When 10 young men auditioned to be part of the street dance team for the Indian Dance Organisation little would they have known that they would be competing and winning the International Dance Organisation (IDO) World Dance Cup held in South Korea recently.
The journey has been a tedious but fruitful one, says coach Pranav Padmachandran, who himself had to go through a number of examinations conducted by the IDO to qualify as a coach before sending a team to represent the country at the competition. After becoming a licensed adjudicator, he held several auditions across Chennai before selecting the current team.
The 10 boys were selected by the coach, following which they underwent three months of rigorous training. “During the training process, we practised choreographies taught by Pranav master and Anand master, who worked with Pranav,” says Nilan Shroj, the captain of the team.
Next thing they knew, they were on a flight to South Korea to represent the country. The team swept the hearts of the audience in Seoul even before the competition as they were asked to perform at a K-pop concert, as part of the opening festival, the only non-Korean team to be invited to do so. “They treated us like VIPs after that performance. People came to us for autographs!” says Naveen, the youngest on the team. The next day, the boys swept the competition, winning a total of five gold medals, four silver medals and one bronze medal across six different categories. In some categories, they won both gold and silver, or even all three in some, says Nilan.
Being first-timers, the competition wasn’t easy, especially with the experienced teams from Europe, China and also the Koreans themselves, says Naveen. There were over 3,000 dancers and to rise above them all was no easy task. However, it wasn’t always a bed of roses, the team says. Even though they felt like celebrities at the competition, the authorities in India refused to recognise their achievements. It’s an amazing feeling, holding the national flag, dancing for the country,” says Nilan, “but it is very discouraging when the country does not care. They only support classical art forms. The western styles are completely neglected.”
The trip to South Korea, the training and all other expenses were self-funded with barely any sponsors, says Nilan. “When we have to worry about all these things, it’s difficult to focus on the competition. The team is looking for help for the upcoming World Cup to be held in Poland in October. “With more support, we will be able to perform even better. The competition in Poland is going to be greater and tougher,” he concludes.
