Sapnay at ExCel London

'Sapnay' is one of the biggest Bollywood dance companies in the UK.  This year at MOVE IT, the biggest dance showcase event in London took place at ExCel London, Sapnay brought a jaw-dropping performance, something completely new and very innovative. Breaking away from the assumptions that Bollywood dance steps are not just "changing the light bulbs" and "patting the dog" kind of steps, Sapnay made the audience rise with a powerful and energetic performance.

This was a completely new experience for me. Though I had a media pass from MOVE IT, I really had to struggle to make my way to the photographers space amidst thousands of enthusiastic dancers. When I got to the photographers space, it didn't get any easier. As a photography student, to get a spot with a good view in the pit alongside a number of professional photographers was a little intimidating. But I definitely didn't want to miss this huge opportunity. Breaking my inhibitions, I requested another photographer if he could move a bit to make some space for me. The kind man did. And I thought to myself 'phew, that wasn't too hard now, was it?!'

All went well, and thanks to my collaboration with Sapnay I had the opportunity to photograph Sapnay and many other dance performances at MOVE IT 2016.

Coming up in the next blog post.

Wait for it!

Till then keep clicking!!! :)

Sapnay's London Thumakda

In my collaboration with Sapnay Bollywood dance company, I had the opportunity to photograph their workshop at MOVE IT 2016. Dancers, dance choreographers, dance enthusiasts and everybody who has an interest in dance attended their Bollywood workshop. People from different age groups enjoyed a little bit of hip shake called 'tumkhas' in Hindi. Everybody danced to a number of Bollywood's latest hit numbers, they sang along and absolutely loved the energy. They all tried to understand the lyrics of the song, the steps and were deeply interested in the Indian culture.  

Here are some photographs from the workshop,

The Face of 'Sapnay', Bollywood Dance Company

As mentioned in my last post, I decided to photograph the Oberoi family and proposed to them the idea of a family portrait. The Oberois were more than welcoming to be photographed. In fact, the very evening we had a long conversation about their life in the United Kingdom. I was invited to come to their house to click pictures of the family. Unfortunately, as they were rehearsing for a big show, it was impossible to get all the four together at their house. During the day, it was impossible to find all of them at their house as they would be rehearsing at the studio and late night shoot was ruled out as they were all very tired after their back to back rehearsal sessions. However, Prabhleen, the future and the face of the company did squeeze an hour for a quick photo session at her residence.

The face of Sapnay, Bollywood dance company, Prabhleen is fondly known as Prabs. Though her roots are from Punjab, India she was born and brought in London. Sapnay, meaning dreams in Hindi, will not just be a dream to carry forward for this 18-year-old girl but also to transform the company with her innocent yet powerful British desi-ness.

The above photographs were captured using a 5D Mark iii and a 50mm prime lens with 1.4f. The reason I chose this particular lens is to bring the subject in absolute focus and blur out the background completely. The shallow depth of field draws the readers attention to Prabs (the subject in the picture). This is to emphasize the importance of Prabs, her vision and her identity as the future of 'Sapnay'.

HOME AWAY FROM HOME

In collaboration with Sapnay, Bollywood dance company, I tried to document how they have retained their cultural identities over the years in the United Kingdom. While they have managed to find a balance between both the Indian and the British culture, they have also connected quite well with the people of the United Kingdom. Mrs.Ash Oberoi says, it is important for people here to hold on tighter to their culture and identity not just of the fear of losing it but also because it has to be passed on to generations to come. "Everyone has the right to know and understand their roots and origin", she adds. Their lovely home is Harrow is a daily reminder of their family and heritage.

Cricket in India is more like a religion than anything else. When I visited their residence, in spite of their long tiring day, I saw the Oberois were never tired to cheer for the India cricket team.

In a city like London, where there are constraints for space, the Oberois felt it was necessary to allot a separate room to place their holy book, Guru Granth Sahib. The room was beautifully decorated as an obvious importance for their religion and culture.  The Diwan hall (the place where the holy book is placed) is covered with intricate Indian sequin designs. But looks like even in the holy room, one can't escape the London cold.

The collaboration with Sapnay, Bollywood dance company has taught me the importance of communication for a photographer. The persistent effort to persuade your associate to ideate your thoughts was a challenge I faced. Understanding and personal rapport with the subject makes a lot of difference in the photographer's mind,  the subject's mind and as well as in the photograph itself.

Meeting Sapnay: International 'Dols'

Mr. Charanjeet, the co-founder of Sapnay, Bollywood dance company, asked me to meet him at their dance studio in Harrow.  He introduced me to Mrs. Ashwinder Oberoi, the creative director of Sapnay. An hour into my conversation with Mr. and Mrs. Oberoi I decided to photograph their interesting life. The multicultural students at their dance studio impressed me even further. There was this one girl who was trying to collaborate few gymnastic movements into the choreography caught my attention from a distance. Later to my surprise, I found that it was their daughter, Prabhleen Oberoi which made me even more happier, as I would have 3 very interesting and varied subjects to photograph. I've always wondered how one can hear dols and not want to dance!

The international appeal of Bollywood dancing is something that has been in the making for many decades. Originally, it was found mostly in places that had a significant exposure to Indian films. But today it is rising in popularity in the US, Canada and even in Europe. With the success of films such as "Pride and Prejudice", the Oscar-winning movie , “Slumdog Millionaire”, Bollywood dance styles have taken the world by storm & has now come into the global spotlight.

Sapnay, an 11-year-old dance company based in London is on an upswing with high profile shows and events in the United Kingdom. It was a real pleasure to be associated with the Sapnay family. Dancers from completely different backgrounds coming together for the passion for dance, learning a style completely new to them was a true inspiration. The technically trained dancers were having difficulties to shake their hip (tumkas) and hold a position in their hands (mudras). While playing songs like, "Dhoom machale","Aaja Nachele" or "Dar-de-Disco", they need to be explained the idea behind it. At the end of the day, every dancer understands musicality and beats, irrespective of the language.

Prabhleen, who grew up with the company, spent more time in the rehearsal studio perfecting her techniques than anywhere else. She follows Bollywood dance styles and combines them with contemporary techniques she learnt in the UK to create a perfect fusion. This is her identity. This is the culture she follows.

This 18-year-old is a strong, independent young lady who is one of the top Bollywood style dancers in the UK.

Sapnay, Bollywood dance company has artists from different backgrounds and from different parts of the world. You can see dancers from Cyprus, Sweden, Scotland and many more as part of Sapnay. Each of them brings to the table what they can offer with mutual respect for one another and the art form.

The above pictures are shot on a 5D Mark iii with a 1.4f 50mm lens. This lens enabled me to blur out the cluttered background and bring to focus only the necessary subject. It also helps me to determine how I want my viewers eyes to flow through the picture.