The big fat Indian wedding just got a western punch. The
sangeet
ceremony, a part of the traditional Hindu wedding ceremonies, is no more about women dancing to jaded Bollywood numbers in
desi
attire — families are now doing the Fox trot, Viennese waltz and salsa.
“This season, every third wedding I’m doing has the couple’s families wanting to go for a western dance form,” says Madhav (who doesn’t use a last name) from Kanhai Performing Art Institute, who has choreographed many weddings in the city. Choreographer Sandip Soparrkar says, “To break the monotony, brides, grooms and their families are opting for fun forms like cha-cha-cha and Zorba, which have a faster pace.”
Shalini Sharma, who tied the knot a few months ago, says, “We decided to go for waltz for our
{{/usCountry}}Shalini Sharma, who tied the knot a few months ago, says, “We decided to go for waltz for our
{{/usCountry}}sangeet
, as it is very romantic. We got friends to learn merengue, and it was one helluva experience!” But, it doesn’t come easy. The practice sessions may last from ten hours to two weeks, and cost Rs 3,500 for every hour of practice and Rs 25,000 for the entire sequence.