Shall we dance?

Salsa is so last season. Move your feet to the hottest new dance forms taking the city by storm.

It’s good to be alive, and it’s even better to be dancing,” said Valerie Harper on the premiere episode of Dancing With the Stars on Monday. Put on your dancing shoes as the city moves beyond traditional themes and embraces new dance forms. With salsa, ballet, jazz, break-dance and other western forms of dance crossing social barriers and having entered the Indian scene a long time back, other varieties like Hip-hop, Zumba and modern-contemporary are also finding their way in.

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This trend is steadily catching up in the country because of Indian dance reality shows, like Dance India Dance, and of course You Tube which give you an idea about western dance forms like B-boying and Funk jazz infused with ethnic techniques.

The famous choreographer, Shiamak Davar, bringing in the Shiamak Style and Shabop to the city, has tried to incorporate Indian and folk elements with western technique. ‘The beauty of dance is in innovation. Delhi has received Shiamak Style really well which is basically indo contemporary and modern with ballet technique,” says Shiamak Davar.

“Two new styles that have worked brilliantly in Bangalore, Hyderabad and Pune are AquaDance (taking a dance class in a swimming pool) and Garage Groove (dancing with cars, headlights and a street feel). These are styles that I will be bringing to Delhi soon,” Shiamak added.

B-boying
It is a style of street dance that originated among African-American and Puerto Rican youths in New York City during the early 1970s. Delhi caught up with this trend two years back, which includes stunts, break-dance and power moves.

Step up at: Delhi Dance Academy, E-238, Amar Colony, Lajpat Nagar

Charges: Rs. 2000 per month

Age group: Above 10 years

Call: 9953835088

Zumba
It is a dance fitness program created by a Colombian dancer in the 1990s. The city was introduced to it last year and includes different forms like hip-hop, soca, samba, salsa, merengue, mambo and martial arts.

Step up at: Delhi Dance Academy, E-238, Amar Colony, Lajpat Nagar

Charges: Rs. 2000 per month

Age group: Above 12 years

Call: 9953835088

Contemporary
This form draws on both classical ballet and modern dance and has been popular in the US and Western Europe since the 20th century. It has been catching on in the city since the last two years and includes floorwork, travelling sequences and improvisational creative tasks.

Step up at: The Gati Dance Forum, 5, Wind Mill Place, S-17, Khirkee Extension

Charges: Rs. 1500 (for beginners) & Rs. 2000 (for advanced)Age group: Above 14 years

Call: 9971406113

Shabop
It is Shiamak Davar’s style brought in after his music album, Shabop, last year. It is a fusion of Hip-hop and Street Funk with ethnic moves and is very popular with the younger dance enthusiasts.

Step up at: Shiamak Davar Institutes in the city

Charges: Rs. 4000 for 15 classes

Age group: Above 4 years

Call: 26296590

Hip-Hop
It originated as a specific street subculture within South Bronx communities during the 1970s in New York City. Hip-hop is often freestyle (improvisational) in nature and has been gaining popularity in Delhi since past four years but new elements like popping, locking, tutting, turfing, jerkin’ and krumping have been added over time.

These dance styles are primarily performed to hip-hop music.

Step up at: Shavis Dance Studio, A-111, Amar Colony, Lajpat Nagar and Delhi Dance Academy, E-238, Amar Colony, Lajpat Nagar

Charges: Rs. 2000 per month

Age group: Above 12 years

Call: 9811882143 (Shavis), 9953835088 (DDA)

Funk Jazz
It is an American genre which emerged in the 1980s and caught up with our city two years back. From ballet, modern, hip-hop to lyrical, funk jazz incorporates little bits and pieces of other dance genres into a funky style.

Step up at: Delhi Dance Academy

Charges: Rs. 2000 per month

Age group: Above 6 years

Call: 9953835088