Like any young lady, Megha Khatri first
took to the dance floor with ballroom dancing. But her mind and moves were
invariably inclined towards the heady beats of the Latin style of dance. Salsa
was to become her passion, albeit just three years ago. Today she has not only
garnered accolades nationally as well as internationally, but dancing and salsa
have become her mainstay career. It’s thanks to a large extent, she says, to
very supportive parents. “There was something about Latin dance that I always
was keen to learn! I loved the way it was flashy, the way the lady looked so
beautiful and elegant while performing and how effortlessly she pulled off
difficult elements,” avers Pune-based Megha. “I travel abroad a few times a
year to train and compete. We went to Europe this year for training. I am also
part of ‘Team Torqueo’.” Megha won the Salsa solo, Amateur Division, GILF 2012,
Goa and was the 4th Runners up at the 2014 World Salsa Championships,
Professional solo division, Hong Kong.
Megha talks of her first steps into salsa
while looking back on her journey when she was placed fourth at the World Salsa
Championships, Professional solo division, Hong Kong (2014) and won first place
at the Salsa solo, amateur division Goa International Latin Festival (GILF)
(2012) including several performances in India and abroad as well. “Since I
started with Latin ballroom, it gave me insight into different styles, posture
and frame. When I started salsa and bachata, I incorporated those aspects into
my dancing. I love competing and performing on stage, hence my style of dancing
in more wide and dynamic. I choose to keep powerful lifts and elements while
maintaining smooth and elegant dancing,” states this dancer who choreographs
all her dance performances with her partner Akshay Unecha in Pune and Abhishek
Soman in Goa. By her own admission, she incorporates all the current ON1 or LA
style, ON2 or NY Style and Columbian styles into her routines.
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Little wonder then that Megha’s skills were
commissioned for the Salsa workshop recently held in Goa. A precursor to the
GILF 2015, she shares her experience. “The Goa workshop was an introduction to
GILF which is being held in October. The workshop was really good and we got a
very nice response. We are formulating performance teams for the same event.
Hence the workshops I took were to get a good understanding of how the students
are and for them to know me as a dancer and as an instructor. The organiser of
the festival, John Anthony, was also present,” she explains while elaborating
that festivals such as these serve to bring together international as well as
national artists, to teach to perform and give an opportunity to all budding to
learn from them.”
