Groove to the beats

Amazing steps

What grabs your attention is a motto that screams, If you have feet then dance. It’s the motto of the Shaimak Davar’s Institution of Performing Arts. On the completion of a year, the students of the institution gave a ravishing performance in the City last weekend.

They jived and grooved to the beats of different dance styles like Cuban salsa, Indian folk, disco, African Afro jazz, Arabic dance form, North American rock and roll and Bollywood jazz, a genre created by Shaimak himself.

The students were divided into three batches, age-wise, four to six years, seven to 11 years and 12 onwards. The children from the youngest age group were adorable. They danced to tunes like Dhol baje for Gujarati folk dance and Touch me don’t touch me for salsa. The boys and girls were dressed in salsa costumes and were nothing less than professionals. The confidence these kids exuded was amazing.
There were also performances by the other age groups for songs like Dhol bajane laga for Rajastani folk, Om mangalam and the title track of Dil Bole Hadippa for Bollywood jazz. The instructors had choreographed a cricket match like sequence on the stage and then the dance followed. It was a splendid sight.

“It was a short dance workshop and was convenient for me because I work. I enjoy dancing and wanted to burn calories as well, so I joined it. It was great exposure and I felt like a celebrity,” said Dheeraj, one of the performers.

Shaimak also runs the Victory Arts Foundation (VAF) where he imparts dance therapy for mentally challenged children. The children from this institute also performed. The sight was a tear jerker. “I joined this workshop because I am passionate about dancing. I have had two accidents and also hurt myself when I was dancing but I didn’t give up because I knew that this was what I wanted to do. I feel I can let go off myself when I’m dancing,” said Swastika, another performer at the event.

There are dance instructors who have been with this Institute for 20 years. Some of them have even performed at award functions.

“I am with the Shaimak’s dance school for nine years. I got to know about him through my brother and since then there has been no looking back. I have travelled to many places with the troupe and it is an amazing experience,” gushed Vikram, one of the instructors.