Long Live the King

Shonali Mathur was very surprised when her six-year-old came up with the idea of a Michael Jackson theme for his birthday party.

Michael Jackson lives on in the Capital in dance classes,tattoos and birthday parties

Shonali Mathur was very surprised when her six-year-old came up with the idea of a Michael Jackson theme for his birthday party. Siddharth was sure of the theme and we too thought it would strike a chord with youngsters as well as the older generation, says Mathur,who had a party that had Jackson hits and costumes. She got black ankle-length trousers for her son,while the piece de resistance was the single,sequinned white glove that the children flaunted. Mathur added that extra zing to the party by roping in Anish Popli,an instructor at Choreotheque Dance Studio at Vasant Kunj,to teach the kids Moonwalk and moves from Thriller.

The King of Pop died in July this year and Delhiites are done with mourning. Instead,theyre throwing MJ-themed parties,signing up for Moonwalk classes and,in some extreme cases,lining up for tattoos as well.

Swati Lall,who runs Choreotheque,was not surprised by Mathurs request. After Jacksons death,everybody wants to learn the Moonwalk, says Lall,We had so many requests for a special MJ dance course that we set up one as soon as we could in August. The class has been popular and people of all ages are trooping in. But we have to choose the songs carefully. Its not easy to dance to something like Who is it?,so we start with simpler tracks such as Beat it. After the recent release of the documentary This Is It,the number of wannabe Moonwalkers has only gone up.

Then there are others who want to carry a lasting impression of the King of Pop on their napes and ankles. Lokesh Verma,tattoo artist and owner of Devilz Tattooz at Vasant Vihar,is inundated with requests for MJ tattoos since he inked one on a customer in July. A client came with an image of Jackson from his 1987 hit Smooth Criminal and I inked it on her back. Since then,more people are interested in MJ tattoos and come to the store to discuss designs, says Verma,who charges according to the intricacy of the design as well as the size of the tattoo.

If you want to throw an MJ-themed party without burning a hole in your pocket,here are a few pointers: you could buy gloves for a steal at Sarojini Nagar Market. If you want an MJ birthday cake,Arshi Dhupia at Golf Links crafts one for Rs 350 a kilo. Jacksons music should take care of the rest.

Contact:
Choreotheque Studio:
swati.choreotheque@ gmail.com
Devilz Tattooz: 9810364801
Arshi Dhupia: 9811296858

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