Take a crash course in tutting, kizomba and other routines this summer to unleash your inner dancer in less than three weeks
Take a crash course in tutting, kizomba and other routines this summer to unleash your inner dancer in less than three weeks
Boot camp is not for wimps. The gruelling six to 12-week training period designed to indoctrinate military personnel is said to make you stronger.
That is, if it doesn't kill you first. Before you feel those sweat beads form on your forehead, let's reassure you that Kaytee Namgyal's Summer Boot Camp is nothing like that. Yes, it's intense, but it's also pure, unadulterated fun.
Organised by Salsa India and The K-School of Performing Arts, the Summer Boot Camp is spread over 20 days in May and includes over 50 hour-long sessions in more than a dozen dance styles.
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| Kaytee Namgyal leads a Latin American dance class |
"The Boot Camp will comprise six months' worth of lessons squeezed into high-intensity workshops," says Kaytee, Founder and Director of Salsa India and The K-School.
"Why would you want to pay for month-long classes to learn a dance form you might not enjoy?" asks Kaytee.
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So, while beginners can dabble in varied dance forms to know what clicks, advanced level students can enroll in technical workshops like Advanced Partnerwork or Intermediate Shines + Styling, to polish their skills.
One might wonder how much can be packed into one class, but Namgyal assures us that it's enough to make one come back for more. Or not.
While Latin dance styles form a major chunk of the schedule, there is a range of new and lesser-known dance styles including Liquiding (incorporates fluid-like dance movements), Tutting (an interpretive dance style in which the dancer creates geometric patterns and movements), Kizomba (a sensuous dance style from Angola) and Lyrical Hip Hop (a fluid and more interpretative version of Hip Hop, most often danced to R&B music) to experiment with.
Most dance forms, especially the ones that will have Kaytee lead the class, will be infused with what he calls the K-style.
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"I don't like to copy anyone and so, after I learn a dance form, I restructure the style and interpret it my way," says the 32 year-old.
And while you be doing it K's way, you are encouraged to go beyond and let the music take over. "I always tell people to be themselves," he quips. "Everyone else is taken."
World famous but just not in India?
On February 21 of this year, Kaytee Namgyal (pictured above with dance partner Vanessa Diaz) was honoured by the Government of Sikkim for "bringing pride and glory" to the country.
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Kaytee says that while he is grateful for the honour, he is recognised for his talent more abroad. "I've taught in 43 countries, but it's sad to see that recognition in my own country is limited."
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At: Organized Chaos, Parmeshwar Bhawan, 14th Road, Khar.
Call 9833372572.
Log on to www.salsa-india.com.
