India's gold medalists at Jinxiu Cup talk about their dance to victory

Bollywood movies, including the recent Anybody Can Dance (ABCD) and SRK-starrer, Happy New Year, have featured themes where Indian dancers bring home the cup from International dance competitions. Making these reel-life glories real, Indian dancers Diago Pereira and Reesha Dhulap, the lone Indian couple to be invited to compete at the second World Dance Open (WDC) Jinxiu Cup 2016, held in China, won four gold medals. The duo competed against 800 dancers across categories, from 34 participating countries. "We have been dancing for 10 years now. This was the first time we were invited to a competition that was fully sponsored. In fact, in 2010 when we were to represent India at the Asian games in China, Amitabh Bachchan had offered to sponsor us. At that point the Indian Olympic Association was not too keen to send us. They didn't think dance was a medal winning prospect. We missed that opportunity," shares Pereira, who started learning Jazz and Contemporary dance before taking to Ballroom. The couple's partnership has a long medal trail beginning with the Indian leg of Dancesport. In 2012 they won their first Asian gold in the 4 Dance Category (Latin) at the 2nd Rhythmworld Dancesport Championship held in Sri Lanka, and then went on to win silver and gold at the Miri International Dance Championships in successive years.

Diago Pereira and Reesha Dhulap

Dancefloor dynamics
"In India, people are more into social dancing. Dancesport requires fitness levels, training and stamina of a sportsman. It also requires, studio space (for rehearsals) and accessories like dance shoes that are expensive. It took us more than three years to just qualify and get past the quarter finals," shares Dhulap. Pereira tells us that Dancesport features ten dance styles; five latin - Zumba, Samba, Cha Cha, Jive and Paso Doble and five Ballroom - Waltz, Tango, Fox Trot, Viennese Waltz and Quickstep.

"There are at least six judges at every competition and each is assigned a criteria to note (technique, rhythm, performance, musicality and partnering skills.) There are about ten to twelve couples dancing at one point so costumes and presentation make a difference too, and help you get noticed," he says.

While dance shows on television, both Indian and international, have made the audience aware of newer dance forms, they haven't encouraged Indians taking up Dance as a sport. "We tend to Bollywood-ise all forms of dance," says Dhulap. Shannon Benjamin and Rajeswari Vaidyanathan, founders of Shan & Ragz's Indian Dancesport Council believe that there is a large gap between the standard of Dancing in the West and in India. "Abroad, people become world champions at the age of 20 or earlier, here however, they take to Ballroom dancing post the age of 25. Younger people pick forms like Hip-Hop and Jazz," shares Vaidyanathan.

Shannon Benjamin and Rajeswari Vaidyanathan

"Reesha and I started Tanz Verden Ballroom International to teach competitive Ballroom dancing and we are seeing a growing interest in the form, so there is hope," Pereira says on a brighter note.