eople told me that dancing is not for men, that the girls who came to my class would have bad reputations, and no one would marry them. They said that I was taking a big risk…
How did dance happen to you? When you started off, what was the biggest act of faith you received? Who or what did it come from?
If only you dare to dream, a billion possibilities open up to you. I have learnt that you cannot depend on anyone else for your happiness. Every successful venture in my life began with the support of my parents and the love of my spiritual mother, Khorshed Bhavnagri.
When I was younger, I lived in a dream world of music and singing. My dream was to record a music album and act in films, like my grandmother, ‘Nadia Hunterwali’. It was on Khorshed aunty’s persuasion that I began to teach dance. When she told me to start dance classes, I cried, “oh God! I don’t want to be a dance teacher.” She just smiled and asked, “Why not?”
I found that dance came to me naturally, like flying comes to baby birds. It’s their nature to fly. So it is with me and dance. Every day my experiences tell me that dance is my pathway to God, because it’s all about your soul. It’s about taking what you feel inside and baring it to the world.
You have to follow your heart. So I followed where it led me—to the Pineapple Dance Studios in London, the Guildford School of Acting and Dance, to New York… but my journey really began when I returned to Mumbai in the ‘80s, after training as a dancer.
When did you decide to institutionalize this? Did you try to find out the potential of it as a business before you actually set it up?In 1985 I started jazz classes with only seven students, most of them my friends. Four years later we formed the Shiamak Davar Dance Company, and in 1992 came Shiamak Davar’s Institute for the Performing Arts (SDIPA).
Back in the ‘80s, there was just one ballet school and you would see one musical every three or four years. You didn’t hear of the great success of anyone teaching Western dance styles in India. Everyone I spoke to tried to dissuade me from starting classes and even from dancing myself.
So the ‘potential’ of the ‘business’ as others kept telling me, was non-existent. I was just doing something I believed in, building from ground zero, with only my friends, family and God backing me. Meeting Khorshed Bhavnagri helped me renew my belief in myself, and gave me the strength to make a beginning.
What were the difficulties that you faced in rolling out the institutes? What are the difficulties that performers with a desire to open such institutions, would face today?The biggest challenge was to fight society and what they thought of me. I was hurt when people laughed at my dreams. I never thought my kind of dance would work in India. People told me that dancing is not for men, that the girls who came to my class would have bad reputations, and no one would marry them. They said that I was taking a big risk… there was a lot of opposition, because till then no man had taken that stand to say, I am a passionate dancer and I want to teach others. The idea seemed ridiculous to them.
Today, the difficulties are not in terms of acceptance, financials or marketing, because there is plenty of that available. The challenge is to maintain a level of interest, instruction, fitness, quality and safety for the students. There is a lot of place for growth and dance is finally gaining its due all over. I feel sad when half-baked teachers set up dance schools and impart knowledge that is incorrect or incomplete. If making money is your only motive, that is going to show through in the long run, and you will lose the faith of your students.
You are a great dancer, a great performer – with an essence that people want to learn. How do you ensure that the essence is passed on to every student across all the branches of the institution; especially, when you can’t possibly be there conducting classes at all the places?My SDIPA family is dedicated in their training and wholehearted in their contribution to the school. My loyal faculty of instructors passes on all that they learn from me, to their students.
We share a common vision, which is to heal through dance. Dance can help you mend a battered body, mind or spirit. My instructors and even my advanced students understand that our mission is to spread joy through the self-awareness and self-expression that dance empowers you with.
What have been the key elements for successfully rolling out such an institution and keep progressing across time?Well, the first element is that you must have something of true value to offer others. The second is that your offer must deliver a consistent level of quality. The third element is that you must have systems in place so that your work is organized.
Above all, keep your eyes and ears wide open to the people you serve, because they are your partners in success. We all progress together, or not at all. By ‘all’ I mean my administrative staff, my dancers and instructors, my students, their parents, my office boys, my driver.
How important was it to have connections in the entertainment industry to pull this off? How did you go about marketing this business?
Most of my students came to me by word-of-mouth publicity and recommendations. Later we began to put an ad in the paper, to announce that classes were about to start, so that people would not miss out joining a new batch.
If your service or product does not appeal to your customer, in my case, my students and the clients who hired my dance company and me to perform at their events, that is the end of you. No amount of connections or marketing will see you through that. So let your work speak for you. That is your best marketing tool.
How much time and effort do you actually spend on looking at the business affairs, as compared to the time and effort spent in dance, choreography, et al?Although I am involved in most major decisions, I delegate tasks to my trustworthy managers, staff and instructors. My CEO, Glen D’mello, keeps everything working like a well-oiled machine at the business end, but yes, I am involved in all aspects of the business. To me there is no real distinction between the business and the artistic side. But the large chunk of my time is taken up by my spiritual work, creating a new body of creative work, and my students. I share a great rapport with my staff, they are my extended family.
As far as the creative aspect goes, I like to design and direct every feature and facet of an entertainment piece, right from the lighting, the sets, the costumes and props... the entire look of the production, besides the dance and movement.
What would you say was your biggest success? Also, what was the biggest mistake from which you learnt the most?
There have been many magical moments through the years. I have had the good fortune to sing with my idol, Sting; to perform for my guru, the person I take inspiration from as a dancer, the amazing choreographer Debbie Allen.
I have been complimented by former American President Bill Clinton and Hollywood actors Richard Gere and Michael Douglas, among others. My dance company has had the opportunity to represent India at international events on many occasions, and that is an honour.
These are cherished moments. I guess my greatest success is my school, SDIPA, because it is a way for me to touch people’s lives in a positive way. We do cherish the kids of my Victory Arts Foundation (VAF). These gifted kids are under-privileged, some of them are physically or mentally challenged. Those of the Helen Keller Foundation are visually challenged, many of them also cannot hear. But come and watch them dance, and you cannot help but smile. That to me is the peak of success. There is no one mistake that you learn from. What is important is your attitude to failure. If you can take a negative incident and turn it into something positive, you have succeeded. That is something that my spiritual mother Khorshed Bhavnagiri taught me. I guess my mistake was to doubt myself and let others’ ridicule and laughter bother me when I was young. I still have many fears, but today I can overcome them with prayer and positive thought, because of my spiritual guides
What is the next big change that one can expect in the dance and performing arts segment?Hopefully, we will see more people acknowledging that technique is important in dance. God is indeed, in the details, and when you are dancing, as in any other sport or physical activity, it is very important to do things right, to excel and avoid injury.
Dance connects yours sole to your soul.
Last year, we made an effort to revive dance theatre in Mumbai. Dance theatre is the art of storytelling through dance. My students performed the Ramayana, my favourite Indian epic, in my Indo Jazz style. We also staged a spectacular musical called ‘I Believe’, produced by the Aditya Birla Group. I hope more corporates and individuals get involved with theatre. I also produced a play written by my friend Anosh Irani, called ‘Bombay Black’.
Many people don’t dance because they think they won’t be able to, or that they will falter and someone will laugh at them. I would like to share with them our motto at SDIPA. It doesn’t matter who you are, how much money you make, what kind of shape you are in, whether your friends are doing it or not. Just switch on the music and let God guide your feet. Have Feet. Will Dance.
How did dance happen to you? When you started off, what was the biggest act of faith you received? Who or what did it come from?
If only you dare to dream, a billion possibilities open up to you. I have learnt that you cannot depend on anyone else for your happiness. Every successful venture in my life began with the support of my parents and the love of my spiritual mother, Khorshed Bhavnagri.
When I was younger, I lived in a dream world of music and singing. My dream was to record a music album and act in films, like my grandmother, ‘Nadia Hunterwali’. It was on Khorshed aunty’s persuasion that I began to teach dance. When she told me to start dance classes, I cried, “oh God! I don’t want to be a dance teacher.” She just smiled and asked, “Why not?”
 |
You have to follow your heart. So I followed where it led me—to the Pineapple Dance Studios in London, the Guildford School of Acting and Dance, to New York… but my journey really began when I returned to Mumbai in the ‘80s, after training as a dancer.
When did you decide to institutionalize this? Did you try to find out the potential of it as a business before you actually set it up?In 1985 I started jazz classes with only seven students, most of them my friends. Four years later we formed the Shiamak Davar Dance Company, and in 1992 came Shiamak Davar’s Institute for the Performing Arts (SDIPA).
Back in the ‘80s, there was just one ballet school and you would see one musical every three or four years. You didn’t hear of the great success of anyone teaching Western dance styles in India. Everyone I spoke to tried to dissuade me from starting classes and even from dancing myself.
So the ‘potential’ of the ‘business’ as others kept telling me, was non-existent. I was just doing something I believed in, building from ground zero, with only my friends, family and God backing me. Meeting Khorshed Bhavnagri helped me renew my belief in myself, and gave me the strength to make a beginning.
What were the difficulties that you faced in rolling out the institutes? What are the difficulties that performers with a desire to open such institutions, would face today?The biggest challenge was to fight society and what they thought of me. I was hurt when people laughed at my dreams. I never thought my kind of dance would work in India. People told me that dancing is not for men, that the girls who came to my class would have bad reputations, and no one would marry them. They said that I was taking a big risk… there was a lot of opposition, because till then no man had taken that stand to say, I am a passionate dancer and I want to teach others. The idea seemed ridiculous to them.
Today, the difficulties are not in terms of acceptance, financials or marketing, because there is plenty of that available. The challenge is to maintain a level of interest, instruction, fitness, quality and safety for the students. There is a lot of place for growth and dance is finally gaining its due all over. I feel sad when half-baked teachers set up dance schools and impart knowledge that is incorrect or incomplete. If making money is your only motive, that is going to show through in the long run, and you will lose the faith of your students.
You are a great dancer, a great performer – with an essence that people want to learn. How do you ensure that the essence is passed on to every student across all the branches of the institution; especially, when you can’t possibly be there conducting classes at all the places?My SDIPA family is dedicated in their training and wholehearted in their contribution to the school. My loyal faculty of instructors passes on all that they learn from me, to their students.
We share a common vision, which is to heal through dance. Dance can help you mend a battered body, mind or spirit. My instructors and even my advanced students understand that our mission is to spread joy through the self-awareness and self-expression that dance empowers you with.
What have been the key elements for successfully rolling out such an institution and keep progressing across time?Well, the first element is that you must have something of true value to offer others. The second is that your offer must deliver a consistent level of quality. The third element is that you must have systems in place so that your work is organized.
Above all, keep your eyes and ears wide open to the people you serve, because they are your partners in success. We all progress together, or not at all. By ‘all’ I mean my administrative staff, my dancers and instructors, my students, their parents, my office boys, my driver.
How important was it to have connections in the entertainment industry to pull this off? How did you go about marketing this business?
Most of my students came to me by word-of-mouth publicity and recommendations. Later we began to put an ad in the paper, to announce that classes were about to start, so that people would not miss out joining a new batch.
If your service or product does not appeal to your customer, in my case, my students and the clients who hired my dance company and me to perform at their events, that is the end of you. No amount of connections or marketing will see you through that. So let your work speak for you. That is your best marketing tool.
How much time and effort do you actually spend on looking at the business affairs, as compared to the time and effort spent in dance, choreography, et al?Although I am involved in most major decisions, I delegate tasks to my trustworthy managers, staff and instructors. My CEO, Glen D’mello, keeps everything working like a well-oiled machine at the business end, but yes, I am involved in all aspects of the business. To me there is no real distinction between the business and the artistic side. But the large chunk of my time is taken up by my spiritual work, creating a new body of creative work, and my students. I share a great rapport with my staff, they are my extended family.
As far as the creative aspect goes, I like to design and direct every feature and facet of an entertainment piece, right from the lighting, the sets, the costumes and props... the entire look of the production, besides the dance and movement.
What would you say was your biggest success? Also, what was the biggest mistake from which you learnt the most?
There have been many magical moments through the years. I have had the good fortune to sing with my idol, Sting; to perform for my guru, the person I take inspiration from as a dancer, the amazing choreographer Debbie Allen.
I have been complimented by former American President Bill Clinton and Hollywood actors Richard Gere and Michael Douglas, among others. My dance company has had the opportunity to represent India at international events on many occasions, and that is an honour.
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What is the next big change that one can expect in the dance and performing arts segment?Hopefully, we will see more people acknowledging that technique is important in dance. God is indeed, in the details, and when you are dancing, as in any other sport or physical activity, it is very important to do things right, to excel and avoid injury.
Dance connects yours sole to your soul.
Last year, we made an effort to revive dance theatre in Mumbai. Dance theatre is the art of storytelling through dance. My students performed the Ramayana, my favourite Indian epic, in my Indo Jazz style. We also staged a spectacular musical called ‘I Believe’, produced by the Aditya Birla Group. I hope more corporates and individuals get involved with theatre. I also produced a play written by my friend Anosh Irani, called ‘Bombay Black’.
Many people don’t dance because they think they won’t be able to, or that they will falter and someone will laugh at them. I would like to share with them our motto at SDIPA. It doesn’t matter who you are, how much money you make, what kind of shape you are in, whether your friends are doing it or not. Just switch on the music and let God guide your feet. Have Feet. Will Dance.
