Dance just has a way to evoke a plethora of emotions. Dance conveys a message; it tells a story. For the most part, every movement, every gesture, every expression has some meaning. A reason to be. As a result, careful structuring of all these movements and expressions together takes place. Which eventually gives rise to phenomenal choreography. Dance covers the audience can connect to.

So, we bring to you two such fun dance choreographies. Each standing out with its own charm and character.

First up, we present Soumya Syal, a choreographer and dancer. While her style ranges from Hip-Hop to Belly Dancing to Classical, today we focus on her Bollywood choreography. “Badi Mushkil” is one of the many Bollywood-style dance covers, she’s uploaded on her channel, Dance with Soumya. On the 6th of January, she uploaded this video and it is honestly a proof of her talent!

Covering a song Madhuri Dixit song like “Badi Mushkil” from the film Lajja is no easy task. But Soumya’s expressions, movements, gestures all have a purpose. Each and every one of them. She executes the choreography perfectly. To say she does justice to the song would be an understatement!

Next, we present the adorable and immensely talented dancer Namami Shrivastava. On the 9^th of January, she uploaded a cover on “Chaap Tilak”. While her dance covers are usually a mix of classical style and Bollywood style, but this was a classical choreography.

“Chaap Tilak” is already such a beautiful song. Namami Shrivastava took it to another level with her skills. Everything about the video is immaculate. Her movements and expressions have depth and meaning. The video is shot outside, with phenomenal cinematography and post-production editing. Everything together makes it a beautiful experience you have to watch!

The next time someone comes up to you and says, “What do you plan on achieving in life if you’re going to sit down all the time?”, you have just the right article to show them. The sheer talent and excellence in today’s four selections are enough to make you question everything. This is the exact kind of stuff which has the power to inspire people into chasing and showcasing their uniqueness. And we welcome you all! There is so much synchronicity involved in their art. Because the upper body claims all the attention, even the slightest movement of the fingers will be highlighted. The arms, hands, eyes and neck must all breathe together. Combine that with astounding lyrical interpretation and you have got yourself a treat!

First of the enigmas is a performance by Priyanka Mulchandani on Peacock Culture on the song ‘Kehna Hi Kya’ from the movie ‘Bombay’. This stellar performance will drive you straight into the dancer’s eyes. You really can’t take your eyes off of them!

On September 29th, Beats and Taal uploaded a marvellous video of Richa Tiwari performing to the melodious song ‘Tum Jo Aaye’. I must say, the name was very aptly kept. Her understanding of musical and lyrical rhythm is simply a sight to behold. Every move feels like it is meant to be. And it all comes together in a glorious production.

Our next selection seems straight out of a fairytale. And the best part it’s all real life! Lyrical excellence is embedded in this upload of Shrunetra featuring Shruti Barsainya. She interprets ‘kasoor’ by Prateek Kuhad. To portray such an amazing song in a way that does it justice needs some skill. And boy! Has she got some!

Last but not least, is a delicate and mesmerising performance on ‘Nainowale Ne’ by Katyaini Raturi. And when the sun adds that extra punch of texture, it makes for an unmissable video. Her performance completely does justice to the song in all imaginable ways.

So when are you performing?

Dance – a natural form of self-expression, is essentially a coherent expression of human feelings. There are so many forms of dance around the world. Classical, folk, contemporary, etc. Semi-classical is one of the most popular forms, especially Bollywood style semi-classical dances. It needs to be carried along with grace, speed and expression, featuring exhaustive movements of the body,

Semi-classical dance basically brings out the beautiful forms of classical dance combined with modern styles. Performing this particular dance-form on Bollywood songs, or inculcating Bollywood steps is what we will see in our short-list!

First up is Naina Batra, who uploaded a video of a dance cover one of the most (my personal favorites!) beautiful Bollywood songs written – Mohe Rang Do Lal. Sung by Shreya Ghoshal in her melodious voice, Naina Batra’s choreography does the song complete justice if not more. Dressed in a naive pure pink shade, Naina looks like a princess stuck in a castle, as she performs her impeccable choreography.  Her expressions are at the peak as she moves gracefully to the melody of the song. Experience the joy of watching her Bollywood style semi – classical performance right below!

Next, in our list, we have Kaniskhka Talent Hub, who uploaded a video to her YouTube channel on the 5^th of December 2020. It’s a choreographed Bollywood style semi-classical piece on the song ‘Titliyan’ by Hardy Sandhu. Dressed in red, this is shot during the sunset, giving the whole video a beautiful aesthetic. Her dance on the other hand is absolutely phenomenal.

Last, but not the least, we have Sukruti Airi with her performance on Tere bina from the film Guru. With her expressive and graceful semi-classical performance, she will definitely steal your hearts!

Dance, as an art form gravitates around using shared space in the most pleasing way (and to the right tunes of course). This year took a huge toll on all the global art forms as a whole and while these artists have utilised social distancing in the best way possible, it is not upto us to support content creators and artists. For we shall never forget, that when the going got incredibly tough, we found our respite in many art forms.

Well then, let us begin our discovery then, shall we? It is remarkable and noteworthy how we, as Indians have managed to adopt the western cultures while maintaining a deep love for our own. On 30th October, popular vlogger/dancer/musician Sejal Kumar released a dance
cover to ‘Take you dancing’ by Jason Derulo. The duo consisting of Sejal herself and the choreographer Chandni Srivastava delivered their best in this beautifully filmed two-minute clip.

A few weeks before that on the 15th, dancer Nicole Concessao released a fun dance cover of ‘Banthan Chali’ featuring popular actress Mithila Palkar, both of them put on an unforgettable show full of energy in this one and a half minute clip.

On the very same day, Unnati Malharkar released a fantastic performance featuring Utkarsh Chaturvedi and herself to the song ‘Befikar’ by Tanzeel Khan ft. Aashna Hegde. The duo all-but encaptures your senses through their expressive movement, and fun moves. Needless to say, the month of October has been kind to us in terms of the abundant talent in the Indian Webspace.

I am reminded of a famous quote by Albus Dumbledore when he said , “Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if only one remembers to turn on the light”. So what’s keeping you? Get moving and get ahead! Everybody is talented in ways only special to them! Happy Dancing.

Dance is such a great way to express yourself and your emotions. The large variety of dance forms that you can experiment with is just the cherry on top. Whether it is classical or Bollywood music or hip-hop on some crazy beats, there aren’t any set rules restricting you. You can experiment with various dance genres and music as long as you are enjoying yourself.

Swetha Naidu recently uploaded a dance cover on the pop-upbeat song Kurta Pajama by Tony Kakkar and Shehnaaz Gill on the Dancing Divas YouTube channel. She experimented with a Bollywood number, freestyling and including a few Bollywood steps. The video is entertaining with great dance moves and set production maintaining an aesthetic to compliment the dance style and music.

You don’t always need to be the dancer though. Dance evokes emotions within you even when you’re just a spectator. Inzync Duo’s dance cover on the emotional tunes of Mere Soneya, from the movie Kabir Singh, will make you feel peaceful with the smooth flow in their choreography. Nikitha Joseph and Anna Prasad, who together comprise of the Inzync Duo are B.com students from Cochin following their passion – Dance. They choreographed this mesmerizing Bollywood piece with a classical twist and collaborated with Kalyani B Nair. Kalyani B Nair has her own YouTube channel where she regularly uploads dance videos. Their graceful movements in a scenic atmosphere with heart-breaking music and beautiful costumes complimenting the whole vibe will provide you with that break you needed from your life.