How often have you been tempted to chuck everything and just dance a little? Fear not, you won’t be ridiculed for it, because namma ooru is hosting the India International Dance Congress 2017 fiesta from July 6 to 9. And if you really profess the quintessential ‘Dance like nobody’s watching’ theory, you’re not alone; dancers from various corners of the world claim the same as they spill it all in a casual chat with us.
Thirty-eight-year-old Pooja Gudwani, who is one of the participants, has partnered with none other than her own husband, Sourabh, whom she had met through dance. “The bond, the connection, the energy that flows between the participants – on or off the stage, I don’t think it is possible for that intense a synchronisation to be formed by any other form of co-participation. We are all so different, yet feel so united by this one art form,” she says.
Pooja’s beliefs resonate with the views of another participant, Adolfo Indacochea, a 36-year-old dancer from Italy. “Meeting these dancers, partnering with them during rehearsals has been such an inspirational journey for me. Their skills and talents just puts into perspective how little I know, and how much I still have to learn. It’s true, we all have been competing against each other, but the moment the music is on and we are on the floor, our passion syncs together. It’s a sacred bond,” believes the dancer who has been dancing around the world for the last 10 years.
From Kizomba to hip-hop, to contemporary and belly dance and even Kathak – this amalgamation of various dance forms is what attracts amateurs and veterans alike, from the field. As the 34-year-old participant Adam H Pasha puts it brilliantly, “Dance takes me to a place where nobody and nothing else exists. It’s just my passion and I, and in that moment, all I can experience is something divine.”
Organised by Latino Rhythms and Dance Academy, the plan of putting India on the global map of Latin dancing via hosting the event, has been a brainchild of John Anthony, and as he claims, “Dance chose me.
I never had any professional training growing up; I actually started dancing as a stress-buster. It is different that people wanted to learn when they noticed me, but I believe dance is purely an artistic way of connecting the mind, body and soul.”
