“Anybody can dance, few people can be dancers and even fewer grow into artistes,” says Terrence Williams, one of India’s leading choreographers.
In the city to interact with students and future event management professionals at the Rachnoutsav Event Management Academy’s Celebrity Coffee Morning Workshop, Terrence was geared up to talk to the youngsters about his journey as an artiste, reality show mentor and entrepreneur.
Anyone who has watched Lagaan is sure to remember the waltz sequence in O Rey Chhori which was Terrence’s first big project as a choreographer. Although the routine itself lasted only a few seconds, the professional guidance he received from director Ashutosh Gowarikar and cinematographer Anil Mehta stays with him even today.
“It is on the sets of Lagaan that I received my first lessons in how to choreograph for film and how to use the camera to capture movements but my first real break as a choreographer was for Ram Gopal Varma’s Naach which received much critical acclaim,” says the dancer who believes that both professional and personal creativity forms the core of his persona. However, the last few years Terrence is putting all his energy into being a judge and mentor in Dance India Dance , a reality show that features a wide range of classical and contemporary dance forms. The much loved judge says he is, in a way, ‘spoilt’ by the reality show as it gives him both popularity and creative satisfaction. He has even turned down the chance to work with two big productions to focus on it. The dancer also has plans to face the lights and camera if a good script comes his way.
“The show has brought about a change in the Indian dance scene itself,” points out the internationally trained star. “But once the show is over, it is upon the artistes to sustain themselves in the industry,” he adds in response to a query on whether these shows can ensure success.
Having performed in places across the globe, he says that though event management in India is improving, it still leaves much to be desired.
He blames the ‘chalta hai’ attitude possessed by people here for not just inefficient management of events but for larger civic and political issues as well.
On whether he plans to start a branch of his dancing school, the Terrence Lewis Contemporary Dance Company in Hyderabad, the choreographer says that while he believes opening a centre here may effect the smaller local dance schools, a yearly workshop is certainly on the cards.
