Horror movies thrive on jump scares, plot twists, and supernatural impossibilities, but when the sugary-sweet 13-year-old girl Arshiya Sharma appeared on the premiere episode of America’s Got Talent 2024, no one expected her to nail these tropes and lead Simon to exclaim, “It’s like The Exorcist!”
Arshiya took to AGT’s 19th season with an adorably talkative personality, her hair done up in space buns and wearing a knitted jumper. A normal 13-year-old, right? Her interview with the judges revealed she was a dancer from Jammu, Kashmir, India, who had left the country for the first time in her life to audition for AGT.
The judges were impressed when Arshiya told them, “I don’t want to be like others, I want to be different. So, I tried doing gymnastics and added some flexibility moves into my dance to be different.” But nothing could have prepared them for what they were about to witness.
As Arshiya left the stage for an outfit change, the judges whispered their expectations of a beautiful, traditional dress. But Arshiya returned like a jumpscare, wheeled out in a spooky children’s doll house from which she rose like the undead and rattled violently, before slithering to centre stage in a bloodied hospital outfit, fake wounds and Marilyn Manson-style contact lenses for extra shock factor.
Arshiya’s routine was a jaw-dropping feat of contortionism, styled impeccably like a horror movie character. She doubled over backwards into a crab move, and with both hands on her feet, twisted her torso 180° to make disturbing eye contact with the judges. Her bone-breaking positions rolled seamlessly into each other as a horror-infused nursery rhyme rang out through the speakers, causing the audience to squeal and judge Sofia Vergara to cover her eyes, saying “I don’t like this!”
Each of Arshiya’s absurd positions seemed dazzlingly impossible, from her bent-leg splits to backflipping straight onto her stomach, each fleshed out with bone-crunching sound effects. The judges could hardly look away, and all four gave Arshiya a standing ovation after her supernatural performance was over. Arshiya’s nightmarish audition tape has already stockpiled 3 million YouTube views and tons of praise for her potential as a Hollywood stuntwoman.
Arshiya has already formed a fan base in her home country after appearing on national Indian reality shows including Dance Master India 2, Super Dancer 4, and DID Little Master. She’s won a gold medal in gymnastics, and has broken into the professional world of Film & TV, starring in the 2023 short film, “Ghungroo” and the TV series Mangal Lakshmi, among others.
To see more from the incredibly talented and unique dancer, Arshiya Sharma, you can subscribe to her YouTube Channel and follow her on Instagram.