Bollywood Moves Dance Competition finalists Female: 

• Natalia Bonafin - Maple, Ontario
• Alice Howell - Abbotsford, BC
• Kalpita Desai - Vancouver, BC
• Seema Singh - Woodbridge, Ontario
• Chelsea-Rayne Gordon - Toronto, Ontario

Male: 

• Chase Constantino - Mississauga, Ontario
• Tobin Thomas - Mississauga, Ontario
• Raman Srivastava - Toronto, Ontario
• Arvind Chauhan - Abbotsford, BC
• Alex Arora - Vancouver, BC

"We congratulate these top ten talented dancers for being invited to the final round," says Raza Hasan, CIBC Senior Vice President. "Through this competition, CIBC is proud to be able to offer these Canadians something no one else can - a chance to dance on the IIFA stage in Toronto on June 25^th and attend the after party with the best of Bollywood."

CIBC is presenting sponsor of the 2011 IIFA Celebrations. The IIFA Awards, fondly known as the 'Bollywood Oscars', are the annual awards for India's global movie industry. The event, taking place in North America for the first time, is expected to attract over 40,000 visitors to Toronto as well as a global audience of 600 million viewers. The judging panel consisting of principal dancer Deeba Patel from Shiamak Davar Dance Company, Sabbas Joseph one of the founding forces behind the IIFAs, and a third judge who will be announced next week,  will select the winners from among 10 finalists. The finale is part of the 'CIBC Celebrates the IIFAs All Weekend Long' Bollywood festival that CIBC is hosting at Toronto's Yonge-Dundas Square. "We invite all Bollywood enthusiasts to join us at Yonge-Dundas Square for a free screening of the IIFA-nominated blockbuster Dabangg on June 10^th, and a full day of Bollywood excitement on June 11^th which culminates with the live dance competition finale," adds Mr. Hasan. "We are very impressed with the caliber of talent among these top 10 finalists," says Deeba Patel. "It's shaping up to be an exciting competition to select the top dancers who win the once in a lifetime opportunity to join the IIFA dancers on stage at the Awards." The CIBC IIFA Bollywood Moves Dance Competition invited Canadians to register for the dance competition and submit a one-minute video of themselves dancing to select Bollywood music tracks. The competition closed on May 13, 2011. Details of all of CIBC's IIFA-related events and activities can be found on CIBC's dedicated website, www.cibciifa.ca.

Judges' Biographies Deeba Patel

As a principal dancer and senior manager with the Shiamak Davar Dance Company, Ms. Patel has performed with many of Bollywoods biggest stars, including appearing on the IIFA stage six times at past Awards ceremonies. She has toured across the world with The Shiamak Davar Dance Company including The Unforgettable Tour with the Bachchans. In addition to her training with Shiamak Davar, Ms. Patel also attended the prestigious Debbie Allen Dance Academy

Sabbas Joseph Sabbas Joseph, one of the founding directors of Wizcraft International Entertainment has been actively involved with media and entertainment from the beginning of his career. He is a former journalist, who has worked on some of India's leading publications. As Director of Wizcraft International Entertainment, Mr. Joseph has spearheaded and managed several mega events for the company, including the IIFAs.

About CIBC

CIBC is a leading North American financial institution with nearly 11 million personal banking and business clients. CIBC offers a full range of products and services through its comprehensive electronic banking network, branches and offices across Canada, and has offices in the United States and around the world. You can find other news releases and information about CIBC in our Press Centre on our corporate website at www.cibc.com.

/NOTE TO EDITORS: Media Assets accompanying this story are available as follows:

Video: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/mmnr/smr/CIBC_bollywood_EN.flv

SOURCE CIBC

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