Image for Have feet, will danc

Dancing is like dreaming with your feet,” said Constanze. And who would know this better than those who love to dance? For those interested in dance, being part of a college dance troupe can be amazing as they get to pursue their passion and also represent their college at various intra and inter-college fests.

“When you’re part of a dance troupe, it’s a big responsibility as you will be representing college. You’ve got to live up to expectations and improve on your previous performances,” says Vidya V. Thayoor, final year engineering student, BMSCE. Vidya, who has been a part of her college dance team since her first year, says, “We had to audition in the first semester to get into the team. At first, seniors are given preference, but later we also get to represent the college at various fests,” says the trained Bharatanatyam dancer of her team that has performed in colleges like PESI, NITK and AMC. Through her dancing, she has learnt about different aspects like costumes, organising, performing and judging.
Choreographing by your self can be a lot of fun, says Deepika Mutukuri, a first year student of NITK. “We start from choosing songs, compiling them and then we come up with the theme and steps. We then move onto the coordination and expressions,” she says. Semi-classical, hip-hop, Bollywood and tappanguchi are some dance forms Deepika has performed till now. “When we have less time, we stick to something that’s already been performed; otherwise we come up with something new. We have people from all years coming together,” she says.
For Kekhroneo Koza, a final year student at NALSAR, Hyderabad, who is not a trained dancer, dance is a form of enjoyment. “We have a group that performs an entire range of dance forms from hip-hop to classical. When we perform in college, a group of friends gets together and performs. But if it’s an inter-college competition, we have auditions,” she says. They have a core group of experienced dancers, who conduct auditions to select people. “I’ve performed at the St. Xavier’s fest in Mumbai and also at NUJS, Kolkata. Dance is total fun and it’s also an alternate form of exercise. We meet all kinds of people, juniors and seniors bond and it keeps your creative aspect going. My friend and I choreograph our dances,” says Kekhroneo.
So if you’re the kind that loves to dance and is also good at it, go ahead and take part in a college dance event. Remember ‘dancing with the feet is one thing, but dancing with the heart is another.’

Ikyatha Yerasala
The Asian Age