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Shall we dance?

Dance on The Footloosers in performance (top) and Sajna Najam training her students

Call it the latest dance craze but Salsa, Tango, Hip Hop and Bollywood dancing are what residents of the city are swaying to. A recent trend, which probably started with the influx of dance reality shows in 2007 (Amrita’s ‘Super Dancer,&# 8217; Asianet’s ‘Thakademi’ and Kairali’s ‘Star Wars’), more and more people are hitting the dance floor.

“Most dance shows require the dancers to not only display their knowledge of Indian classical dances but Western dances too,” says Sajna Najam, who grooms participants on shows such as ‘Dazzling Friends Hunt,’ (Kairali) ‘2 Crore Apple Mega Stars’ (Jeevan) and ‘Super Star’ (Amrita).

And to become the movers and shakers of the dance floor, most of the wannabe participants head to various dance schools in the city that teach Western and cinematic dances.

While many of the participants are trained in the basics of some form of Indian classical dance or the other, most are not trained in Western dance styles and Bollywood (cinematic) dancing.

Says Sajeesh, of Footloosers, Vanchiyoor, one of the oldest dance schools in the city that teach students to shake a leg: “When we started our dance school in 1985, it was the age of break dance and moon walkers, a la the late Michael Jackson. However there weren’t many takers for Western dance then as it was regarded “not proper.” Now, the youth want to learn all the latest dances.The entry of dance shows has increased the number of students who have registered for our classes.”

While Bollywood dancing is relatively easy to learn, “as it requires you to move your hands, feet and body to the beat of the music,” dances such as Salsa and Tango are a tad difficult.

Salsa, a Latin dance, is the current favourite in most dance programmes as channels devote a special round for Salsa. A ‘couple’s dance,’ one needs to dance in tune and to the tune of the partner in Salsa.

“It is a dance that requires the body to be flexible. It takes close to three months to master Salsa. Also, one needs to be comfortable and have faith in their partner as they do dips and twirls,” says Faisel who runs Code Red, a year-old dance studio in Pattom.

However, it does not mean that all the contestants are trained performers. “I know many participants who are not trained dancers, but can move in tune to the music. In fact, I find them more flexible when in comes to picking up moves of the various dances,” says Sajna.

Adds Dileep who runs a dance school called Love Birds at Overbridge: “I find that classical dancers find it difficult to pick up Western moves. Even if they do, they have to try real hard to rid themselves of the mannerisms they have picked up from Indian classical dances.”

While some kids are genuinely interested in learning a dance form, most are in it for the short cut to fame and money, chorus the dance instructors. A Western or Bollywood trained dancer can earn Rs. 1,000 to Rs. 2,000 for each performance. “And with the current demand for such peppy shows, they can earn a substantial amount,” says Sajna.

According to the dance trainers, when it comes to children, it is the parents who are keen on them becoming twinkle toes. “It could be that they genuinely believe that their child has untapped talent or it could be because they want to keep up or over take their neighbour by showcasing their child’s cool moves on stage,” says Sajeesh.

But it is not just participants or ‘soon to be participants’ in the various dance reality shows that are flocking the various dance studios. Dance lovers and fitness aficionados too attend classes.

“As the electronic media opens the world of dance to the audience, more and more people are becoming aware of the types of dances from different countries. And they come asking to be taught these new forms. This keeps us on our toes as we find ourselves dancing to the tunes of the customers,” says Faisel.

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