As a part of the new series, every month I intend to do one interview with one of the leading Salsa Instructors, we could do with a bit of a perspective from the instructors point of view, here is kick starting this series with the celebrity Salsa Instructor Sandip Soparrkar.
Q- How can you describe yourself? A dancer/choreographer/instructor/celeb? Can you elaborate on the same?
A- i am a dance teacher and a choreographer… coz i feel that dance is an art and its learnt over a period of time… instructor are ment for things which are not subjects… and teachers are for subjects and dance is surely a subject… that needs dedication and devotion..
Q – We are very interested in the styles of latin dancing you teach, particularly Salsa? Where & whom have you learned Salsa from?
A – i have done my training as a dance teacher from.. ballroom dance training school, bonn, germany… its an ISTD institute… salsa was one of my special subjects along with the greek dance the zorba…
Q – As per my records, you teach at only at 2/3 locations while other instructors have 7/8 minimum location, is teaching dance your only vocation, or what is the reason you have not opened more centres like say Shiamak Davar?
A- yr information is old… we have many branches in mumbai… chowpatty, worli, prabhadevi, bandra, santacruz, andheri, goregaon and navi mumbai… apart from mumbai we have classes in two place in pune (koregaon park and MG road), a’bad, surat, h’bad and an international branch in kathmandu… we are not opening our next branch in delhi from feb…
Q – Your students have always complained that you are very strict while teaching. Is this kind of high handed behaviour necessary?
A- ha ha now thats funny… i do not think we are strict at all.. we teach dance… coz we feel that… dance is fun but at the same time its serious fun… it is an art form that needs to develop respect in india and has not reached that level yet… in indian classic classes the respect for dance and the form is tremendous… so why not for western forms too… indian must look at western form not just as a hobby and a thing for spending time…but an art that will develop then as a human being…
Q – As per my knowledge you are essentially a ballroom dancer, who also teaches Salsa, many people who have watched your students perform Salsa, complain that the style is very ballroomised? (if that can be term).So the question is, do you focus more on teaching Ballroom that Salsa?
A – yes i am essentailly a Ballroom and Latin dance teacher… I learnt salsa as a special subject… to me salsa is a great mix of different forms and cultures too… many studios teach salsa with lot of hip hop and jazz mixed too… their salsa is not termed as hip hopish salsa… so why is what i teach called ballroomish….
Q – I have heard you don’t like to mingle with students from other dance schools, so your parties are closed? Can we expect some big event from your Studio which will set the bench mark for other dance schools?
A- you have lot of wrong informations about our studio… our stuido parties are always open to all.. many other studio people and many other siders who arenot a part of any studio and are just dance lovers … do come for our gathering… every yr we celebrate the international dance day in a big way… where all my students, troup dancers, celebrity students and me.. we all dance..
thanks
regards
sandip soparrkar
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