The+Choreographers

The Choreographers Birju Maharaj ‘s name has become synonymous with the traditional dance form of Kathak. Born in an illustrious family of Kathak dancers of Lucknow, Pandit Birju Maharaj was initially trained by his father, Guru Achhan Maharaj and later by his uncle, Guru Shambhu Maharaj. His dances showcase an admirable blend of the best of these two great dancers. Birju Maharaj has also groomed a galaxy of young kathak dancers. He has received many prestigious awards for his choreography. Besides being a renowned dancer, he is also a vocalist, percussionist, music composer, poet and painter. He has performed in countries such as the USA, Japan, UAE, UK, France, Germany, Italy and Austria. For the film Devdas he has composed and choreographed ‘Kahe Ched Mohe...’, a 'Mujra' based on Indian classical dance which is one of the highlights of the film. media type="youtube" key="-qxjrdQwNrg&hl=en&fs=1" height="344" width="425"

Many examples of his work can be found by searching ‘Birju Maharaj’ on You Tube. [|Birju Maharaj] and his disciple [|Saswati Sen] ** Saroj Khan ** Saroj Khan has to her credit some of the most pulsatingly popular dance numbers of the Indian film industry .She holds the honour of receiving the first Filmfare Award for Choreography for her famous //Ek Do Teen// song with Madhuri Dixit, amongst many other awards. As choreographer for Devdas’, she was responsible for the ‘Dola re dola’ sequence. She was three when she was taken to the film studios to earn livelihood for her family, which was one of the many victims of the 1947 Partition. In an interview on indya.com she said: "//My father had a flourishing business in Pakistan but he had to leave everything behind when he came to India. I was born in India. Even as a two-year old child, I loved to dance. Since we were in dire straits, my parents put me in films. I was three when I got my first break in Nazrana . I played the little Shyama, sitting on the moon and singing a song.// // My original name was Nirmala. My father changed my name to Saroj when he put me in the movies, so that his orthodox family would not know the truth about his little daughter working in films, which was not considered very respectable in those days. From a child-artiste, I became a group dancer and then graduated to being an assistant dance master and finally dance master. // // To date, I haven't taken any formal training in dance. I learned my dance from the well-known dance master B Sohanlal. He taught me the basics of Kathak, Kathakali, Manipuri, Bharata Natyam et al.” // Khan is critical of some modern choreography: // "Subtlety has given way to sensationalism. Choreographers today hardly think on creative lines, they mechanically pack each song with seductive movements for a titillating effect. They are a helpless lot as most of these youngsters are group dancers-turned-choreographers, who have to fall in line with the demands of the producers and directors for the sake of survival. I am sure people will soon be fed up of the overdose of vulgarity." // In the industry for nearly 40 years, she says that her dances don't just contain one style or form. // "Also, I refuse to do albums. That's why my numbers are so different. When a film choreography becomes like a music video, people will go out of the theatre for a smoke and come back when the movie starts again." //  Adapted from http://cinemaa.indya.com/nostalgia/saroj_khan.html http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/mp/2005/04/23/stories/2005042302160100.htm http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/446878.cms Dola re dola: media type="youtube" key="IiIL-w_jD8o&hl=en&fs=1" height="344" width="425" Some examples of her work can be found by searching ‘Birju Maharaj’ on You Tube. Vaibhabhi Merchant is the granddaughter of pioneering choreographer Shri [|Hiralal Merchant]. She has worked on over 100 films as a choreographer. Her interest in this work initially met with resistance from her family: // “I was a very protected child. Even if I had to walk from here to there [just a few metres,] I would have had to take a servant with me. Girls were looked after like that. Getting into the film industry and being a choreographer? I think going to the moon would have been far easier...it was a very male-dominated profession.” // She won a national Award for her dance number ‘Dhol baje...’ in //Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam.// In the film //Devdas// her delicate and sensitive touch is palpable in the three songs choreographed by her. // “When I am asked to choreograph, I do a brainstorming session. I make it a point to unlearn whatever I had learnt earlier and redig into my dance training days abroad," she says. Merchant, however, stresses that a lot has to do with the music of the song which is the strongest point. Malu said, "That's why we choreographed O Re Piya and Chalak numbers in Devdas by incorporating a ballet and bodyline style of dancing." //   She also choreographed the Australian musical // [|The Merchants of Bollywood] //, a stage production written by [|Toby Gough] about her family and performed in Australia in 2005.   Adapted from // Making the right moves for Bollywood //     http://www.theage.com.au/news/film/making-the-right-moves-for-bollywood/2005/10/17/1129401196044.html and from http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/446878.cms Dhol baje... media type="youtube" key="iaZPexT_ffo&hl=en&fs=1" height="344" width="425" ‘O Rey Chhori’ media type="youtube" key="QCnw6iXSG8M&hl=en&fs=1" height="344" width="425" Pappu (Zahur Sheikh) and Malu (Kavita Gandhi) started very young as dancers and assisted leading choreographers before taking the plunge as independent choreographers. They formed a group ‘Pop Chic’, which has to its credit several prestigious stage shows in India and abroad. They choreographed Aishwarya Rai’s ‘//More piya’// number in //Devdas//. Pappu, of Pappu-Malu fame, stresses on the ‘reachability’ of the songs. // "It is important that people enjoy the numbers. That is why one sees people trying to follow the same footsteps at pubs, discs or even marriage parties. Today, if the song is popular, the film is popular." // From http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/446878.cms ‘ More piya’: media type="youtube" key="QyVm3VMOpw8&hl=en&fs=1" height="344" width="425"
 * Vaibhabhi Merchant **
 * Pappu – Malu (choreographer duo) **

// Other Indian film choreographers //
Shiamak Daver B. Sohanlal Ganesh Hegde [|Prabhu Deva Sundaram] Farah Khan [|Raju Sundaram] [|Vikramaditya Motwane] [|Lawrence Raghavendra]