On Monday, 8th July, the city welcomed celebrity Bollywood choreographer, Shiamak Davar for a special meet and greet event.
Considered the “Guru of Dance”, Shiamak has taught numerous A-list Bollywood celebrities including Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padoukoune, and Madhuri Dixit, and choreographed Bollywood films such as Dil To Pagal Hai, Dhoom 2, Bunty Aur Babli and Taare Zameen Par.
Although based in Mumbai, India, he is the founder of Shiamak Davar international dance school which specialises in Bollywood dance. The renowned school operates internationally and has been running in Leicester since 2014. It’s attracted 1,000 students across the UK and around 200 from Leicester.
The special visit was an opportunity for the dancer to meet his Midlands students for the first time. Shiamak, said: “Since starting our classes in Leicester and the Midlands I have wanted to visit. I have been eager to meet all of the students that come to the classes. There is so much passion in Leicester. We had many Leicester students come and train full-time with us in India and perform at high profile events like the IIFA Awards.”
During the event, Shiamak was joined by fellow dancer and choreographer Master Marzi who has gained a following from judging on Indian TV shows, Dance Indian Dance and Super Dancer.
Shiamak Midlands, operated by Leicester-based Aakash Odedra Company (AOC) is a not for profit dance organisation led by local choreographer Aakash Odedra. Aakash, said: “Shiamak is one of my gurus. I danced with their company from 2002-2004 in India.
“They built an incredible family of dancers, and I gained so much as a dancer and as a human-being by being with their team. When we got the opportunity to deliver their classes in Leicester and the Midlands we were delighted to be able to offer the highest standards of Bollywood dance to all communities that live here.”
