Because the gym is off limits, four Mumbai dancers are offering online lessons to make sure you stay fit to weather the storm
All that jazz
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The Bom Squad run by dancer Svetana Kanwar has now taken the digital route for classes to make sure her students don't lose touch with jazz techniques. "Being out of touch will mean more work later. Plus, I wanted to catch up with training and technique myself too," says Kanwar, who moved to Mumbai 17 years ago from Dehradun to follow her dreams. And so, the 30-year-old Andheri resident is offering classes twice a week — Mondays and Thursdays — open to everyone on Instagram, that will focus on jazz techniques. She will also be conducing choreography tutorials for her squad every two to three days a week. These will include a mix of Hindi and English songs such as Ghungroo and Jee karda. She also has a YouTube channel where you can sift through older choreographies of The Bom Squad.
Log on to Svetana Kanwar's Instagram handle
Kids' groove
Professional dancers Akshay Murarka and Dionne D'Mello, who started AnD choreography five years ago, were already conducting online tutorials for adults when Murarka's conversation with his six-year-old niece made them realise they could start doing sessions with kids. "You can't play with your stuffed toys and screens forever," says Murarka. So, they're conducting one tutorial a week for kids and their parents, which is interactive and semi-easy, keeping in mind the short attention span of kids.
Log on to andchoreography (Insta and YouTube)
Bollywood calling
Dancer Rajat Bakshi's first Insta live dance session last Sunday was an attempt to encourage people to stay at home. It was also how he got his students from different parts of the world to join in and dance along in these troubled times. "Staying at home can affect you mentally. I keep telling my parents to exercise a bit, and not just stay glued to their screens as doing so can demotivate you," he says. And to reach out to more people, Bakshi has deviated from his usual street and hip-hop styles, and dipped into Bollywood. "Bollywood connects everyone all over the world and I picked a remix of a Punjabi tune — Nacha nu jee karda," he says, adding that he is trying to tie up with NGOs to do fundraisers with them.
Log on to iamrajatbakshi.com
Waacking for good posture
Skype is the preferred platform for Chow En Lai, who specialises in waacking — the street dance from Los Angeles. "This requires coordination as my students and I have to be on the same wavelength, and I have to be able explain the nuances to them as and when they need. Besides, Insta live gives you a mirror image so they will find it difficult to tell from my left to right. And it's crucial that students see exactly what you are doing," Lai tells us. And so, he's taken on smaller groups of eight so that he can give them enough attention for classes twice a week (Tuesdays and Thursdays).
Log on to chowenlai (Insta)
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