“Dance is everywhere in Nature. Look at the trees moving with the wind or a fish swimming in water”, says 53-year-old Jeffery Vardon. We are at his newly opened Jeffery Vardon Modern Dance Academy, Saibaba Colony. The red, black and white walls look vibrant as does Vardon after his dance session. The institute was recently inaugurated by popular actors Varalaxmi Sarathkumar who learns dance from Vardon and Bharath who goes to him for Kickboxing sessions.
Jeffery vardon
Vardon is in a chatty mood as he tells me he belongs to the Anglo Indian community where babies are expected to dance before they can even walk! “I was 15, when I joined my ballet class. Coppelia was my first play where I played the prince.” Bharathanatyam classes helped him to qualify for an exchange programme to learn ballet in Leningrad. It was a life changing experience from all accounts, but one that was also heartbreaking for Vardon who had had his heart set on taking up ballet as his chosen dance form. “I failed the medical test. A pair of my ribs is fused together and my skeleton system is aligned to a side.” Vardon felt as if his life had come crashing down and even now as he narrates that experience he is overcome with emotion. But that did not stop him. “My training in Western dance and Bharathanatyam had given me a unique body language and I still use a lot of ballet techniques when I train my students.” While on holiday in Australia, he learnt Foxtrot, Waltz, Quick Step, Tango, Jive, Cha Cha, Rumba, Samba, Paso Doble, Jazz, Tap, Salsa and Bachata. “Now I know that it was all God’s plan for me.”
Ballet shoes at Jeffery Vardon Modern Dance Academy
In 1996, Vardon started The Hot Shoe Dance Company — his first dance academy, at Chennai. “Wayne Sleep is my favourite dancer. When I was in Australia, I saw him perform at The Hot Shoe Show. Hence the name” he laughs.
Dance is all about energy, grace and fitness says Vardon who is also a certified master trainer from Reebok University. “In 2000, I started a line of fitness centres called O2 health studios with my friend Nina Reddy. Now there are four branches for Hot Shoe dance Company and nine for O2 health studios.” His practice sessions are intense. “I do fitness training and dance mostly as a part of my class for four hours each day, six days a week.” Once a week he takes off to spend time with his pet fishes and doing gardening.
Trainers at Jeffery Vardon Modern Dance Company
Since 1983 when he gave his first performance, Vardon has now danced in an impressive 2000 and more shows. “There was a performance of Cats in 2011. We had to dance like cats and it was very hard to get their movements. That was challenging but the response was excellent.” Talking about modern dance forms, he says it is hugely popular in our country now and several Indian dancers have contested in international dance competitions after learning modern dance.
Vardon has also choreographed for movies like Valli , Aalavandhan and Kochadaiiyaan . But he says that takes a lot of his time and commitment and he cannot do justice to his dance. So he doesnt do that many movies any more. “Movies demand a lot of commitment and I could not concentrate much on my dance. So, now I am not accepting any offers.”
All that one needs to be a dancer is passion, dedication and discipline. Five such passionate dancers are now part of his training team here. He met them when he was associated with the television show Kings of Dance. “Most of my team members in the show were from Coimbatore and Ooty. I am so happy to be a part of Coimbatore”. Vardon hopes to open more branches of the dance company in the city soon.
Info you can use
Where: Jeffery Vardon Modern Dance Academy, TRN Square 39D, 7th Cross, Bharathi Park Road, Saibaba Colony
Call: 9884172031, 9551980612 for details
