JOIN US'If you have feet, you can dance'
At the tender age of 15, he joined a travel company as a courier boy to support his family
financially. Little did John Anthony know then that his passion for dance will one day take him places.
The Bengaluru-based dancer, though known as the Indian Salsa King,is not just restricted to dance. He is a known name in the international DJing circuit. John will be hosting the India
International Dance Congress (IIDC) next month.
In a chat with Surupasree Sarmmah, John talks about his tryst with dance, his most memorable
performance and more.
How did your journey as a dancer start?
I was working for a corporate company and in 2002, I took to dancing as a stressbuster and that too at a time when the idea of dance was not very popular. I choreographed a production for our office annual day, which was widely appreciated. Soon I started taking classes for my colleagues and others and that’s how it all started.
What was your family’s reaction when you told them that you are going to pursue dance?
The scenario was different then. I was the youngest child and the only bread winner. Though my parents were a little sceptical in the beginning, just like all other parents usually are, they somewhere believed in me. They knew I had quite ambitious plans for myself.
An unforgettable phase in your career...
2014 was memorable. The number of artistes that we got for IIDC and the kind of audience we had was amazing. That was the year when India was recognised in the global dance arena.
The toughest thing about salsa...
Holding the interest of people is a challenge as it is a technical dance form. There should be sheer dedication to the art form.
If you were given a choice to learn another form of dance, what would it be?
That’s very tricky. I have my heart and soul in Latin dance. However, if I am given a chance, I would like to learn contemporary dance but only for the reason that these movements can be used in Latin dance form.
Describe your style of dance in three words...
Stylish, sensuous and cool.
Any particular song that you like to dance to...
I am an International DJ so I like to bring in new songs. But if I have to choose a genre, ‘bachata’ is what I would choose.
An actor who is also a great dancer...
There are some extremely good dancers in Bollywood. Hrithik Roshan, Tiger Shroff and Terence Lewis are some of them. But my first choice is Hrithik.
Your dance philosophy...
It’s not a philosophy, but I believe that if you have feet, you can dance.
Your opinion about dance reality shows...
They are nothing but a marketing gimmick for TRPs. There are a lot of loopholes in these reality shows and since there are so many of these coming up now, the public is also kind of losing interest. However, in terms of creating awareness about dance, they are good.