Dancing their way to glory
Recently, Studio-One Performing Arts Company (SPAC) celebrated 15 years of existence and providing the City with unique dance performances that is admired for its Eastern and Western blends.
To commemorate this milestone, the team has opened workshops for underprivileged, special schools, differently-abled and opportunity schools (APD) and free dance classes for all communities.
But reaching this milestone was not an easy job for this company, especially since dance was never accepted as a full-time career option. Elaan, the artistic director of SPAC, says that when the company started functioning in the 90s, finding professional dancers in the City was a difficult task. “That’s when we started collaborating with international dancers who helped us develop and learn new things. We began as a group of five and today, we are still growing with a team of 20,” he adds.
What’s really special about SPAC is that they don’t want to restrict themselves to a single dance form. “There is no end to learning in dance. There are so many different forms that we are constantly using new and different forms to our productions,” says Elaan.
Influences of literature and international cultures are very prominent in their dance but Elaan says that a lot depends on the choreographer. “When we are part of a production we try to get deep into it. And the style we adapt for it is left upto each choreographer,” he adds.
With an eclectic blend of various dance styles, one wonders if the traditional Indian dance takes a backseat. “Indian classical dance is a like a flavour. No dance is complete without it. Knowing classical dance is very important as it helps one pick up other dance forms easily,” he adds.
About the new trends in dance amongst youngsters, Elaan says that it’s no longer about Salsa but something called street dance. “It includes a lot of free style and hip-hop and we get a lot of young people wanting to learn this form. Even in college fests, we see them performing that,” he says. As for the future, SPAC has taken a big step. “With many young people looking for a career in dance, we hope to open a dance school, something that this country lacks. We have big plans for SPAC and only time will show where we are headed next,” he signs off.