New all-girl Mumbai crew wants to popularise the dance form of Jazz

Svetana KanwarNo one thought Svetana Kanwar would become a dancer She wasnrsquot a natural she didnrsquot have the petite delicate build expected of dancers but was strong and tall with a broad frame she was always the last person to pick up choreographed steps ldquoAt 18 when I announced that I wanted to give up my studies and pursue dancing full time people were surprisedrdquo says Kanwar who looked at dance as therapy to help her through a rough patch in her life ldquoIrsquove always been a stubborn person Because I was told I couldnrsquot do it I set out to prove people wrongrdquoLeft to right The BOM Squad comprises Sharvani Pandey Svetana Kanwar Virali Parekh Arya Mehta Hemanshi Choksi and Roshini NairToday the 27yearold Kanwar teaches Jazz at the Big Dance Centre in Andheri after an eightyear stint with Ashley Loborsquos Danceworx In June this year she teamed up with five other dancers to start The BOM Squad mdash an all girls Jazz crew Last week at a city festival the group put up their first stage show in BandraSmooth like JazzldquoJazz isnrsquot a popular dance style here It is based on strength and a lot of movement and is very sensual We want to spread the popularity of this dance style and get more people interested in Jazz in all its forms be it street lyrical or funkrdquo she saysThe BOM Squad lineup includes Kanwar Virali Parekh Roshini Nair Sharvani Pandey Hemanshi Choksi the newest member on the team and the youngest 16yearold Arya Mehta lastly Natasha Shetty acts as a backup for the dancers Most of them are Kanwarrsquos former students or friends ldquoWhen you talk about crew everyone instantly imagines HipHop or Contemporary dance We want to break out of that thinkingrdquo she saysAs of now the group is focusing on practising and training Theyrsquore also receiving a lot of offers to do videos their most recent one was a spoof with digital channel TVF They also make their own videos One of the most popular ones is a dancerrsquos tribute to women based on the Amitabh Bachchan poem Tu Chal from the movie Pink ldquoOur crew is made up of women with different personalities upbringing and family lives and yet we make it work We want to show people that women can be strong and sexy but can also have a fun quirky siderdquo says Parekh 25 who brainstormed with Kanwar back in May about forming a crew of dancersPractice makes perfectAnother important aspect that The BOM Squad wants to get across is the importance of training ldquoThese days everyone wants to attend a workshop and learn how to dance And from there move on to doing shoots or videos But to dance it is important to have regular practice and to keep trainingrdquo says Kanwar adding that since theyrsquore selffunded their training is usually restricted to twice a weekThe grouprsquos next gig will be at the Kala Ghoda Festival next yearLog on to The BOM Squad on Facebook