Tanishq Joshi is a name quite familiar to all dance enthusiasts and aspiring hip-hop dancers. Hailing from Indore, he started dancing as a hobby while in school from a very young age. Watching Hrithik Roshan and Ganesh Hegde on TV, he quickly took an interest in it. He performed in school functions without any formal training. Though Joshi wanted to be a soccer player while in school, life had different plans for him.
While he was in tenth grade,a car ran over him. This accident turned things around in his life. When doctors suggested physical activity for proper recovery he did not have to think twice about joining dance classes. That was the beginning point of his dance journey. The accident broke his left tibia, but not his spirit! He advanced very quickly through different levels in the dance class within a very short span.
Beginnings
He moved to the US at the age of 17 to pursue his studies in Finance. But he did not give up his passion for dance. The perseverance he has is worth a mention. He took a number of classes at the university while working as a barista at Starbucks.
He describes the hectic schedule he had to follow for a few years during which he had to tackle 6-7 classes, work till 10 pm and had to do all the academic work by midnight. But even with such a tight schedule, he did not forget to find time for dance. He recalls going out to the streets at night after a long day “to freestyle, to learn, to choreograph”.
His dedication to dance started finding results soon. He was picked directly from his dance class, without an audition, by the dance crew Creative Reaction. This required him to take weekend classes in New York. He had to spend the weekdays working and studying and the weekends training. As part of Creative Reaction, he was able to showcase his talent to a wide audience. It was a boost to his confidence when the team choreographed by him won second place at World of Dance, New Jersey.
Talking about his founding influences, he mentions how dancer Matt Steffanina was a game-changer as he posted class videos on YouTube for free, which inspired him to take more classes and learn choreography. Dinita Clark and Kyle Clark, he said, have helped him realize that dance is not just a career, but a lifestyle.
Embracing His Roots
The unique element in Joshi’s choreography style is the blending of Western dance with Bollywood songs. He did not plan to do this from the beginning of his dance journey. This happened out of his desire to own the culture he belongs to.
During his time in LA, he realized that what makes one unique is his/her self. This includes one’s “culture, background, country, family”, which Joshi very frankly admits were things he wanted to hide about himself. The stereotyping experiences, like being called “a good dancer for an Indian”, made him move further away from his identity during his freshman year.
Through his experiences of auditioning for multiple agencies and failing to get into any, he learned that it was not about skill, but about “type”. He shares how he was not picked up because he didn’t fit the “6”1, muscular, black” category. That is when he decided to truly own his “type” and started dancing to Bollywood songs. It was the dance that made him embrace himself and his identity as an Indian that he tried to conceal. He began to train heavily and took part in camps, classes and workshops all over New York, LA and Philadelphia.
Making His Mark
During the pandemic, he started blending his dance with Bollywood tracks to come up with a style completely of his own.
This new fusion of Bollywood flavour with what Joshi calls a “LA/New York/ Philadelphia/ Atlanta style” of dance garnered him a lot of appreciation. Soon, Snowglobe Perspective and TMilly TV Studio picked him to train classes. Thus, making him the first South Asian to teach at these studios.
This is an accomplishment that opens gates for others who wish to venture into this field. He noted how there is a lack of Indian industry leaders (except for Shivani Bhagwan and Chaaya Kumar, who run B-Funk, which is a huge brand in the US) and Indian hip-hop role models to look up to. He describes the hard times he had to face trying to get noticed in the industry in the initial period and wishes that he had a community backing him up in his struggles instead of having to fight his battles alone. The truly great achievement of Joshi is the path he has paved for aspiring passionate dancers. He hopes that upcoming Indian dancers get a chance to move out to places like LA where they could get better training.
What Tanishq wishes to pass on to someone who is starting in their field of passion is to be consistent and to graph their growth. He firmly believes in the mantra that if one puts hard work into something, results would gradually, but surely, follow. To the aspiring dancers, his advice is to take at least three classes in one day and stay consistent to see the results. Consistency, he believes, is the key to success in every field.
A Word Of Advice
Dance, for Joshi, is something that plasters to mind and body. He also urges artists to not stop learning or exploring fields outside their niche. He calls on dancers to explore and experiment with different choreography, try out cinematography, sound production, lighting or any other aspect that could enhance their skills.
From dance being a mere hobby to realizing it is his true calling, Tanishq Joshi has come a long way. At such a young age, he has been able to make his mark in the dance industry as well as be a trailblazer for young, upcoming artists.
