RAHUL SHETTY, who has choreographed for Street Dancer 3D, speaks with SHALINI SAKSENA about his journey as a dancer, what got him interested and the challenges this profession throws up

You choreographed for Street Dance 3D. How did it happen?

I have been associated with the ABCD franchisee since the beginning. I was a part of the cast in ABCD1 and choreographed Prabhu Deva sir, Varun Dhawan and Shraddha Kapoor in ABCD2. For Street Dancer 3D, I got a call from Remo D’Souza sir; he wanted me to head choreography for the film along with Kruti Mahesh. We choreographed all the songs which was super fun. It was an honour to choreograph Prabhu Deva sir once again. Got to create some crazy stuff for Varun Dhawan, Shraddha Kapoor and Norah Fatehi as well.

What got you interested in dancing?

When I was young, I used to watch TV and learn dance from songs performed by Prabhu Deva sir and Hrithik Roshan. I would get inspiration from their moves. I have been dancing since childhood. It began with a performance at a society gathering and was awarded first position. That got me excited and pushed me towards dancing. Then I started performing at school annual day functions and realised that I wanted to take up dance professionally. Back then, dancing was not considered as a good career choice so I pursued Engineering.

The best part was that it led me to choreography where one creates something great in a studio and then when the song releases the whole world starts following that step and it goes viral. That’s an amazing feeling.

How did your dancing career begin?

My dancing career started when I used to audition for brand commercials, dance reality shows and stage performances. I did a lot of TV ads as a child and performed in Bollywood songs with Ganesh Acharya, Bosco Caesar and Ahmed Khan. At age 6, I was already dancing and acting in the industry.

What was your parents’ reaction when you quit engineering?

I didn’t quit. I finished my qualification but alongside engineering I was also auditioning and performing. I didn’t want to upset my parents. I too wanted a degree in hand. My parents were therefore supportive. It was after my engineering that I asked them to give me a year so that I could explore dance as a career.

What were the challenges in choreographing Chammiya song?

Chammiya song is a fun number made by Gaurav and Rimi, which has an upbeat Bollywood desi touch. More than a challenge I was excited to choreograph it because it had Shakti Mohan who is a fabulous dancer and DJ Bravo whom I admired as a cricketer. The challenge was to shoot the song in less time and still give the best output with so many artists featuring in it.

What are the trends in dance today?

Dancing is a profession where trends keeps changing like we change our outfits every day and because of social media nowadays it changes so often.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

I get the inspiration from a lot of random people around me, be it the kid dancing on the road or a traffic cop handling the traffic. Everything in and around us has some movement. I try and pick inspiration from it add my twist to it so that it becomes unique.

Who are the best dancers in Bollywood today?

Tiger Shroff and Varun Dhawan are great dancers and inspire the youth today just like Prabhu Deva sir and Hrithik Roshan did when we were kids.

What are the points to keep in mind while choreographing?

I think there are no rules or the right way to create a choreography. When I choreograph, I move with the music and let my body and mind create what it feels at that moment. I try by myself so that the output is different. Otherwise there are chances that you might get influenced by the people you follow or the dance videos you watch often.

What is the biggest challenge for choreographers today?

Social media is a boon and a curse at the same time. For people who have been learning this craft from senior artists will do great in future because the foundation is strong. At the same time there are choreographers who are doing good and have emerged from YouTube and Instagram which  may fade away with time. One should keep learning and work on one’s craft to be future ready.