The city is home to many dance companies going places with their moves. MetroPlus catches up with two of the troupes Aliyans and Polestar Studio, both performing on November 17 at ‘Revival’, a mega event to raise funds for Rebuilding Kerala initiative.
The brotherhood
Team Aliyans is back from Mumbai after earning a berth in the quarterfinal of India's Got Talent (IGT) on Colors TV. Well known for their high-energy moves, gravity-defying jumps and flips, the troupe has been on a roll after their win in the group category in the third season of D4Dance on Mazhavil Manorama.
In July, the dancers twinkle toed their way to the grand finale of the reality talent show, India Banega Manch (IBM) on Colors TV with four other teams. “We were given direct entry into IBM. We got a call from Dance+ on Star Plus as well, but couldn’t take part since we were already doing IBM. A place in IGT is perhaps a first for a dance troupe from Kerala,” says Pratheesh P Lal, founder and lead dancer of the team.
Until D4Dance happened in 2016, 26-year-old Pratheesh, a reality show veteran, was running a troupe featuring guest dancers. Many of the dancers in the troupe come from economically backward families and so there has always been that struggle to find funds for food, costume, accommodation and transportation. “Most of them are daily wage labourers. Unless you have a passion for dance, you can’t stay in this field. Dance doesn’t ensure secure employment, especially in Kerala where the thrust is more on education and a government job. But I wanted to prove that one can make a living through dance and build a team of international standard. Now we are doing shows across Kerala and have got a stage in Dubai as well,” he says.
On stage, the dancers shake off their worries to rock the stage. It is their passion for dance that motivates the 11-member troupe, christened Aliyans in D4Dance, between the ages of 16 and 28. For IGT, the all-boys crew included two girls, Malavika Shibu and physically-challenged Athira LS. Ask him about the risk factor in their dance and Pratheesh says with a chuckle, “Injuries are now part of our lives. But the show must go on...,” he says.
Hip-hop sensation
Polestar Studio entered the competition circuit only in May this year. But they did it with a bang. The nine-member team was chosen to represent India at two international hip-hop competitions, Hip Hop International and World of Dance, both in the United States, after they cleared regional rounds held in Mumbai and Chennai, respectively. That’s not all. They walked away as winners at Breezer Vivid Shuffle, India’s largest hip-hop festival, which eventually gave them a chance to dance in a music video featuring actor Varun Dhawan and rapper Raftaar.
Polestar Studio dance crew | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
Although they couldn’t travel to the US for the world championships owing to issues pertaining to visas and lack of funds, Polestar has taken it in their stride. “These setbacks have happened to many teams from India. But we are proud of putting up a great show against the best hip-hop teams from across the country,” says 32-year-old Ratheesh Karunakaran, founder and choreographer of the troupe. The crew danced to music band Orfeo’s instrumental version of the evergreen, rocking ‘Padakali’ from Yodha.
Ratheesh formed Polestar with a friend a decade ago and made his mark as a choreographer in reality shows such as Dance Dance (Asianet), Super Dancer 2 (Amrita TV), Vanita Ratnam (Amrita) and D4Dance (Mazhavil Manorama). “My ambition was to build a strong hip-hop crew for Hip Hop International and I have been working on it for the last four years. I learnt the dance form and its variants from YouTube. The dancers went through day-long rigorous training sessions for several months,” he says. Although five of them left in between, he could replace them. “Now I want them to make a living out of this,” he adds. In the age group of 18 to 26, many of them are full-time dancers. The lone female in the troupe, 26-year-old Sumitha A S (Meenu), is a lecturer in commerce at Marian College of Arts and Science, Kazhakkuttam. “I come to our studio [at Kowdiar] straight from college for practice. I want to make a career in dance, which is not easy. Still I want to stay on for as long as I can because my family is very supportive,” Meenu says.
Polestar crew in action | Photo Credit: Rahul Rakhav
Watch the teams burn the dance floor at ‘Revival’ at The Sports Hub, Karyavattam on Saturday. Time: 6 pm onwards. For entry passes priced ₹500, log on to https://revival.natana.in/. The show is organised by Natana, the cultural forum of Technopark, Group of Technopark companies (G-Tech) and Young Indians of CII.