Remo D’SOUZA | The choreographer, who is also an actor and film director, has won many accolades. He has been roped in to judge Season 3 of DID Super Moms alongside Urmila Matondkar and Bhagyashree Dassani. He speaks with SUPRIYA RAMESH about how the dance landscape has evolved over the years and his journey, among other things. DID Super Moms airs on Zee TV every 
Saturday & Sunday at 9 pm

You have been associated with DID since the beginning and have mentored numerous contestants of different age groups. How has your association with co-judges and contestants been?

In the period of time, one best line that I can say is "they became my family". My co-judges, Geeta Kapoor and Terence Lewis, and my family Dharmesh, Raghav, Puneet, Salman, Prince, everyone is still in touch and is still working with me. They are working and we get together when there is a festival or some other occasion. It's been a long association. We are all very close and are there for one another.

What do you think about DID Super Moms?

Moms are outstanding! Each and every one of them. For me, all  mothers are winners because they handle work, house, kids all alone. I don't know how do they do it, but they are amazing.

Since your television debut in 2009, how has the dance landscape evolved over the years?

I think it has evolved to a level which I had never thought of. So fast and so amazing! We had two groups from our show that went on to become world champions. "Kings United" won the World of Dance and "The Unbeatable" won America's Got Talent. I'm very proud to see dance evolve. It's the best thing for me.

Amongst the bunch of super talented dancers and choreographers, how tough is it to decide a winner?

That's the toughest job. But here, we put it on voting. It's the audience who picks the best. Everyone is so amazing, fantastic and it becomes very hard to decide one winner.

Which dance form is opted by the majority of learners in India and why?

I think hip-hop is the one that everyone is inclined towards.

Coming from a non-film family, how difficult was it to make a mark in the industry?

A totally different background and then getting into dancing, it was a very tough thing. My father, brother and even my neighbours were against what I was doing. So, convincing all of them took a lot of hard work actually. Once I came to Mumbai, I proved myself and there was no going back. Thankfully, now everything is sorted and I see that people want their children to be dancers. That change is what makes me happy.

Your father wanted you to join the Indian Air Force; how did you convince him about choosing a career in dancing?

I convinced my mother and my sisters, they were with me and that’s how I won. I have four sisters and with my mother, it’s five against one.

We have been blessed with best dancers, be it in classical or western and you yourself have set an example for many. Who is your inspiration and why?

My inspiration since the beginning is only one person, Michael Jackson. In India, it is Prabhu Deva. I think he is India's best dancer. Individually, he is the god of dance in India. He got the revolution and inspired so many to become background dancers, choreographers and directors. I have also promised him, no matter what film I do, I have to have you in that film. He is my lucky charm.

You have been inclined toward dance forms like ballet, acrobatics, mid-air dancing, contemporary, Bollywood and hip-hop. Have you ever tried your hand at classical form?

Yes, I keep trying classical form in my films and shows as well. I did a whole film around the classical West Bengal dance form called Chhau. We have to push our audience to like classical more so that we can get more dancers in Indian culture.

Which is your favourite dance form and why?

I can't pinpoint my favourite dance form because I love dancing and any form of dancing is my favourite. I love Hindi film industry. People say it's Bollywood style. It's not Bollywood style, it's a mix of every dance form in the world and it comes together here. That's the form I like.