Choreographer Bosco Martis shot to fame with “Senorita” which won him and Caeser Gonsalves the National Award for best choreography in 2011. Known for choreographing popular songs such as “Chor Bazari” and “Aunty Ji”, these days Bosco is appearing as a judge in Zee TV’s dance reality show, “Dance India Dance”. Bosco will also helm a yet-to-be-titled dance film. “We are trying to mount the film with Zee Studios. It is a dance-horror comedy. I am working on it,” he said.
Excerpts:
Tell us about your association with “Dance India Dance”.
I think it is a good platform to explore dance . The talent on the show is exceptional. It has brought visibility to dancers and many participants have become stars. Branding and exposure come handy when someone opts for this profession. The show gives opportunity to reach out to millions of audience. Contestants are bringing innovations in the dance forms as well as they are very rooted in the India tradition.
In the age of social media when dancers are uploading their videos on the Internet, do you think dance shows are relevant?
Television gives you a larger than life spectrum. It gives you that positioning and branding which is required for establishing a name for yourself. I agree that phones have become easily accessible and a personalised commodity. When you look around, every person has a phone but not everybody is having television. But that applies to singers and actors as well. It depends on what the audience wants to consume. Social media platforms are important for artists to showcase their talent and share a slice of their life. It is one on one interaction. I believe that both the media have to go hand in hand. The flavour of television is also very important. You can see there is a demand. That is why every broadcaster has one dance show.
How important is the inculcation of regional and classical dance forms in such shows?
They are very important to keep our culture alive but the sad part is the audiences do not always accept them. They need to be educated about such forms. Also, the classical dance forms are regimented and do not allow fusion and exploration. If such things are allowed, it will be an enjoyable process. It is essential to find a newer way of presenting traditional forms.
Indian forms emphasise on facial expressions while western is more about body kinetics...
Indian forms are very educational. I get excited when I see Indian forms especially Kathak and Odissi as they have body movements but the focus is also on emotions on the face. We should see dance as an expression – be it western or Indian. As long as you are playing a character and you are reaching out with a story to somebody, it is dance. Every form has a flavour of its own.
As a choreographer how do you use different forms in film songs?
I think storytelling has changed considerably. Now it not necessary to have song and dance as not every story demands it. We come in majorly for performance numbers which were earlier called item numbers. I have to do a break down in my head to communicate with the team as they should know what I want. I do a break down to a point where the things are discernible. I plan a range of shots that I want and the way I want to tell a story.
