“This
is the second time we are organising the Goa International Dance Congress. The
best place to have it is in Goa because it’s the best place to have a party in
India. So having people from across India and the world coming together, by the
beach, where you can relax and have a good time is just right for this dance
event,” says Rocky Poonawala, a passionate dancer who started his own dance
school in 1995.
Being
trained abroad in all styles of Latin and ballroom dances, he started a class
with a batch of ten students. As time went by, the number of students grew and
today the Rocky Poonawala Dance School is one of the most recognised premier
dance companies in India. What makes Rocky stand out as a teacher is the fact
that he has trained himself in many forms of dance such as salsa, bachata, cha
cha, jive, rhumba, samba, tango, pasodoble, waltz, hustle, foxtrot, Bollywood,
hip-hop and khatak, hence making him a choreographer who creates concepts and
ideas that are breathtaking to watch. He has also successfully trained over six thousand students in Latin
American ballroom, Bollywood and hip-hop dance styles and has had his students
feature on national television on dance shows.
After establishing his own school and company, he
decided to take another step forward towards the progress of dance in India and
began the Pune International Dance Congress (PIGDC), a one of a kind event
dedicated to getting the best of the dance fraternity from all over the world
to Pune. After seven consecutive and successful years of the PIGDC, he
organised the first Goa International Dance Congress (GIDC) in September 2015
and this year the second edition of the GIDC will be held from October 7 to 9.
“We have people coming from Mumbai, Delhi,
Kolkata, Pune, Hyderabad and Bangalore. It’s a gathering of dancers from
everywhere in India and also Goa. Goa has a lot of talent and successful people
in the field of dance such as Darryl, Raquel and Martin,” says Rocky Poonawala.
This year, the Goa International Dance Congress
will be held at Bogmalo Beach Resort in Vasco and one can expect a three-day
dance vacation with awesomely designed workshops with a blend of renowned
national artistes combined with pool parties and leisure activities. The
workshops held at the event will guide participants through zumba, salsa,
cha-cha, bachata and other popular styles of dancing.
Cecille Rodrigues, a prominent face of dance in
Goa, will not be able to be a part of the Congress because of her busy
schedules but she encourages all to go ahead and be a part of this event.
“Every Goan should take an opportunity such as this because a lot is learnt at
such workshops and one can socialise with a lot of people from outside Goa that
are passionate about dance and music,” says Cecille.
