Shiamak Daver asks, "So you think you can dance?"

Bollywood is the biggest phenomenon that’s taken over the world. Whether it is the cinema, music or dancing, everyone’s interested! And when you think of dance in Bollywood, there is one man who literally makes the world dance Bollywood! Shiamak Davar has wowed audiences with his choreography and given a chance to over a million dance enthusiasts in over five countries to learn Bollywood dancing! With the biggest Bollywood awards just round the corner, we caught up with the Guru of Dance, Shiamak Davar who tells us what it takes to make it as a dancer in Bollywood!

Be yourself!
Bollywood is an extremely free spirited dance form. It’s an amalgamation of various dance styles, so you’ve got to adapt your own personal style and make each move your own! It’s the most fun and expressive style, so just be yourself and enjoy!

Perform!
The face dances as much, if not more than the body. Bollywood is all about expressing the emotion you feel and narrating that story through dance movement. If you want a glimpse of what a difference face expressions can bring to choreography, watch a few videos of Govinda and Madhuri dancing!

Passion!
You can only do something really well if you’re passionate about it. If you want to learn Bollywood dancing, you have to learn the culture. Dance, I always say is a form of celebration. So be able to bring that out through your movement / performance, you have to know what the music is telling you. To be able to dance Bollywood, you need to be passionate about Bollywood!

Learn and train
Bollywood dance is not a form of aerobics of gymnastics, nor is it frivolous as many believe. It is a beautiful form of storytelling. One requires a lot of style and grace to be able to dance Bollywood. Even the smallest movement can have a huge impact. Most Bollywood dancing requires a lot of stamina! So you’ve got to learn from someone who understands real Bollywood.

Mind, Body, Soul
This correlates to the point above. Fitness is very important for any dancer. You must respect your body and stay healthy. You must keep your thoughts happy too! And most importantly, a dancer who stands out is not the one with the best technique, but the one who reveals his soul. Let your spirit fly!

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