Umesh B Naidu or Woo, as he is known to friends, will represent India at DanceIntense, a two-week programme in choreography, in Toronto
Umesh B Naidu or Woo, as he is known to friends, will represent India at DanceIntense, a two-week programme in choreography, in Toronto
Umesh Naidu can't stop smiling. He is one of the twenty young dancers from across the world to be selected for Danceintense, a two-week residential programme in Toronto where the best in the business will participate as tutors.
Chiselled perfection
Though a student of sculpture, Umesh says dance is his true calling. "I have been dancing since the age of 10. I always had an inclination towards the fine arts."
He has gone through the rigorous movements of kalaripayattu, karate, Muay Thai and Taek-Won Do before becoming the principal dancer of the troupe, Nritarutya.
Describing one of his sculptures called Noise, he says, "It was new media art, inspired by the ups and downs in life. It was called Noise because it was made of a garbage door and shaped like a graphic equalizer."
Back to dance
Umesh also mentors, manages and choreographs children's performances. "I love working with kids. In the children's wing of Nritarutya, we teach them ballet and bharatnatyam among other forms of dance. I enjoy training kids between 5-12 years because every day brings in new experiences. There is one lil' girl who always asks me to show her a step before she can try out the same. I repeat the step countless times for her. I just don't get tired. It is just so much fun. Kids learn very quickly. They are receptive and listen very carefully. I learn so much teaching dance to children," he says.
What's in a name?
Everyone close to Umesh calls him Woo. What's the story behind this? "My colleague calls me Uumesh. The uu morphed into Woo, which also means martial arts!" Umesh is also a model. He insists modelling "just happened". He has modelled for AOL, Urban Yoga and Prasad Bidapa's labels.
Future course
"I am quite nervous about attending the Danceintense workshop. This will be the first time I am travelling abroad for a residential programme. But I just can't wait to leave! There will be so much to learn. I am very excited," says the down-to-earth artiste.
As associate director of Nritarutya, his dream is to see his ensemble grow. "We promote Indian contemporary dance and showcase it for a global audience," he says. Nritarutya has performed at the Sama festival in New Castle, UK and at the World Performing Arts Festival at Pakistan.
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