10 Decades of Bollywood Cinema and dance with Shiamak Davar

Can you believe that Indian cinema has been around for 100 years? In a Jugni Style exclusive, Bollywood choreographer Shiamak Davar shares 10 key changes that have changed dance on film. No more dancing around trees! One of the leading choreographers in Bollywood, Read More">Shiamak Davar’s work on film includes directing iconic dance numbers for ShahRead More

Can you believe that Indian cinema has been around for 100 years? In a Jugni Style exclusive, Bollywood choreographer Shiamak Davar shares 10 key changes that have changed dance on film. No more dancing around trees!

One of the leading choreographers in Bollywood, Shiamak Davar's work on film includes directing iconic dance numbers for Shah Rukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit and Karisma Kapoor in Dil To Pagal Hai, and Aishwarya Rai in Taal, in addition to stage shows and musicals around the world. Based in Mumbai and Vancouver, Shiamak's work has been recognized for its fresh originality, blending Indo-contemporary and modern movements that include ballet, yoga, folk and western dance.

Read on for Shiamak's insider take on Bollywood dance, music and film.

Dancing Divas: The first name that comes to everyone’s mind is Madhuri Dixit. With grace, style and the strength of a dancer, she had the entire nation dancing to her tunes. Bollywood has seen a series of actresses who, along with their acting, have proved to be equally natural on the dance floor. Madhubala, Vijayatimala, Read More">Read More

Dancing Divas: The first name that comes to everyone's mind is Madhuri Dixit. With grace, style and the strength of a dancer, she had the entire nation dancing to her tunes. Bollywood has seen a series of actresses who, along with their acting, have proved to be equally natural on the dance floor. Madhubala, Vijayatimala, Rekha, Sridevi and Aishwarya Rai are just a few names on this exhaustive list!

Lights, Camera, Action, Cut! If you watch older dance videos, there was a continuity in dance movement, but today, more than choreography, it has become about editing. After each count, there is a cut. Though from a screen perspective the eventual outcome is beautiful, from a creative outlook, this is not a true demonstration of talent as it was!

Thank you Shiamak Davar for sharing your personal perspectives on Bollywood and how it's changed over the past 100 years. We're in the mood to watch a movie now!

Photography Courtesy: Shiamak Davar

Signature Moves: Shammi Kapoor’s shimmy, Mithun’s disco moves, Big B’s style, Read More">Govinda’s expressions and Hrithik’s perfect grooves – over the last hundred years there have been some unique dance moves that have become a staple for Bollywood dance. From Daflis to LEDs: The use of properties has also come of age. The plain daflis nowRead More

Signature Moves: Shammi Kapoor's shimmy, Mithun's disco moves, Big B's style, Govinda's expressions and Hrithik's perfect grooves - over the last hundred years there have been some unique dance moves that have become a staple for Bollywood dance.

From Daflis to LEDs: The use of properties has also come of age. The plain daflis now have a touch of technology with a string of LED lights. Sets and props have not only become more modern but also bigger, better and grander in terms of quantity and quality.

Music as the Muse: Indian culture is predominantly defined by its music: classical, folk, regional and western. Dance evolved hand-in-hand with developments in music. The entire production of music has seen a 360 degree transformation with the use of quality enhancing technology, which has had a positive impact on dance. DancEmotions: A wedding celebration, Read More">theRead More

Music as the Muse: Indian culture is predominantly defined by its music: classical, folk, regional and western. Dance evolved hand-in-hand with developments in music. The entire production of music has seen a 360 degree transformation with the use of quality enhancing technology, which has had a positive impact on dance.

DancEmotions: A wedding celebration, the love between two people, a tragedy, a family feud; there is a dance for everything. The climax of a scene, a turn of events, the emotional quotient; all are defined by a well chalked out dance sequence in Bollywood. Over the last ten decades, Indian Cinema has made its identity through song and dance, and has kept that intact, which is testimony to the cultural importance and inherent attraction towards music and dance in India.

Dress to Dance: From Anarkali suits to floral printed shirts, the white salwar kameez to chiffon sarees, Read More">and bell bottom pants to miniskirts – actors and actresses have set trends that the nation has followed and how! The look of a song becomes a style statement. [Editor’s Note: How many of us copied Madhuri Dixit’sRead More

Dress to Dance: From Anarkali suits to floral printed shirts, the white salwar kameez to chiffon sarees, and bell bottom pants to miniskirts - actors and actresses have set trends that the nation has followed and how! The look of a song becomes a style statement. [Editor's Note: How many of us copied Madhuri Dixit's outfits from Hum Aapke Hai Koun, Kareena in Jab We Met, or Aishwarya in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanaam?]

'Item' girls to 'item' boys: Though the reference to stylized dance performances as 'item' is not my favourite, over the decades they've proved to be the ticket to attracting audiences to films. The quintessential dance queen, Helen, has remained unbeatable, but the newer lot has done justice to the tag as well with their Munnis, Sheilas and Jalebi Bais [character names from different film songs]. Men have caught up with their 'Dard-e-Disco' and Dabaang moves, and Bollywood sees a shift from macho man-based cinema to the metro sexual hero.