Shiamak Davar’s Summer Funk has organically grown from seven students to millions in over 20 cities. The dancing guru chatted with Pallavi Gupta about his latest act with John Travolta
For a dance novice to have the mentorship of the acclaimed specialists could be enthralling. The opportunity to not only learn finer nuances of evolving genres but also perform them in front of the industry stalwarts adds to the fever of summer masti. Shiamak Davar’s annual workshop, Summer Funk, has been a perfect mix of spices for a dance fanatic for years, and to make things spicier, the funk this year is organising an inter-city competition for participants. It will be judged by Shiamak himself and Master Marzee.
“I’ve actually never believed in competitions before. For me, everyone should feel good about themselves. But this Summer Funk, we decided to arrange a big competition that could help students to push themselves and work as a team. I’ve personally travelled to most cities and picked up contestants,” said Shiamak.
The summer workshop started about thirty years ago with seven students. Today it has organically grown to over twenty cities in India apart from making its presence felt in Canada, Australia, UAE, UK and US. “Once kids enter the dance class, they dance in the moment and let their spirits free. No one is judged when they come to my school. They just learn dance and techniques in a fun, stress-free environment. My instructors are trained to make everyone feel special,” he said.
Shiamak’s style of dance is a mix of the east and the west. Having performed across the globe, he shares, “I think dance defines each city. For me, it is the art that matters more than the location. My choreography is inspired by the local architectural and cultural elements.”
The latkas and jhatkas are an essential part of Bollywood, and he has given initial platform to many big stars. “Most of them come to me to get trained before entering into the industry or while they’re in it. Whether it is Shahid Kapoor, Sushant Singh Rajput, Varun Dhawan or anyone else, they get the confidence by the right kind of training and discipline. Dance gives you that extra edge to become a superstar. Even today when they come for my shows, they cry and tell me how much they miss dancing at my dance school,” he said.
Shiamak made the legendary John Travalto groove on his tunes at IIFA Awards recently. It was a dream come true for him. He expressed, “We’ve all grown up watching dance-based films like Saturday Night Fever and Grease. In fact I’ve played John Travolta’s character Danny in Grease. So for me, this was all too surreal. I was like a child, who was extremely excited. I took his popular moves and gave it a Bollywood twist. He was so sweet and it was an absolute pleasure choreographing him.”