Come fly with me

A two-day workshop on dance for professional dancers and dance teachers will be held over the weekend in Bandra

Esteban Olives might have been born in Marseille, France, but his father's advice when it came to his pursuing a career in the Arts is likely to sound familiar to anyone anywhere in the world, who has needed to convince a reluctant parent about veering off the beaten path.



"He wanted me to complete my A-levels before he would allow me to enroll myself in dance school," says the 37 year-old dancer in English heavily laced with the distinctive French accent.
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That is also why Esteban, who has trained at professional dance schools in Marseille and New York at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center and School, says he joined dance school "very late" - at the age of 18.
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"I have been dancing since I was a kid; I was dancing all the time," says the modern contemporary dancer, who counts Lester Horton and Martha Graham among his inspirations.
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Esteban, who in the city to host workshops on dance over the weekend, has regular workshops in the cities of Singapore and Bangkok. "It's very different," is all he will say about his first impressions of the city.

The two-day workshop is for those with a background in dance, though not necessarily in contemporary dance, and is targetted at both dance professionals and teachers of dance.
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"We will focus on isolating each of the muscles, especially those around the solar plexus, including the shoulders, chest, diaphragm and pelvis. Each movement requires a lot of focus," he explains.

All the elements explored in the workshop can be performed in a slow or rapid tempo, says Esteban about the technique that will be taught in the course of the workshop.

The idea is to make the dancer aware of his or her body. "Dance is about understanding how your body functions. It's about telling stories; creating stories that will touch people," elaborates Esteban.

There will be two levels of the workshop: beginners and advanced. It is essential for participants to have a background in dance to be able to fully benefit from the workshop.

On Saturday and Sunday
At The Art Loft, Valentino Restaurant, near Mehboob Studio, Bandra (W).
Call 9930483966
For Rs 2,200 (beginners); Rs 2,900 (advanced)