Dance has become democratic-for the people, by the people and of the people: Shakti Mohan

Remember “The Red Shoes”? A British feature film about ballet, a fairy tale about a young girl Ballerina. In one of the scene, a choreographer asks her, “Why do you want to dance?”  She retorted with a question, “Why do you want to live?” To that, he contemplates, and then says, “Well I don’t know exactly why, but I must.” Ballerina smiles that says, “That’s my answer too.”

Dancer turned actress Shakti Mohan is as passionate as Ballerina and believes ‘to live is to dance, to dance is to live’. She made her mark by winning 'Dance India Dance 2' title.  Recently she quits her debut fictional show ‘Dil Dostii Dance’. I caught up with the budding actress and fabulous dancer in a candid interview.

Let us begin this interview with her journey till date. “It’s a beautiful journey. I have had a lovely childhood with three crazy sisters Mukti, Niti and Kriti. They are always with me. I studied for 10 years in a boarding school in Birla girl’s public school, Pilani Rajasthan. I was in Miranda house in Delhi for two years. Then my life changed in every sense when I came to Mumbai, which is called the city of dreams. I studied in St. Xavier's college, where I topped the Mumbai University in political science.”

“After this my journey towards my dream started, I got a three year dance scholarship from Terence sir that made me take dance very seriously. Simultaneously I did masters in Political Science. My parents have always supported my decisions, I asked them whether to pursue IAS or dance. They left it on me.  They consider me the most sensible and the practical one in the house. I left IAS for dancing.”

Ever since she was a kid, she was drawn towards dance. Dance India Dance opened up the world for Shakti, when I asked her about life after winning DID she started blushing."DID was the most amazing experience. It's a very big platform for a dancer and to win this competition is even more amazing. After so many years of hard work, getting recognized for your work is very encouraging. My connection with dance became stronger after Dance India Dance.”

“I went to Vienna for training for a month in contemporary which I loved. I started performing for a lot of events and award nights and after that I was offered Dil Dosti Dance which was again was a Dance based show.”

Nimble-foot dancer decided to quit her debut fictional show 'Dil Dostii Dance' to chase her dream to learn dance in New York. She was playing Kriya in the show, her character will soon say biding adieu to the show.  "I choose D3 as its dance based soap. I had a gala time shooting for that, we had a lot of masti and pranks on the sets. As we have to shoot round the clock so I really don't get time to sharpen my dance skills. Dance is my passion and I want to pursue it further by learning more, so I requested producers of D3 that I want to go for dance training. They supported my decision after that I decided to move on from the show. As a dancer I always wanted to learn dance at Broadway Dance Centre in US. The training will last for three months and I will try to learn as much as I can.”

If you have to choose from Dil, Dosti or Dance, what would be your answer? "It’s a little bit difficult to answer. But as Friends are integral part of my life, so it will be Dosti and then Dance."

What style of dance does she prefer? “I like contemporary and ballet, having an inclination toward hip hop nowadays."

Shakti believes that dancing beguile her heart, ignites the soul and lets the spirit fly free.  She dances with her mind, body, soul, heart and everything, may be its reason behind her graceful motion while performing. When asked what she think about while performing on a dance floor? “I don't think when I dance. That's the best part about dance.”

More than 80% of dancers experience some form of stage fright. Is she ever worried about forgetting her steps? “Yes, always. I am very nervous every time when I have to go on stage. I get these butterflies in my stomach.”

Have you ever danced anything that made you look weird or funny?  She laughed and said, “Well many a times. It depends who's watching, if you think what I am doing is weird it will be weird no matter how much I think it's great. Weirdness lies in the eyes of the beholder.”

Are you scared of getting old and not being able to dance anymore? “Getting old scares...not at all. You can dance at any age, Dance has no relation to age. In fact there are 60yr old teachers abroad who dance better than the students who are young.”

Many of the past oriental traditions had the dance and music as a form of to reach perfection and spirituality which could elevate their souls and conscience till god, but today dance and music became a mere way of having fun and an anti-stress therapy for liberation and ecstasy. “Today dance is more into the public on the streets in people hearts. In the olden times it was confined to the temples or courts.  But with the changing times we have moved on and now everyone at any age goes for a dance class and performs on stage. Dance has become democratic-for the people, by the people and of the people.”

She has an immense amount of fan following. Audience goes weak on their knees the moment they see dancing diva Shakti. Any message for crazy fans? “I want to say to my lovely fans that live each and every moment of your life. I am trying to do that too. Live your life to the fullest. These precious years of life will never come back.  I absolutely adore the way you guys support me and love me for what I do best- dance. It motivates me to become better and better.  Thanks a ton for your love. I love you all a lot for every little thing you all do for me. It makes my day. A big hug to you all.”

-K Himaanshu Shukla

Related Posts:

•  My dream to repay my parents to whom I’ve been indebted to: Kunwar Amarjeet Singh
•  Dance has become democratic-for the people, by the people and of the people: Shakti Mohan
• Shakti Mohan quits 'Dil Dostii Dance' 

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