His hands, eyes and even expressions say, naach naach ke duniya hila de. A dancer at heart, it seems his body moves in trance with the music. Better known as a choreographer and now a name synonymous with Dance India Dance, he is Terrence Lewis—the man behind those breathtaking and sensuous moves of Antara Mali in the movie Naach. Though the movie bombed at the BO, it sure left a dancer’s mark on 70 mm.

And it was on Thursday that we met this young and enigmatic dancer who was in the city to promote the show Dance India Dance along with one of the four finalists— Jai Kumar Nair.

Having specialised in Indian folk, contemporary and neo-classical dance forms, for Terrence dance is the soul of life, but he completed his education first and then continued with his passion. “I was always interested in dance, but it was after completing my hotel management degree that I made a clear distinction that I wanted to make dance my career for life.”

He adds, “When I started out in 1991, we had no reality shows but today, youngsters have a platform to showcase their talent. We had to build our career step-by-step.”

So, does he feel reality shows give a sound grounding to the participants? “Yes, they do. Who knew these boys or girls before, or for that matter, me too. Today, we are a household name, people recognise us even beyond Mumbai and this is what a good platform means. Rest, it depends on the individual, how he/she utilises the given fame.”

For the first time in the city, we ask why he chose Chandigarh out of all the cities in the country for promotion. “Well, Jai gets maximum votes from the city. And so, we decided to thank the people in person.”

Coming to the concept of voting, isn’t it unfair sometimes? “We cannot deny the fact, but it is unjust sometimes. I have lost some of my wonderful dancers in this process. All I want to say here is, people don’t vote for a face or an emotional story, but for a dancer and his talent.”

With so many dance shows on television, how does he rate this show? “When it was concerning a dance show, I was skeptic, but this show is definitely hatke, as we are the sole owners of the show. We do not have actors to pass the buck . We chose the dancers; we are teaching them and in the end, their victory or loss is ours too, as it’s our skill that they are performing on stage.”

What about him, is he a self -trained dancer, “Partially self taught. My first guru was Parvesh Shetty, whose words, ‘you’re the best of the worst’ have made me what I am. It was she who told me that if you want to be a professional dancer learn the technique and finer nuances.”

Well, rest is history, Terrence later received scholarships, including the dance WEB scholarship to Vienna, Austria.

Ask him is classical dance important to learn and he says, “Discipline is important in any field and it’s only classical form of dance that can give you a sound grounding.”

Not only a choreographer, Terence is a teacher too, and takes number of workshops abroad (he was also a teacher for the Impulstanz festival at Vienna). Ask him is Indian classical dance popular abroad and he says, “Kathak and Bharatnatayam are quite popular, people want to know about mudras, movements and from Bollywood too, they want to learn the dance forms that were pictured in movies like Mughal-e-Azam and Umrao Jaan.”

He adds, “Earlier, I had just three workshops abroad, but now I have nine, so this can give you an idea on how popular Indian dance forms are.”

What about Bollywood projects, “I am choreographing for What’s Your Rashi and a Sanjay Leela Bhansali movie that stars Hrithik and Ash, apart from this, my hands are full with international workshops.”

Last, do males or females make better choreographers? “In real life, men dance to women’s tunes, but in reel life, women dance to male tunes. We have both the X and Y chromosomes, so we have an advantage in creativity.” Well, that’s some dance chemistry

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He finds energy in the melted form and then solidifies it through his sculptures. Chiselled with his sensitive hands, each piece captures the raw energy of life and a rhythm which is universal. Parminder Singh, the homegrown artist who has been part of almost all major exhibitions of the city and whose creations find a place at most happening art venues like Hotel Mountview, Kalagram and the Fine Arts Museum, Panjab University, is taking 15 of his new works to the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi.

His works are based on the philosophy that the maximum energy of this universe is conserved in liquid form, hence rhythm and motion are two important hallmarks of his works.

“Life requires motion and rhythm is the soul of all motion. Balance thus achieved is a mystery and a rare achievement. I have really enjoyed the journey of exploring the motion amongst human figures and forms. My forms appear to melt in the warmth of human emotion,” he says.

His logic sounds complicated, but it comes with a dose of imagination which is judiciously blended and the result is mesmerizing, like the one called Mind and Leaf in black stone, Birth in Wood and Shakti Chakra in black stone and Birth Energy in white marble.

“For me, the human mind is the most amazing creation of the Almighty. So, my works reflect the significance of this brain in transmitting human energy,” he says.

Parminder’s exhibition titled Dissolving Stone will open at Palm Court Gallery of the Habitat Centre on June 8. — TNS

While her childhood chums indulged in filmy gossips about their favourite film stars, the suave, sober and sweet Sangeeta used to voice her admiration for classical dance icons like Birju Maharaj. Unlike many of them who dreamt to become a doctor or engineer, Sangeeta found her calling in classical music and dance. And now she is all set to carve a niche for herself in this realm. 

Her upbringing in the tranquil panoramic ambience of Pauri Garhwal amidst the cradle of nature where Sangeeta was born and raised, had left an indelible mark on her mind and shaped her aesthetic sensibility. Music and dance flowed in her veins and she learnt Kathak while doing her graduation at GCG, Chandigarh, and secured a degree in Kathak from Indira Kala Sangeet University, Khairgarh, later. She also did a diploma (Visharad) in Kathak from Bhatkhandey Mahavidyalya, Dehra Dun. Presently based in Panchkula, Sangeeta is on the penal of the North Zone Cultural Centre and Song and Drama Division (the Govt of India) a regular artiste.

But the blessed tutelage of her guru Madhukar Anand, a disciple of legendary Pandit Birju Maharaj, made the difference. Advocating for the Guru-Shishya tradition, Sangeeta claims that Guruji had exposed her to the depth and rigor of the art to an appreciable standard for years. The results were instant if my extensive performances at music festivals at Agra, Dehradun, Delhi, Jammu, Patna, Chandigarh and other venues had to go by. “But my performance at the prestigious National Classical Dance Youth Festival (Yuva Nritya Utsav) by the Rashtriya Sangeet Natak Akademy at Shimla in June last year is by far my best achievement,” she claims. “Even my selection as among the five young Kathak dancers of the country itself was a dream coming true for me who had no Godfather or a family legacy but the thrilling honour still rejuvenates me,” she adds. But despite the sudden demise of my Guruji, I am never complacent and striving hard to achieve more and propagate the classical dance traditions among the younger generation.

With Bollywood heavyweights like, Kites, My Name is Khan and Kambakkht Ishq vying for attention at the Cannes market this year, Dev Benegal's Road Movie stole the thunder as the leading global sales agent Fortissimo Films has picked up its distribution rights.

The film's leading lady Tannishtha Chatterjee, who was recently at the French Film Festival to promote the film, is elated to be a part of what she calls, "travelling cinema" and the first Indian movie to be picked up by the international sale giant at the Cannes.

"The film is a kind of cinema which is bound to have a universal appeal. It is like a dream, a fantasy-like film whose content goes across the boundaries," Tannishtha told PTI over the phone from Mumbai.

Tannishtha, who has tasted success internationally with her BAFTA-nominated film Brick Lanes, plays the love interest of the film's protagonist, actor Abhay Deol in the Road Movie.

Produced by Lost in Translation fame Ross Katz and Susan Landau, the film revolves around Deol's character, a truck driver who undertakes a life-changing journey. — PTI

Superstar Aamir Khan is all set to team up with Oscar-winning actress Kate Winslet in an international film based on Saadat Hasan Manto's famous partition story Toba Tek Singh, Femalefirst reported.

The pair will star in the film, which is based on Manto's take on the madness of partition in 1947. The story depicts the irony of the situation through the lunatics in a mental asylum in 1947.

Aamir is said to have been impressed with the script and will play the character of a mentally retarded person in the asylum.

The film will be directed by India-born filmmaker Pan Nalin, who has earlier directed highly acclaimed film Samsara.

Nalin hopes to rope in Winslet for the project but if she rejects it, he will approach Rachel Weisz to play the role of Dr Sophie in the film, the website said. — PTI