From dancing as a hobby to dancing for a living, how have you worked your way up? Where did it all begin?
It all started in college, but mostly just as a hobby. With creative ideas for life, it is very hard to find the right track. Karan and I started working in college and began to win competitions. We got selected in a Delhi based company called ‘Sadhya’ where Santosh Sir was our splendid teacher.
There was no specific motivation, but if we figured that if we do something that we love, and it becomes a part of our profession, we do not have any Monday blues! It is just dancing and living every moment. We started and worked harder everyday with the drive to get better every day. We never mapped out our future, but opportunities kept coming, and we used them to the fullest. We burned the candle at both ends to get where we are today.
What was the turning point of your career?
In terms of the industry, it was definitely the song ‘Blue Eyes’ by YO YO Honey Singh.
One day, I was driving my car when I received a call from Honey Singh to choreograph a music video for him. I knew him as a fan, but never personally. Initially, I thought it was a prank call. I couldn’t believe that it was actually Honey Singh who was calling me! I pulled my car over instantaneously and I told him that I am not convinced that it is actually him. He asked me to send my Email ID to him and he sent me the unreleased audio track for ‘Blue Eyes’. I heard it and realized they were the real vocals, and that it is the actuality! He asked me as to when we were beginning practice, and I said ‘Let’s start tomorrow’. That was it.
Blue Eyes was my big break and it has around 75 million views on YouTube today.
Since you are a part of so many groups, there must be some people who have always been with you through the entire journey.
Yes, there have been people and they are still there with us. I believe that people don’t ever really leave us when they move away. Everybody has to grow. Sandy, Karthik, Manisha, Shrey, and MJ5 were our students and we are still friends.
I like studios, students, teaching people, and being with people. We try to focus on opening schools that facilitate education in the field of dance and help pass on the experience of various veteran dancers. I believe it is important to pass on our knowledge from one generation to the next, and it will continue to build up. The ladder only leads up.
It is not just important to become a star but also to pass on to the younger generations. All the experience and knowledge one gains with time should always be passed on to help India become a dancing country, always on its toes.
It has been 8 years since the company began and in the past couple years, dancing has gotten way bigger and better. It has grooved into everyone's lives.
For the up-and-coming dancers in India, how important is it to go abroad or be a part of reality shows?
Going abroad is not important but it has become a necessity; it is an important part of training. In India, there is a lack of schools and structures. Different schools of dance specialize in teaching different forms of dance, and a dancer should gain understanding of them all. They should master in one field but should have an experience of all dance forms. Every form of dance has its own exclusiveness, for example – urban hip hop has strength, and contemporary is bearer to newer techniques. Going abroad provides more exposure to a dancer.
Yes, it is also true that reality shows certainly give a push to dancers. India is after all a ‘TV country’. I believe one should be a part of reality shows not to become a star, but instead to showcase their talent and let the people make them stars.
People say being a dancer is very different from being a teacher. How is it different for you from when you were learning to now when you are teaching?
Every good dancer is not a good teacher, for instance, a student wouldn’t score a 90 in maths just because the teacher scores a 90 in maths. Teaching is a herculean task, it is a massive responsibility. I worked with teachers who had a strong dancing background and experience which is key to becoming an admirable teacher.
It is not necessary for a dancer to become a teacher. A dancer can be a performer, or just keep learning for as long as they like. Anything that allows one to do what they love. They can have the spotlights on their pirouttes or hold the fort down backstage.
Do you wish to specialize in only one form of dance or be a versatile dancer?
I want to be a versatile dancer, like not know everything but not only rest my feet on one.
Recently, I spent 6 months in Los Angeles. I have graduated from New York Broadway where contemporary was my main subject. Though we spent most of our time practicing contemporary, we would take a couple hours or more and engage in different styles. It allowed us to have a mental break, learn a wider variety of dance styles, meet new people, and be introduced to different kinds of costumes. Different styles expose one to a grander atmosphere of dance.
I believe that one should master in one dance form, but should keep learning. If I teach five classes in a day, I learn from ten other. I always keep working. It is important for a dancer to keep training themselves and drain their body. Ultimately, the road never ends for dancers, they can fly away.
I always tell my students to remain a student and never stop learning. If you ever stop learning, even when you are 50 or 60 years old, you stop growing.
The world is evolving, technology is expanding, and it is time that dancing take the main stage. It is time the moves are set free.
Thank you.
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