#NewsBytesExplainer: Choreography—decoding its definition, Indian, western styles, notable Bollywood choreographers
A Bollywood film without a dance sequence? Not in this life. Music and dance have always been called the beating heart of cinema, and in addition to providing entertainment to the audience in three-four minutes, they are also capable of uplifting the narrative and adding to the story. Thus, a lot hinges on the presentation aka the choreography of the song. Let's decode it.
Here is what the term actually means
Britannica defines choreography as "the art of making dances, the gathering, and organization of movement into order and pattern. Most social and recreational dances are products of long evolution that people or individuals have brought to traditional forms." "In non-western choreography, both the form and steps of dances are handed down from one generation to another and subject only to gradual and partial change."
Bollywood style blends several forms into one
The Bollywood dance style, which has been predominant in several films for decades, is a fusion of multiple dance forms that emanate from different cultures of India. Styles such as Bhangra, Kathak, Bharatnatyam, and western hip-hop, among several other styles, are regularly fused together in Hindi songs. Also, they heavily focus on dramatic expressions, hand and foot movements, and sometimes, elaborate costume ensembles.
Checked out any of these Hollywood movies yet?
Ballet (The Red Shoes, An American in Paris, White Nights, Black Swan), ballroom (Take the Lead, Shall We Dance?), hip hop/street (Dance Flick, Make it Happen, Battle of the Year), swing (The Jungle Book, Midnight in Paris, A Day at the Races), and tango (Tango Bar, The Tango Lesson) are some of the most widely featured danced forms employed in Hollywood movies.
Who is your favorite Bollywood choreographer?
Bollywood has no dearth of notable choreographers who have been ruling the industry for decades and have lent their expertise to some of the most successful songs we have ever seen. Some examples of such professionals with the Midas touch include Saroj Khan, Farah Khan, Prabhu Deva, Vaibhavi Merchant, Ganesh Acharya, Ganesh Hegde, Terrence Lewis, Ahmed Khan, and Remo D'Souza, among others.
