Deciding on what to wear and whom to go with are last-minute stuff, but with Christmas and New Year parties around the corner, you should have been brushing up on your dance moves by now.
And if you have left this for the last moment too or have decided just to “wing it”, you might want to check out a few dance studios in the city for some lessons.
While these studios have boot camps set aside, they also offer private classes on request, for an extra fee of course.
Have a ball
If you’re headed to Christmas balls, brush up on your jiving skills. Non-dancers might want to check out the "Aunty Ji" number from 'Ek Main Aur Ek Tu', "Gori Gori" from 'Main Hoon Na' or TV actress Drashti Dhami’s performance on "Tumse Mili Nazar Toh" in 'Jhalak Dikhla Jaa' this year.
Sync One dance studio, Madhapur, will be holding a two-day jive boot camp from December 21. Instructor from the studio, Sashaank Mamidana, says, “It’s more of a choreography boot camp. In six hours, I will teach the basics of jive like fall away, overturn, chicken, change of place and how to ask a lady for a dance. At the end of the second day, all participants will be able to do a two-minute routine.”
Unlike his Rs 800 group workshop, Ram Step Up Studio is opening slots for private tutorials in jive and to teach first-timers basic footwork and how to lead and follow.
Owner and principal dance instructor, K. Ram Murthy, says, “Charges and the number of hours differ depending on what the student wants. For an individual, for four classes over two weekends, we plan to charge Rs 2,000. The costs vary for couples and groups.”
"Jailhouse Rock", "Wake Me Up", "Mambo, Mambo…", "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" and "Julie" are the evergreen songs to jive on.
While jive is a favourite of all generations, old timers like to engage in some waltz at times. “We are mulling on a waltz workshop as well. But it’s early too confirm. Waltz is quite an alien concept in Hyderabad,” says Sashaank.
Party all night
Many dance institutes have worked out a “quick-fix” syllabus for New Year’s dos. Dance Life Studio, Banjara Hills, will be holding a 10-day New Year’s Party workshop from December 15.
The lead dance trainer, Sam, breaks down the syllabus for DC: “We will train participants for an hour every day. Each hour is divided into four slots. For three 15-minute slots, we will teach three dance moves. And in the last quarter, we will combine the three and just dance to songs. So a person will learn 30 dance steps in 10 days. He/she will have a lot to flaunt at the parties.
“We will be teaching the basics of hiphop (like housing and grooving), salsa and how can we forget Bollywood with its latkas and jhatkas.”
While getting the hang of hiphop or salsa takes months, Bollywood is a cake-walk. “During Bollywood dancing, I insist on listening to the songs, express them and the body follows the rhythm on its own… Trust me, half the job is done,” says Sam, who will charge Rs 3,000 per head for the course.
“Every participant has to dance within a ring. He/she has to learn to dance in a limited space, not go wild and hit somebody. Where is the space to dance in the clubs at New Year’s?” asks Sam.
Salsa is another favourite. Rishikesh Chhabra of Furor Hyderabad shares his plans, “There is only so much that you can learn in a limited time. For couples learning salsa, we plan to teach them the basic footwork and understanding of rhythm in 16 hours for Rs 3,600.”
Chartbusters
The real fun sets in when the B’wood takes centre stage. So make sure you learn the signature steps from the these songs before you step on the dance floor:
- "Lungi Dance", from 'Chennai Express'
- "Battamiz Dil" and "Dilliwaali Girlfriend" from 'Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani'
- "Party On My Mind" and "Lat Lag Gayee" from 'Race 2'
- "Khaali Peeli" and "Dhating Naach" from 'Phata Poster Nikla Hero'
- "Ban Besharam" from 'Besharam'
- "Gandi Baat" and "Sari Ke Fall" from 'R... Rajkumar'
