Arindam Ganguly, OP
Bhubaneswar: Budding dancers and salsa dance enthusiasts of the city got an occasion to learn the nuances of Salsa from renowned danseuse and champion from India Elvis Mascarenhas, 27, who was here to attend a two-day Salsa dance workshop being organised by Divine Dance and Music Academy here Tuesday. The dancer from Mumbai won championship at his maiden attempt at the World Salsa Summit held in Miami in January. Elvis Hillary and his dance partner Namrata Wittke, 31, with whom he had formed a dance institute, had represented India at the global dance competition, which saw participants from nearly 45 countries. While Mascarenhas won gold in the solo-men’s category called Rising Star, Wittke was declared second runners-up in the freestyle category. Elvis, who has visited Odisha for the second time, told Orissa POST that he was impressed by the enthusiasm of local dancers.
The dancer will discuss techniques of Salsa dance forms during the workshop. Mascarenhas said Salsa is a rhythmic dance form wherein the dancer has to keep pace with music by maintaining the body movement above the waist, with upand-down shoulder moves and shifting of the ribcage. He said the popular notion is that Salsa is a couple dance, but it can be done solo. Elvis had won the competition in solo category in Miami. Salsa like other dance forms can be done solo or duet. “You have to connect with the music and must have control over your body movements to synchronise with music.
A dancer of any age can perform Salsa without difficulty,” said Elvis who is also proficient in other dance forms such as hiphop and freestyle. He said Salsa nowadays attracted huge audiences and at the workshops many students have showcased their talent. Salsa has different forms such as Colombian style, AfroLatin style and Cuban style among others.
Narrating his success at Miami Elvis said he used to watch a lot of videos from the championships uploaded on YouTube. “Since 2014, we are being trained by a dance academy in New York for three months each year. The instructors there really liked my practice and told me that I was going to be the winner. This encouraged me,” said Mascarenhas, adding he intends to compete in the tournament once again. Elvis has opened a dance school with his partner Manrata Wittke where students are being trained in various styles of Salsa including the traditional Angolan form Kizomba. The participants will compete in the open forum on the second day of the workshop which will be judged by Eivis and Harihar Das at Bhanja Kala Mandap in the city Wednesday.