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Dancing to a different tune

Is dance a viable professional option or just a dreamer's dream? On World Dance Day today, Anand Sankar takes a few steps to find out

TOP OF THE HEAP Rexcydmo's members stretch their legs during a break PHOTO: V. SREENIVASA MURTHY

My first introduction to 21-year-old Xavier was at an inter-collegiate fest a few years back when he wowed the crowd with an electric solo dance performance. Then a few minutes later he came on stage with the rest of the group and literally set the stage on fire, both literally and figuratively.

Xavier is not a professional dancer. But dance is a passion for him and his seven friends, and for that passion to grow they have formed a dance group called Rexcydmo that they hope to turn completely professional soon.

Is there a career?

But is there a career in professional dance? Perhaps, not professional dance in a classical sense, but definitely in a totally different dimension. Bangalore is a boomtown in the language of an event manager and not a day passes by without the city witnessing one corporate event or another. And every such event requires live entertainment and this is where groups like Xavier's step in. Composed mainly of college students or fresh graduates, dance groups like Rexcydmo get an ideal platform to showcase their talents at corporate events and also walk away with handsome bounty.

The story of Rexcydmo began in 2003 at St. Joseph's College.

"At that time, our college had no western dance team. I started one because my friends wanted me to. Five or six of us got together to form Rexcydmo. We got a lot of support from the college and our families," recalls Xavier.

Initially the group had the passion but they did not realise how competitive the dance scene at inter-college competitions really was. And they found the going tough very soon.

"We were very disorganised in the beginning because we were a new group. One of our initial performances at St. John's College was an eye-opener. We realised that were not up to the mark and that made us work harder at our choreography. We started putting in 100 per cent and worked towards becoming more creative," says Cyrus, another member of the group. The group now totals eight people and also includes Priyadarshini, Shweta, Akshatha, Sanco, Pasmia and Snehashish.

In 2004 the group decided to take their dance seriously and quite soon had results to show for their efforts.

"We decided that we needed to reach a higher level, we wanted to win. The team had a lot of energy and chemistry. We won laurels in over 20 colleges. Our high point was Resonance at the last Bangalore Habba. About 40 colleges participated and eight teams were selected. We were the eighth team and we won," says a proud Xavier.

The team has won a lot of pocket money at the local competition circuit, but has realised over time that they also need to give something back. Thus they ended up performing for ECHO (Empowerment of Children and Human Rights Organisation), the Heart and Soul Foundation, Indian Social Institute, SICHREM (South India Cell for Human Rights Education and Monitoring), Sreela Rothwala Institute for the Deaf, Parikrma and Respect for Life (India).

The group performs in a wide variety of styles, ranging from freestyle (see box) to hip hop to jazz, and of course acrobatics. The group is known for its power-packed performances that include the head stance, side stance, power roll, and a lot of fire acts. The star performer is Xavier who is a Third Dan in Taekwondo and has also done a degree in the martial art. He calls his acrobatics, technical acrobatics. They also sometimes perform contemporary Indian dance, which borrows elements from Kalaripayattu, Bharathnatya, Kathak and Odissi.

The group has done a handful of performances as professionals at Sammy's Dreamland, R.V. Dental College and Taj West End and received a very positive response.

"The corporates are happy with our style of dancing but they want more Bollywood numbers than western or classical music. That is the market. We are planning to include that in our routine soon. We are right now training for that at Vivin's Dance Academy."

Though the spending money earned is a lure for these youngsters they say that it is more than that. "It earns us pocket money of course, but it also plays a major role in improving focus and concentration and makes us understand the value of team work. Because of the nature of our performances, it also keeps us physically very fit. We have to concentrate to keep time. There are single beats and double beats so timing is important. So, you have to relax your mind. Not all people can dance. If you make use of talent, you can go places."

Success story

Shadowz is one of the biggest success stories among the various other groups in the dance scene in Bangalore. Composed of 12 members — six boys and girls, it was started by 22-year-old Tejeshwa who dropped out of his engineering course to pursue his calling — dance. "I quit engineering after two years because I realised that dance was my passion and I wanted to make a profession out of it," he recalls.

This group also started out in the inter-college circuit but soon got its first break when a freelance event manager asked them to perform at a party at Sparks, which needed four dancers. They have not looked back since then and are now well drilled in their routine and have honed their style.

"Our routine basically depends on the client's requirement. We do freestyle as well as power dancing. If a sequence has beats then we do acrobatics depending on the beats. The corporates sometimes ask for the number of sequences and sometimes don't," says Tejeshwa.

But he says that syncing with an artist who is performing live is the biggest challenge they have faced so far. "At times we back up artists such as singers or film actors, and we have to do eight or nine sequences that will even include medleys. But it is always properly planned out before hand with the artist's manager."

The group's highs have so far been performing with Bipasha Basu, Baby Doll, Shankar Mahadevan, Bombay Vikings and at Mysore for ETV.

Theme dance

Tejeshwa says that product launches are also events that require innovation on their part. "During a product launch we might have a theme dance for the launch, or the product would launched during our dance. We always listen to what the client asks and sometimes we even ask to see the product to get a better idea of what they want."

Like Rexcydmo, things weren't easy at the start for Shadowz, but Tejeshwa is now optimistic about their future. "Initially there was a lot of pressure because I quit my studies. Then we started doing one show per month and then 10. The market is very good now with lots of corporate events. We practice every day and change our sequence every three months with new choreography and music."

To contact Rexcydmo call Xavier on 98862-62939 (after 5 p.m. on weekdays). To contact Shadowz call Tejeshwa on 9886170127. Shadowz is currently auditioning for female dancers.

Freestyle 'n' free spirit

Freestyle dance is not a set of routines to be followed mechanically, but a variety of dance steps and techniques that can be reassembled in countless ways so you can create your own personal style. It is spontaneous, creative, intelligent, playful, flexible and dance partners need not know the same sequence in order to dance together. One of the most interesting things about it is the lack of structure, unlike ballet or ballroom dancing which have even written manuals. One of the most important things to understand any form of dancing is hearing the beat in the music. Each song has a definite beat that should dictate the speed of your movements.

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