<p>Perform for the first time in a dance reality show and judges ask you to leave. But the moment you are about to walk off the stage, the judges call you back and hand you a ticket for the next round. MJ5 know exactly how that feels. “It was one of our most special performances – inexplicable. We were very disappointed but everything changed in a second,” says Kartik, member MJ5, a dance group which has become the talk of town for its moves in India’s Dancing Superstar (IDS).<br /><br /></p>.<p>Inspired by the late Michael Jackson, MJ5 mix his moves with their own style. The result is a unique blend that has managed to make this Delhi-based group a huge favourite with the viewers. Ask them, how does it feel being overnight celebrities, and the group starts giggling. “We are not celebrities,” exclaims Karthik. “We don’t feel a bit like that. The only thing that we are enjoying these days is the way people adore and love us. We want to tell them that we also love them the same way,” he replies.<br /><br />Accepting that their lives have changed totally after their first performance, Shraey Khanna, the most charming of the lot, who has stolen the hearts of many young girls pipes up, “When we sit together after rehearsals we very often recollect how we had collected Rs 500 per person to buy a bag which we used as a prop in our first performance. Now when we are using bigger props on stage, we realise the transformation we are going through.”<br /><br />Surprisingly, the group came into existence only a fortnight before the audition of IDS. “I was performing a solo on MJ and Kartik was rehearsing for a popping piece,” says Shreay. “One day Kartik called me up and suggested the idea of forming a group that will perform in MJ style but differently. We thought that the idea could click with the judges and audience. It did,” adds Shraey.<br /><br />It was this idea that gave Rohit Sharma, Vishnu Sharma and Himanshu Gola an opportunity to join Shraey and Kartik, who were also their teachers in a dance academy. “I always admired Kartik sir. I am privileged to be an MJ5 member today,” shares Himanshu.<br /><br />However, Shreay and Kartik chose Rohit, Vishnu and Himanshu not only for their dancing but to give a unique look to the group. “When we decided to group up, we were sure we needed dancers who are of the same height and similar physique,” explains Shraey. “The idea was to create a visual effect and make it look different from other groups,” he adds.<br /><br />Who choreographs the pieces every week? “Five of us give equal inputs. Actually, we have a secret diary which we carry with us. The moment an idea strikes any one of us we jot it down in that diary and discuss the same during rehearsals,” reveals Kartik.<br />We hope this diary makes the City boys winners at the show.<br /></p>
<p>Perform for the first time in a dance reality show and judges ask you to leave. But the moment you are about to walk off the stage, the judges call you back and hand you a ticket for the next round. MJ5 know exactly how that feels. “It was one of our most special performances – inexplicable. We were very disappointed but everything changed in a second,” says Kartik, member MJ5, a dance group which has become the talk of town for its moves in India’s Dancing Superstar (IDS).<br /><br /></p>.<p>Inspired by the late Michael Jackson, MJ5 mix his moves with their own style. The result is a unique blend that has managed to make this Delhi-based group a huge favourite with the viewers. Ask them, how does it feel being overnight celebrities, and the group starts giggling. “We are not celebrities,” exclaims Karthik. “We don’t feel a bit like that. The only thing that we are enjoying these days is the way people adore and love us. We want to tell them that we also love them the same way,” he replies.<br /><br />Accepting that their lives have changed totally after their first performance, Shraey Khanna, the most charming of the lot, who has stolen the hearts of many young girls pipes up, “When we sit together after rehearsals we very often recollect how we had collected Rs 500 per person to buy a bag which we used as a prop in our first performance. Now when we are using bigger props on stage, we realise the transformation we are going through.”<br /><br />Surprisingly, the group came into existence only a fortnight before the audition of IDS. “I was performing a solo on MJ and Kartik was rehearsing for a popping piece,” says Shreay. “One day Kartik called me up and suggested the idea of forming a group that will perform in MJ style but differently. We thought that the idea could click with the judges and audience. It did,” adds Shraey.<br /><br />It was this idea that gave Rohit Sharma, Vishnu Sharma and Himanshu Gola an opportunity to join Shraey and Kartik, who were also their teachers in a dance academy. “I always admired Kartik sir. I am privileged to be an MJ5 member today,” shares Himanshu.<br /><br />However, Shreay and Kartik chose Rohit, Vishnu and Himanshu not only for their dancing but to give a unique look to the group. “When we decided to group up, we were sure we needed dancers who are of the same height and similar physique,” explains Shraey. “The idea was to create a visual effect and make it look different from other groups,” he adds.<br /><br />Who choreographs the pieces every week? “Five of us give equal inputs. Actually, we have a secret diary which we carry with us. The moment an idea strikes any one of us we jot it down in that diary and discuss the same during rehearsals,” reveals Kartik.<br />We hope this diary makes the City boys winners at the show.<br /></p>
