Dance has no language: Longinus Fernandes

Q. Tell us about your choreography in the Chinese film, My Amazing Trip to India.
A. My latest dance choreography is all about the various Folk styles of India. It is festive and elaborate. The backdrop, being Rajasthan, says it all. It will be a visual treat, since it has been shot in a particular manner. The film is about people being fascinated by our country and how they land up here, fall in love with the people and make plans to move on together. There's a lot of scope for dance in the film: love songs, marriage celebrations, etc. I am thankful to Chandan Arora and co-producers Dancing Elephants for bringing me on board and helping me make the best of this opportunity. The director (Zhang Jianya) has been extremely kind in giving me a free hand to execute the job appropriately.

Q. What challenges did you face while choreographing this film?
A. The challenges faced were simply based on language. They do not speak English, while I do not understand Chinese. For everything, I needed a translator. After a couple of weeks, I realised that dance has no language. I kept doing whatever was required and they all followed me. It was a different experience and at the end of the day, everything turned out beautiful.

Dance rehearsals of the Chinese film, My Amazing Trip to India, with Longinus Fernandes at the centre (in green T-shirt)

Q. What are your future plans?
A. Next on my list is P Se PM Tak, a Kundan Shah film; then there is Hawaizada Dil, Bakey Ki Crazy Baarat and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel 2, a film by John Madden.