Shakti Mohan is making news and going places – all because of her passion for dance. That is not all, she is also making her debut in a film, produced by Remo Dsouza.
“The movie is based on ballroom Latin dance. It is a romantic film. We have been training and working on it for months,” explains Shakti, who started off with Bharatanataya as a child, but been pursuing contemporary dance for years now.
The dancer, who was in Bengaluru for the Nrityashakti Tour to share her passion, experience and expertise to aspiring dancers, adds, “As I learnt Bharatanatya, I found myself participating in school and college competitions. When we moved base to Mumbai, I was noticed by Terence Lewis, who offered me a scholarship from his dance foundation.
“That is when doors opened up for me. I also saw some contemporary dance performances and was bowled over by the form. What I saw was a beautiful balance of Indian and Western dance forms. It was physically challenging and that caught my interest,” explains Shakti.
“I am right now into contemporary ballet. But, Bharatantaya was a good foundation for me to learn other forms. It taught me to be disciplined and strengthened my body to adapt myself to other styles. Classical dance is so pure and beautiful you don’t need to add anything to its authenticity or beauty. I hope to start Bharatnatya again,” adds this dancer, who was initially planning to become an IAS officer, but she was selected for Dance India Dance and her “life changed” completely.
Shakti Mohan became the winner of Dance India Dance season 2 and also participated in many other reality dance shows including Jhakal Dhikla Ja.
Dil Dosti Dance on Channel V and Collaboration Culture Series on BBC News are some of the other shows she has been associated with.
“Being part of reality shows is not easy as I had to learn some new forms that I had never heard of.
“There were times when I was given two days to learn a new form and perform it in front of thousands! That was a challenge for me,” recalls Shakti.
Talking about acting, the dancer, who runs her own dance company, Nrityashakti says, “You have to stand still which is just the opposite of movement which I am used to as a dancer. In dance I can express through my body and face. Acting, for me was a new medium, which I had to learn.”
She adds that as a dancer, she is faced with a challenge every day – physically and mentally. “If you doubt and stop yourself constantly, you can not grow. You have to just dive in and do it. The challenge, I believe is more in one’s mind, which has to be overcome,” she says.
