Journalism of Courage
“Right hand,left up. Circle,circle.” Dax Matthew,director and choreographer of Step Up Dance Studios,yelled out this step command at least 10 times. Anjana Rajan,another choreographer,surveyed the practising participants. It was close to 7 pm on January 26 at Phoenix Marketcity. A crowd of 200 had gathered in the centre of the lowest level to participate in the Flash Mob organised by the dance studio. Practice workshops had been on from 5.15 pm. Hit song,Jai Ho,blared from the speakers. Shoppers,young teenagers,little kids and entire families seemed keen on being a part of the mob and dancing in a synchronised manner at this public hub.
The first few rows were of tiny tots,some as young as two years old. Then came the school-going students,teenagers,20-somethings and middle-aged folks. The oldest participant was 64 years old. Each one keenly observed the choreographers and instructors as they demonstrated the steps to the track. The next 15 minutes were spent in practising those steps,before moving on to the next set. Thus,in a little over two hours,they together learnt the steps to Chammak Chalo and Jai Ho.
The main aim behind this event was to unite people for a cause – patriotism. “Twenty per cent of the participants are from our studio; the rest are all mall visitors. The intention is to show solidarity. Here,as they dance,there is no caste system,no division of opinion,” said Rohit Parte,one of the event managers,as he observed the dancing mob.
Close to 8 pm,the steps were perfected and each one was confident of giving it his best. The participants took position,and at the right beat,they pumped up the atmosphere with their moves to the two tracks. While Chammak Chalo scored on entertainment,Jai Ho pervaded the atmosphere with the spirit of patriotism. The eight-minute dance was met with applause,cheers and calls of ‘Happy Republic Day’.
