‘Competitive’ is a word that we generally associate with careers, entrance exams or sports. But, for Goa’s very own Suresh Nayak from Colva, Goa, it is none of the above. Suresh believes in the competitive spirit and is a dancer. And, what sets him apart from the others is that he is an assistant choreographer to Paul Marshal, DID L’il Master skipper, at Season 5, which is currently being aired on national television.
During one of the episodes, Paul and his team (which includes Suresh) were invited onstage and applauded for training the kids.
LEARNING ON THE SET
Here’s how 27-year-old Suresh got into the reality show. He says, “I would frequently come to Mumbai. Once, I happened to have a conversation with Paul Marshal, who was doing the dance reality show, and I joined him in assisting for the show. So far, it has been a great experience.”
Suresh, who is also the director of ‘Dance Hoard’ dance academy, in Goa, says that, in any given field, it is important to train oneself and have a competitive spirit. “I am here because I want to learn and face challenges. Today, the world is very competitive when it comes to dance, and I want to learn what it takes to be in a reality show, so that I can also be a contestant and win the show someday. And, later take up projects on my own,” says Suresh.
REALITY CHECK
This is his first reality dance project, and he intends to make the best of it by learning the tricks of the trade. “The kind of exposure you get here is different. Choreographing for a stage show is completely different from a reality show. I am learning so many things here such as how to choreograph for the camera, what angles are required, what the audience likes, etc,” says Suresh.
He is also the leader and choreographer at ‘We Step Dance Crew’, in Goa, and speaks about how difficult it is to work with kids. He says, “In Goa, the situation was different. Most of the children were beginners, but here, they are advanced level. Though they are not aware of all the dance styles, they can adapt and quickly pull it off; therefore, they are here among the top contestants.”
If you’ve watched the show, you might be amazed to see how the children gracefully and effortlessly put up great acts. All of this is a result of practice and hard work. Suresh adds that despite having nearly 4 days to train the children, they had to spend around 12 to 16 hours each day practicing.
A lot of time, people also have misconceptions that everything on the reality show is scripted, which is not entirely true. “All the dances by the contestants that happen are purely on one-take and no retakes are done, come what may. Besides that, the setup and other moments might be planned, and cuts are done only for those. But, dance is entirely on one shot.”
BEST MOMENT
“During one of the episodes, one of our contestants got a standing ovation, which was one of the best moments on the sets. We, along with the contestant, were invited along with Paul and praised for their performance,” mentions Suresh.
IT TAKES A LOT!
When Suresh started dance, he was his own choreographer. He speaks about how he learnt dance on his own and participated in several competitions, and slowly started training children. In Goa, the dance scene is completely different. “Many don’t see dance as a profession. Also, dancers here teach and participate in competitions, and slowly realize that they are not competitive. In any field, it is important to be competitive.”
On International Dance Day, he gives advice to people interested in pursuing dance as a career, “Today, I am here and learning this. It is important to identify what you want to do, and training is a must. You need to train yourself to be, either, a performer, choreograph or simply participate in shows.”
“But, whatever you do, make sure you try to achieve all the highest possibilities and explore all the areas of it,” concludes Suresh.
