Dancing up a storm

Gone are the days of mere latkas and jhatkas. Choreographers are now employing contemporary Indian and western dance moves in song sequences to create a visual impact and finding innovation within tradition

t’s all about the song and dance in Bollywood. And a staid waltz and whirl won’t do. No film is complete without the razzmatazz and revelry that our dances are replete with. Choreographers are taking the dancing foot forward and they’re not stopping at mere latkas and jhatkas. Gone are the days when a few aerobic style dance moves could be incorporated into a music piece. Rare, unparalleled dances are the order of the day and are being incorporated into successful Bollywood films.

Choreographers are employing contemporary Indian and western dance moves in song sequences to create a visual impact and finding innovation within tradition. They’re putting their best foot forward and showing some fancy footwork with challenges that are a class apart. ABCD 2 will bring a lot of lyrical hip hop, krumping, locking and popping and urban hip hop contemporary forms.

Sushant Singh Rajput in Bach Ke Bakshy, the title track of Byomkesh Bakshi, did a mix of hip hop to suit his character, which has not been experimented with earlier. Priyanka Chopra and Deepika Padukone’s dance sequence for Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s upcoming film Bajirao Mastani is an intriguing dance form which might look like a lavani but is actually a playful, fun, yet tough Maharashtrian folk dance form called Pinga.
Sanjay Leela Bhansali wanted to portray how village belles have to fast and stay awake and they play this game called Pinga.

“We stuck to the traditional dance form as Bajirao is set in old times and required that kind of earthy choreography. We found an old lady who had good knowledge of the dance form and she showed us how it was traditionally done and what it meant. We didn’t want to play around with it, as these dance forms are just wonderful in their original form. Deepika and Priyanka have worked really hard on it and you will see the result soon,” reveals Remo D’Souza, the choreographer of the Pinga number.

The Jhalak Dikhla Jaa reality show judge feels it’s a revelation how dances in films have taken a whole new meaning. “In ABCD 2, there are some of the best dancers from around the world and Varun Dhawan, Shraddha Kapoor, Prabhu Deva, Lauren Gottlieb, Raghav Juyal and Dharmesh Yelande have shown some stunning dance moves. We have brought 18 innovative dance forms like digiting, waacking, House and B-boying. Most choreographers now are trying something new and experimenting with new forms of Western dance styles,” adds Remo.

Mumbai-based choreographer and the name behind Oscar-winning movie Slumdog Millionaire, Longinus Fernandes, agrees that new styles and innovative forms of dance always create an impact. “A lot of Western dance forms that are doing the rounds are hip hop, B-boying, Latin American and contemporary. Belly dance, break dance, salsa and various Latin American styles are common in Bollywood songs; new trend dances like hip hop dance, B-boying, street jazz dance styles are new for the audience and are being appreciated too. But for Bollywood, freestyle dance will always be there for years to come.

Aishwarya Rai’s earthy Spanish dance in Guzaarish set the trend for films like Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Hrithik Roshan’s tribute to Michael Jackson in Bang Bang was a dance spectacle and even though Tiger Shroff’s film didn’t break box office records, no one can forget how he amalgamated various moves from hip-hop to B-boying and free style street jazz. Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra have just wrapped up a dance called Pinga, which is a mischievous form of art performed with a lot of zest and is full of life and fun,” he says.

Mixing jive, rock n roll and Lindy hop for Calcutta Kiss for Byomkesh Bakshi is choreographer Sneha Kapoor. “A lot of directors want to explore new styles of dance now, because everyone has a basic knowledge of dance, so when a new style is shown on the big screen, it piques their curiosity and dance enthusiasts and movie buffs look up and want to know more about the style. Also, it brings something new to the table, has a recall value and gives us choreographers a wider range of creativity to create something new.

The current craze in Bollywood is hip hop. Most new stars are fabulous dancers who can really dance, so we are looking to tap and explore new dance styles. The Lindy hop that I recently taught is an American dance that evolved in Harlem, New York City, originally evolved with the jazz music of that time and very popular during the Swing era,” reveals Sneha, who carved her niche with her performance in Jhalak Dikhla Ja.

Taking the leap is Terence Lewis, known for his contemporary dances. Almost an encyclopedia on dance, the trained dancer in jazz, ballet and contemporary dance from New York and choreographer of the song Ang Lagaa De in Ram-Leela, Terence states, “The world of choreography has opened up and thank god for that. Week after week we have seen new dance forms emerge as judges and choreographers for reality shows. We keep researching on new forms and it’s wonderful to see how it’s a far cry now from just hot girls doing the latkas and jhatkas. After years of hibernation, people are now waking up. Film directors and choreographers are pushing boundaries and dance shows have exposed a larger audience to new forms. I’m working on yoga-based contemporary dances, merging yoga and contemporary forms, that I will be taking to the world’s largest dance festival Impulstanz festival in Vienna, 2015.”

“Many new styles are popping up in Bollywood movies like Latin, ballroom, B-boying, new school hip hop, Popping, locking, stomping, tapping and Irish dances besides the contemporary dances, fusion dances and other creative dances. 2015 and 2016 will witness bachata, kizomba and probably zouk in Bollywood. I’m currently working on the movie The Myth with Jackie Chan. One of my projects involves Tango choreography and a series of Latin dance choreography for an upcoming Bollywood film,” shares Lourd Vijay, ambassador of the Hong Kong salsa festival, and a Guinness world record holder for the maximum number of swing dance flips in a minute.

Bosco-Caesar, the choreographer duo who won the National Award for best choreography for the Senorita song in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, are optimistic about the future of dance in Bollywood. They say, “It’s fabulous to see how the audience is now receptive and everyone is getting educated on new dance forms, thanks to the exposure through reality shows and films. Some of the popular ones these days are House, krump and lyrical hip hop. It’s a new challenge for us to learn new dance forms.” It seems like a whole new world is opening up for the energetic, nimble-footed dancers.