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Gere’s salsa guru
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Katya Virshilas has taught Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez, and will now teach students in the city
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Dance with me Katya Virshilas
Apart from Dhoni and boys, salsa is the toast of the nation. Nach Baliye 3 and Jhalak Dikhlaja 2 are prompting more youngsters to learn new dance forms and salsa remains the pick of the lot.
Hyderabad, like most other emerging metros, has witnessed salsa workshops time and again. The latest tutor to visit town is Katya Virshilas, as part of the Shiamak Davar School of Performing Arts.
Shall we dance?
The Canadian who has choreographed for personalities such as Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez (Shall We Dance) has been touring India since August 15. “I’ve taught at workshops in Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Pune prior to Hyderabad,” she tells us.
Her Indian tour came about when choreographer Shiamak Davar saw her performance in Take the Lead. “Shiamak happened to be in Vancouver where he saw a poster advertising my classes. He called the number, left a message saying his name was Sam, and he wanted me to come to India for six months and teach salsa. I ignored the first three calls because I thought I was being stalked by some Indian guy named Sam. When he finally he got me on the phone, he told me he was for real and asked me to go to the nearest computer and Google “Shiamak”. Thousands of sites scrolled up. I felt like an idiot, but a happy idiot because now I was going to India,” Katya shares with a hearty laugh.
From the classes she has conducted in different Indian cities so far, she observes, “Students are initially hesitant to learn a new style, but within a day or two of they get used to my style of teaching and sense of humour; they then come to classes early and even practice outside. The classes have been so enthusiastic that I think I’ll have to make some return trips in the near future.”
Salsa appreciation
Katya also feels it would help if students have an appreciation for the salsa form of music, as it is a rhythmic and passionate beat. She adds, “I think new students to salsa definitely need to be open to learning new things; partner dancing is different from any other type of dance, and salsa is different from other types of partner-dance.”
She prefers not to speak about offers from the Hindi film industry, if any, that have come her way. “Wait and see,” she says, but confesses, “If a suitable and challenging role comes along, I would jump at the chance.”
Working with Gere and Lopez, she recollects, was a cakewalk. “It was my first movie and my first experience working with celebs. Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez made me feel completely at ease, especially since I was the one that was making them look good.”
Prior to her visit to India, Katya shot for short roles in American TV shows, “but my acting career is on a bit of a hiatus for now since I am touring India. However, there are a few projects in the works here, and I will be making a guest appearance on Jhalak Dikhlaja 2.”
SANGEETHA DEVI DUNDOO
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Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Mangalore
Puducherry
Tiruchirapalli
Thiruvananthapuram
Vijayawada
Visakhapatnam
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