Wednesday, 30 October 2013
Muddasar Khan: You will see a lot of dance forms in DID season 4!
The fourth season of Dance India Dance will begin from October 26. We caught up with the three new judges of the show – Muddasar Khan, Shruti Merchant and Feroz Khan – and here is what they had to say…
The show that brought many dance forms such as locking and popping, slow motion, hip-hop, contemporary and many others into the Indian limelight is back with a bang. Yes, we are talking about the most popular dance reality show on Indian TV, Zee TV’s Dance India Dance (DID). The contest is back with its fourth season and will start from October 26.As we told you already the new season of DID will see a new and younger trio of judges. While Remo D’Souza, Geeta Kapur and Terence Lewis – the former judges – will still be associated with the show, Season 4 will see three new experts taking the chairs. Muddasar Khan (the man behind some of Salman Khan’s popular moves in chartbusters from films like Ready, Dabangg 2 and Bodyguard), Shruti Merchant (sister and assistant of Vaibhavi Merchant, and choreographer in films like Dhoom, Rab Ne Bana De Jodi, Kal Ho Naa Ho and Devdas) and Feroz Khan (Farah Khan’s assistant, who has smash hits like Maa daa laadla from Dostana and Move your body from Johnny Gaddar to his credit) will lend a new dimension to DID.
We caught up with the three new masters of the reality show to get chatty….
How did DID happen to the three of you?
Feroz Khan – To be honest, DID just happened to me. I was very busy doing Bollywood films. One day I just got a call from Essel Vision (production house) saying that they wanted to meet me for a reality show. They didn’t give details on the phone. It was very secret. I went to the office and had a long chat with them. They actually did a lot of homework. They knew everything about my background. We had a long discussion and then they told me that it was for a dance reality show and they would call me for a screen test. So later I did that and then they told me it was for DID and that’s how it all happened.
Muddasar Khan – I was in Kolkata when I got a call from the production house. I immediately took a flight and came to Mumbai. First they told me that they wanted me to be the judge for DID Super Moms, but I refused because it would have been very awkward for me to judge moms. Then they told me, if not Super Moms, they would like to have me as a judge on DID Season 4 and I immediately said yes.
Shruti Merchant – I was travelling too when I got a call from the producers. Like Feroz, they had done background research on me. They told me that they would do a screen test. After a couple of days, I did the screen test and I was in.
All three of you have worked in Bollywood films. How do your mentors feel, seeing you on the judges panel of DID?
Muddasar – After everything was confirmed, I went to Salman (Khan) bhai’s house and told him that I am doing DID. He was really happy. I don’t know why, but I was actually very scared to tell him; but when I got a good reaction from him, I breathed a sigh of relief. I mean, a man like him who has changed my life is telling me ‘All the best’, then it’s a big thing!
Feroz – Farah maa was super duper excited. She was the first person I called after I got a call from the production house. Truly, she was really very happy. Whatever I am here today is because of one lady in my life – after my mother and father is Farah maa. I started as a background dancer with Ahmed (Khan) for few months and then I joined Farah maa as a background dancer again. After a few years, I became assistant choreographer and now I am here doing DID.
Shruti – I told Vaibhavi (Merchant) di about DID and she just told me one thing. She told me that the DID chair will take you to new heights. She was really very happy for me. I have learned a lot from my sister and I won’t let her down.
So what will the judging criteria be this time?
Shruti – The format has not changed. We are going to judge people on their versatility, the kind of effort and style they put in and of course, their hard work.
What are the new forms that we will see in DID this time?
Muddasar – Before we started the auditions, all three of us attended a number of workshops, where we learned the minutest details of each and every dance form. We even learned dances from African jungles, which have never been shown on Indian television. So you will see a lot of dance forms in the fourth season of DID.
Spectators will always compare you with the previous judges. Will you feel bad, or proud and happy?
Feroz – It will be a good thing. I personally will feel very lucky that I am being compared to Remo sir, Terence sir and Geeta maa, considering that they are big names in the industry now. I’ll be very proud and happy.
Muddasar – I completely agree with Feroz. The previous judges have acquired a name in the industry, so there is nothing wrong when people compare us with them.
Shruti – We all knew that we would be compared to the previous judges when we came on board. In fact, a lot of people have told us that there are a lot of similarities between us and Remo sir, Terence sir and Geeta maa.
Did you interact with Remo, Terence and Geeta?
Shruti – Well, actually, we didn’t!
Feroz – I spoke to only one person and that is Geeta maa, because she is family to me. After calling Farah maa, I called her and told about DID 4. She was choreographing the acts at SAIFTA Awards in South Africa and she was really excited. She told me that she already knew that I was being roped in for DID. Obviously, because she is a part of DID family, aur family mein kuch baat chhupti nahi hai!
source links
http://www.bollywoodlife.com/news-gossip/muddasar-khan-you-will-see-a-lot-of-dance-forms-in-the-did-season-4/
An exciting fourth season of the popular dance reality show started this week.
‘Dance India Dance Season 4’ will see a new and young crop of ultra-talented judges on the panel. While the judges and masters from the first three seasons – Remo D’souza, Geeta Kapur and Terence Lewis would still be associated with the show, Season 4 will see three new judges taking the chair. Muddasar Khan (the man behind some of Salman Khan’s popular moves in chart busters from films like ‘Ready’, ‘Dabangg 2’ and ‘Bodyguard’), Shruti Merchant (sister and assistant of Vaibhavi Merchant, Shruti has choreographed for films like ‘Dhoom’, ‘Rab Ne Bana De Jodi’, ‘Kal Ho Naa Ho’) and Feroz Khan (Farah Khan’s assistant, who has smash hits like ‘Maa daa laadla’ from Dostana and ‘Move Your Body’ from Johnny Gaddar to his credit, will lend a new dimension to the show.
The new season also promises something special for the Middle East viewers. Auditions were held in Dubai a few weeks back and UAE truly put its best dancing foot forward. Judge Mudassar Khan was in town to judge the auditions and finally five talented dancers from the UAE were selected to move forward in the show. Four dancers, Hitesh Rajani, Suman Bisht, Priyanka Bhatia and Kayannush Mehta were selected for the mega auditions while the talented Sunil Chettri was selected for the pre-auditions in Mumbai. Judge Mudassar Khan was very amazed with the talent on-display here in the UAE. He said "The dancing talent here in the UAE is truly commendable. It was a very difficult decision to shortlist finalists. I am very confident that few of the selected finalists from the UAE will go a long way in the competition."
‘Dance India Dance Season 4’ will be aired on Zee TV every Saturday and Sunday at 8.30pm
Monday, 28 October 2013
Friday, 25 October 2013
http://www.zeetv.com/did4/
http://www.zeetv.com/did4/
Mudassar Khan, Salman Khan's blue-eyed boy and an international level hip-hop dancer has choreographed many difficult songs, but now he faces the biggest challenge of his career. The seat of a judge for this season’s DID and he has to live up to the expectations of aspiring dancers and his own high standards. But he is confident of delivering as he has always done and is geared up to #DanceItOut.
Feroz Khan's versatility in dance is upheld by his extensive experience in choreographing for Bollywood blockbusters, international films, as well as international Broadway musical shows. Responsibility has always driven Feroz Khan and today he takes over the DID judge’s chair. He wants to deliver on the responsibilities that go with the chair and show the next generation the way to #DanceItOut..
Master's Profile
Mudassar Khan
See what Salman Khan and DID S4 have in common.Mudassar Khan, Salman Khan's blue-eyed boy and an international level hip-hop dancer has choreographed many difficult songs, but now he faces the biggest challenge of his career. The seat of a judge for this season’s DID and he has to live up to the expectations of aspiring dancers and his own high standards. But he is confident of delivering as he has always done and is geared up to #DanceItOut.
Shruti Merchant
Shruti Merchant, the younger sister of Vaibhavi Merchant, is going to live her dream – her dream to join the next dance movement by being a judge on DID. As a judge, she wants to help the contestants bring out their best so that they can realize their potential and #DanceItOut.
Feroz Khan
Watch the 'Khan' of Dance rock the DID stageFeroz Khan's versatility in dance is upheld by his extensive experience in choreographing for Bollywood blockbusters, international films, as well as international Broadway musical shows. Responsibility has always driven Feroz Khan and today he takes over the DID judge’s chair. He wants to deliver on the responsibilities that go with the chair and show the next generation the way to #DanceItOut..
Wednesday, 23 October 2013
Now enter 'DID' through online platform
The makers of "Dance India Dance" (DID) are initiating an online competition called "Online Dance India Dance" and the winners will get a chance to participate in " DID 4".
"The most talented amongst those who participate in the online platform will stand a chance to be a part of 'DID 4' by way of a wild card entry," Bharat Kumar Ranga, Chief Creative and Content Officer (CCCO), ZEEL said in a statement.
The dance reality show will be judged by choreographers Mudassar Khan, Shruti Merchant and Feroz Khan.
The fourth edition will begin Oct 26 and will be aired on Zee TV. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tv/news/Now-enter-DID-through-online-platform/articleshow/24295717.cms?
"The most talented amongst those who participate in the online platform will stand a chance to be a part of 'DID 4' by way of a wild card entry," Bharat Kumar Ranga, Chief Creative and Content Officer (CCCO), ZEEL said in a statement.
The dance reality show will be judged by choreographers Mudassar Khan, Shruti Merchant and Feroz Khan.
The fourth edition will begin Oct 26 and will be aired on Zee TV. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tv/news/Now-enter-DID-through-online-platform/articleshow/24295717.cms?
Salman Khan's discovery to judge Dance India Dance 4?
The judging trio of the fourth season of popular dance reality show, Dance India Dance, have almost been finalized.
According to sources, Shruti (also known as Vaibhavi Merchant, popular Bollywood choreographer) is one of them. Vaibhavi was last seen as a judge on Star Plus' Just Dance, which marked Hrithik Roshan's debut on the small screen.
Joining her will be choreographers Feroz Khan and Mudassar Khan. Feroz has been an assistant to choreographer-turned-producer Farah Khan. The latter is currently seen as a judge on Dance India Dance Supermoms. Feroz shot to fame for choreographing Maa Da Laadla (Dostana) and Tere Bin (Bas Ek Pal). Mudassar, better known as Bollywood actor Salman Khan's discovery, had designed the moves of Humka Peeni Hai from Dabangg. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tv/news/Salman-Khans-discovery-to-judge-Dance-India-Dance-4/articleshow/22096430.cms?
According to sources, Shruti (also known as Vaibhavi Merchant, popular Bollywood choreographer) is one of them. Vaibhavi was last seen as a judge on Star Plus' Just Dance, which marked Hrithik Roshan's debut on the small screen.
Joining her will be choreographers Feroz Khan and Mudassar Khan. Feroz has been an assistant to choreographer-turned-producer Farah Khan. The latter is currently seen as a judge on Dance India Dance Supermoms. Feroz shot to fame for choreographing Maa Da Laadla (Dostana) and Tere Bin (Bas Ek Pal). Mudassar, better known as Bollywood actor Salman Khan's discovery, had designed the moves of Humka Peeni Hai from Dabangg. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tv/news/Salman-Khans-discovery-to-judge-Dance-India-Dance-4/articleshow/22096430.cms?
Shava shava to steamy salsa
Salsa,
they say causes heavy breathing, and Agampreet Singh would agree. She
has felt a strain on the heart ever since her husband picked this
particular contact sport, and a younger partner. "What's wrong with
bhangra?" she wails.
Like Singh, men and women in cities like Chandigarh, Mysore, and Rajkot — cities one wouldn't immediately associate with Latin and ballroom dancing — have lately stumbled upon moves like the Forward Lock and the Turkish Towel.
In a country reflexively trained to keep the opposite sex at arm's length, the invitation to get close and simulate a passion that's scarcely expressed in the dark, even with spouses, takes a bit of urging. Which is why dance instructors bringing these forms to virgin ground are taking cautious, circuitous steps to the ballroom.
In Chandigarh, for example, it's via dance-workout that men and women are given a taste of cha-cha or merengue. I incorporate some cha-cha steps into routine set to bhangra music," says Jasmeet K Shan, a tutor who holds ballroom and Latin classes in Chandigarh. Shan's own footwork progressed in complexity and technique over four years, beginning with classes in Delhi. She then had cousins in the UK send over videos of their own lessons.
But, Shan says, it's slow going, trying to get Punjabis to pick up the Paso Doble. They'll take to something only if they believe it's fashionable," she claims. Reality shows like Dance India Dance and the Indian version of Dancing with the Stars (Jhalak Dikhla Ja) may have succeeded in drawing out potential dancers — some led by the nose by fame-ished mothers — but Shan believes their free-for-all formats don't help competitive ballroom dancing at all. As another dancer points out, many raised on tele-fare, conflate Latin dancing with aerobic swoops and ballroom with twirling their partners around like tops.
They're being disabused of this notion by instructors who are not only teaching Ballroom and Latin as forms of social or exhibition dancing, but also as competitive sport, or Dance-Sport, as it's called when the stakes are risen to gold standard. "Abroad, participants are called dance athletes," says Dr Preeti Gupta, an awardwinning athlete who, having trained and participated in championships around the world with her partner Shannon Benjamin, is now actively promoting Dancesport in India. The couple holds workshops in places like Rajkot and Chandigarh, and recently organized the annual Latin & Ballroom DanceSport Championship in Maharashtra. "In the first year we had 33 couples register for the competition; this year we had 150," she says.
Seven of these were from Rajkot. "Many in Rajkot had not even heard this sort of music before, until they arrived at the workshops we conducted in April and July this year," says Jigyasa Joshi, a 37-year-old homemaker who partners with 26-year-old Kunal Raval for performances. They run Footrapp Dance Factory and Fitness Studio, where partner dances have only just been introduced. "Rajkot isn't Bombay, here it's hard enough to get men and women to hold hands, let alone one another," says Joshi, whose own husband initially had a hard time adjusting to the sight of his wife in the arms of a younger man. "He'd much rather I stuck to Bharatnatyam, in which I'm trained," she laughs. Having twigged the truth that close contact need not breed anything other than a working relationship, the husband, a businessman in real estate, now even helps the group find venues for demonstrations.
Other husbands, having unsuccessfully tried to partner with wives, are reluctantly letting their spouses partner with others, although they insist on accompanying them to class.
"When students started dancing with strangers, they'd hold them by the tips of their fingers to minimize contact, and they'd stare at the floor throughout," Joshi reports. However, proof of progress is in the medals brought home at the recent championship in Mumbai. Four of the seven couples from Rajkot won in salsa and jive. "The women may come to class in salwar kameezes back home in Rajkot, but for the championship, they travelled to Ahmedabad in evening gowns and heels," says Joshi.
It's a new energy and emancipation evident on the dance floor. The novelty of the moves, the tempo of the music, and perhaps surmounting even these, the sanction of such coupling, is what's earning ballroom a following. These days, DanceSport championships are held in cities like Mysore and Chandigargh. Not all of them however are organized by the All-India Dance Sports Federation, an outfit headquartered in Orissa, whose job it supposedly is to promote DanceSport in the country. In fact, it is individual dancers who are spreading the word.
Couples like Santosh and Akshata Rao, from Mysore, set out on August 11 on a tandem cycle tour across India to introduce schools and colleges to ballroom dancing. The couple, having spent five months training with Diane Jarmolow (whose syllabus is globally followed in ballroom training) in Oakland, are of the opinion that ballroom dancing can build confidence and promote mutual respect between the sexes as shown in the 2005 documentary Mad Hot Ballroom. Says Santosh: "Most schools however are not open to it; they feel it would cause more problems if they encouraged boys and girls to touch each other, even if in a dance." Seems like ballroom has a long way to go in India, but it certainly making all the right moves.
Like Singh, men and women in cities like Chandigarh, Mysore, and Rajkot — cities one wouldn't immediately associate with Latin and ballroom dancing — have lately stumbled upon moves like the Forward Lock and the Turkish Towel.
In a country reflexively trained to keep the opposite sex at arm's length, the invitation to get close and simulate a passion that's scarcely expressed in the dark, even with spouses, takes a bit of urging. Which is why dance instructors bringing these forms to virgin ground are taking cautious, circuitous steps to the ballroom.
In Chandigarh, for example, it's via dance-workout that men and women are given a taste of cha-cha or merengue. I incorporate some cha-cha steps into routine set to bhangra music," says Jasmeet K Shan, a tutor who holds ballroom and Latin classes in Chandigarh. Shan's own footwork progressed in complexity and technique over four years, beginning with classes in Delhi. She then had cousins in the UK send over videos of their own lessons.
But, Shan says, it's slow going, trying to get Punjabis to pick up the Paso Doble. They'll take to something only if they believe it's fashionable," she claims. Reality shows like Dance India Dance and the Indian version of Dancing with the Stars (Jhalak Dikhla Ja) may have succeeded in drawing out potential dancers — some led by the nose by fame-ished mothers — but Shan believes their free-for-all formats don't help competitive ballroom dancing at all. As another dancer points out, many raised on tele-fare, conflate Latin dancing with aerobic swoops and ballroom with twirling their partners around like tops.
They're being disabused of this notion by instructors who are not only teaching Ballroom and Latin as forms of social or exhibition dancing, but also as competitive sport, or Dance-Sport, as it's called when the stakes are risen to gold standard. "Abroad, participants are called dance athletes," says Dr Preeti Gupta, an awardwinning athlete who, having trained and participated in championships around the world with her partner Shannon Benjamin, is now actively promoting Dancesport in India. The couple holds workshops in places like Rajkot and Chandigarh, and recently organized the annual Latin & Ballroom DanceSport Championship in Maharashtra. "In the first year we had 33 couples register for the competition; this year we had 150," she says.
Seven of these were from Rajkot. "Many in Rajkot had not even heard this sort of music before, until they arrived at the workshops we conducted in April and July this year," says Jigyasa Joshi, a 37-year-old homemaker who partners with 26-year-old Kunal Raval for performances. They run Footrapp Dance Factory and Fitness Studio, where partner dances have only just been introduced. "Rajkot isn't Bombay, here it's hard enough to get men and women to hold hands, let alone one another," says Joshi, whose own husband initially had a hard time adjusting to the sight of his wife in the arms of a younger man. "He'd much rather I stuck to Bharatnatyam, in which I'm trained," she laughs. Having twigged the truth that close contact need not breed anything other than a working relationship, the husband, a businessman in real estate, now even helps the group find venues for demonstrations.
Other husbands, having unsuccessfully tried to partner with wives, are reluctantly letting their spouses partner with others, although they insist on accompanying them to class.
"When students started dancing with strangers, they'd hold them by the tips of their fingers to minimize contact, and they'd stare at the floor throughout," Joshi reports. However, proof of progress is in the medals brought home at the recent championship in Mumbai. Four of the seven couples from Rajkot won in salsa and jive. "The women may come to class in salwar kameezes back home in Rajkot, but for the championship, they travelled to Ahmedabad in evening gowns and heels," says Joshi.
It's a new energy and emancipation evident on the dance floor. The novelty of the moves, the tempo of the music, and perhaps surmounting even these, the sanction of such coupling, is what's earning ballroom a following. These days, DanceSport championships are held in cities like Mysore and Chandigargh. Not all of them however are organized by the All-India Dance Sports Federation, an outfit headquartered in Orissa, whose job it supposedly is to promote DanceSport in the country. In fact, it is individual dancers who are spreading the word.
Couples like Santosh and Akshata Rao, from Mysore, set out on August 11 on a tandem cycle tour across India to introduce schools and colleges to ballroom dancing. The couple, having spent five months training with Diane Jarmolow (whose syllabus is globally followed in ballroom training) in Oakland, are of the opinion that ballroom dancing can build confidence and promote mutual respect between the sexes as shown in the 2005 documentary Mad Hot Ballroom. Says Santosh: "Most schools however are not open to it; they feel it would cause more problems if they encouraged boys and girls to touch each other, even if in a dance." Seems like ballroom has a long way to go in India, but it certainly making all the right moves.
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