"The Dance Master At Large "
 |
Ashley Lobo
Choreographer |
He shot into limelight, with his choreography of the musical
Westside Story, which won wide applause in the Indian metros during the early 90's. Thereafter this young man who is roughly 30 something, has never rested his oars. On the contrary he has quietly been adding feathers to his cap one after the other. His latest achievement has been the establishment of Danceworx, a school in Delhi, which imparts training in jazz and contemporary dancing to the aspiring youth. Meet
Ashley Lobo, a loyal son of
Aamchi Mumbai, who is now set to create ripples all over the country.
It was tough getting hold of Ashley for an interview, as his regular dance classes and the series of performances literally keep him on his toes!!! In fact Ashley is just back from a sojourn in Nether lands. After weeks of waiting Ashley finally agreed to an informal chat over the phone.
Tell us about your family background, schooling, and college etal? I basically belong to Bombay. I did my schooling in St. Mary's (a residential school) in Mount Abu, Rajasthan. Later on, I graduated in economics from St Xavier's in Bombay. Coming to my family, my father retired from defence services some time back , while my mother is a school teacher. Additionally she is also an opera singer. I have two sisters, the older of the two lives in the US, while the younger is in Australia and is also an opera singer by profession.
Who or what inspired you to join dancing and also take it up as a serious profession? Actually it had happened rather by accident. This was during the 80's. I was back home in Bombay during a long leave from school. At that point of time my mother was directing a school musical play which was being choreographed by Salomi Roy Kapoor. Since I would generally accompany my mother, and everyone knew I was into dancing ever since my childhood, they asked me if I would try my hand at choreography. I did so, and my effort was appreciated. During this time the noted choreographer Karla Singh happened to watch my performance. She was obviously impressed and later asked me if I would work under her and taker up dance as a full time profession. I did and since then there has been no looking back.
What are the personal traits which have helped you to succeed? Focus, determination, discipline coupled with a tremendous amount of hard work.
Do you believe in God and destiny? Yes I have an implicit faith in God. I would rate myself as a devout Christian, but not in the sense that I visit the church regularly. Yes and I also believe in destiny, which is inexorable. You cannot go surmount it. Whatever has to happen will happen.
Dancer/(s) whom you admire? I am a great admirer of Mikhail Barishnekyov, who is a Russian and is an important member of the Bolshoi Theatre Group.
How do you compare and contrast yourself with Astaad Deboo and Shiamak Davar? As a matter of fact , both of them are very very talented and masters in their own spheres. Each of them have evolved their own distinct styles even though the general format of contemporary dancing remains intact. Astaad for instance has imbibed some ethnic Indian elements in his works, while Shiamak (incidentally I worked with him for awhile) lays emphasis on the entertainment aspects of dance. So far as I am concerned, I do a lot of contemporary too but I also indulge in a good deal of fusion - jazz blended with contemporary and so on.
What then is your forte? Jazz of course, which is what I am focussing on at my own school Danceworx.
Your future plans? To set up a full-fledged establishment for imparting knowledge about the fundamentals of dancing and going up to advanced levels. I dream of something along the lines of a university, where professors from all corners of the globe will congregate, to exchange ideas and experiences. I envisage it to be an institution, which will be able to function and thrive without my constant presence and monitoring. In all probability, some of my illustrious students will carry on the work I have started........
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