Indian fusion expert Kumar Sharma hosts masterclass for S African Kathak dancers
Kumar Sharma and Rashi Narula of the dancing crew Kathak Rockers, who have created a unique dance style Kathak Fusion, hosted a special class for Kathak dancers in South Africa at the Indian Consulate here on Monday.
Versha Magan, founder of the Jazzy Masala Dance School, who had welcomed the group for a show in Johannesburg a few years ago, arranged the session in cooperation with Consul General for India in Johannesburg Anju Ranjan.
Sharma said the class was part of a world tour which will see them flying on to Kenya in East Africa next.
Although he belongs to the Jaipur Kathak Gharana, Sharma said he was inspired to take up the challenge of fusing the classical dance form with Bollywood style after seeing legendary Kathak exponent Pandit Birju Maharajs work in Sanjay Leela Bhansalis 2000 film “Devdas”.
“I was so impressed with the way he put beautiful Kathak notes in the Bollywood movie, that I felt I should try this with popular music. I believed I could put more Kathak steps into the music, and maybe I could attract more youngsters,” he said.
And, the experiment worked out well for Sharma.
“The audiences in my TV shows in India loved it and wanted more,” the dancer, who has performed with his group on popular Indian shows like “Dance Deewane” and “Kaun Banega Crorepati”, added.
Sharma also lauded Magan for the developmental work she was doing in the field of Indian dance in South Africa.
Magan said it was a privilege for the dancers from her school to work with Sharmas troupe.
“We are hoping to do another show here together in March next year,” the choreographer said.
According to Ranjan, Sharma has transformed Kathak and made it more accessible to the youth.
“His new form of Kathak is easier to follow and makes more sense to the younger generation,” the consul general for India in Johannesburg said, adding that this event brought back memories of the many programmes that were hosted at the Consulates Indian Cultural Centre before it was shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We are in discussions with the headquarters to reopen the Cultural Centre,” she further said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Federal staff and is auto-published from a syndicated feed.)