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Sooraj Katoch
Without songs and dance, Hindi cinema would be incomplete. The form of dancing was mainly influenced by Kathak and Bharatnatyam at the time of its establishment, but cabaret dance and other western dance forms soon found their way into choreography. There has always been a constant evolution, from large group performances in a song to only the hero and heroine singing and dancing around trees to crazy Hip Hop moves.
Disco was popular in the 1980s, and freestyle dance was popular in the 1990s. Bollywood dance is now regarded as a genre in itself. “Given the current scenario, I believe the Bollywood dance scene will continue to evolve. When Bollywood initially came around, I found movies fascinating because I was choreographing in a moving frame rather than in a static one," says Sooraj Katoch, who is considered to be the pioneer of modern dance in India.
“Associating with Hip-Hop artists and rappers was a significant change for me since it was the first time the audience saw the western Hip-Hop style of dance on an Indian stage in songs like 'Wakhra Swag' and 'All Black.' I believe a lot has changed for the better since then.” He adds further.
Bollywood is a crucible for all dance styles and forms. There were a lot of classical influences in the dances in the early days of cinema, then folk dances and other western dance styles like Twist, Cabernet, Cha Cha Cha, and Rock and Roll were popular. Later, we saw a change to Disco, then Break Dance, then Jazz Broadway, and now Hip Hop reigns supreme on the silver screen.
Sooraj explains, “Much like fashion, dance styles come and go but what endures is the core of expressiveness, which is the best part of our cinema.” Because dancing is as much a component of storytelling as the script, he claims that the transformation occurs when there is a new narrative. "When vamps were prominent in our movies, western dance grew in popularity. Today street dance has become the season's toast, especially because films have gotten more worldwide and are shot primarily in foreign countries.”
Moving further, he also attributes the shifting landscape in dance to reality shows. “Dancing has exploded in popularity in the last one and half decades. Since the introduction of reality shows, the general public has become more aware of the many dance forms. And not No only that, but they want to see the actors performing it.”
From starting his career as a background dancer and becoming a celebrated choreographer, Sooraj Katoch is now also branching out into direction as his new music album ‘Aitbaar’ is set to be released soon. He also believes that any actor who enters the industry comes well-prepared. “As a result, when newcomers begin in Bollywood, they are aware that they must do so and study all of the techniques. When I choreograph now, it's not the same as when I first started. If I work with young stars, I know I'll be able to try out some really cool moves that they'll be able to carry off easily.” He concludes.
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