Making the moves

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The concept of learning dancing is now not only confined to Bharatnatyam, Mohiniyattom and the like, and not even ‘cinematic dance’. The new craze among kids is to groove to the beats of salsa, samba, hip-hop and Bollywood music.“Anyone can dance if they have the passion. It is just about knowing what kind of dance they love and what their bodies are attuned to,” says Sabin Sukesh of Thandav, a Kochi-based dance school which has been making the waves in the new generation dance scene for the past 10 years.While in the earlier days only classical dance forms were acceptable, no event these days can do without a Bollywood, hip-hop or a contemporary dance number. “The Bollywood dance and other foreign dance forms are the new favourites. With strong beats and bass, they are catchier and hence are preferred by people,” says Sabin. Thandav, a much sought-after entertainment house in Kerala, has been part of a lot of stage programmes like Mathrubhumi Awards, Amrita Award night and Jaihind channel’s award show etc. “Recently our troupe participated in the show organized as part of the finale of Mazhavil Manorama’s ‘Veruthey Alla Bharya’,” says Sabin who has been dancing and teaching dance for the past 14 years.The craze for Bollywood dancing and other contemporary dance forms owes a lot to dance reality shows. Malayalam television channels have come up with a number of dance shows in recent times. “These kinds of reality shows have helped a lot to popularise the different kinds of dance forms and have increased the opportunities too,” says Rohitha Menon, a dance teacher. Another growing trend is of kids learning dances with a twist. Summer camps now incorporate workshops for children which teach Bollywood and hip-hop dance styles to kids.The Hollywood dance movies like ‘Step Up’, ‘Street Dancing’ and ‘Black Swan’ which found huge fan following in our country also made people aware of the new styles of dancing. Children hunt for classes that teach these exotic styles. “Various enquiries reach us from kids and parents about classes for B-boying. It is a stylish and unconventional dance and I think this is what attracts kids to B-boying,” says Sabin. Parents are also not hesitant to send their kids to learn these unconventional dances. Aarati S, mother of a seven-year-old says, “My son sees a lot of Hrithik Roshan’s dances and adores him. When we noticed him following the steps he sees on TV, we enrolled him in a dance school. I think children should be guided in the right direction. Learning any kind of art should always be appreciated.”