He grew up closely watching the dance moves of Michael
Jackson but his own students look up to him as their ultimate dance teacher.
And why wouldn’t they, when it was his guidance that made them Indian
champions. Six students of Siddhant Gadekar Dance and Fitness Academy, Margao
recently won the Junior Crew Indian Hip Hop Dance Championship in Mumbai and
will be representing India at the international level at the World Hip Hop
Dance Championship in San Diego, USA, from August 2 to August 9, 2015.
Considered the Olympics of Dance, the team will be competing against 55 nations
to win the title of World’s Best Dance Crew.
The Junior Crew comprises Praleej Naik from Mahila and Nutan
High School, Anjali Prasad, Mandar Patil and Sahil Khanvilkar from Bhatikar
High School, Shruti Powar from Kings High School and Zuriel Rebelo from Our
Lady Of Rosary High School. All the members are from Margao and are being
trained by Siddhant Gadekar at his place in Margao. “The children are under 13
years of age, with four boys and two girls forming the six-member crew. They
have been practising whole heartedly for the past year and a half and love hip
hop,” says Siddhant.
Siddhant is the founder of the Siddhant Gadekar Dance and
Fitness Academy which was opened in January 2014. A passionate dancer, he
started dancing at the age of five and continued to dance through school and
college. “After years of practise and hard work, I thought of taking dance to
the next professional level by opening a dance academy offering young talent a
platform to grow. I was encouraged with the response as the academy was
attracting dance enthusiasts from all age groups,” says Siddhant who currently
has classes in Margao, Chinchinim, Chandor, Betalbatim, Navelim and Varca.
Siddhant came across the Indian Hip Hop Championship on
Facebook. The competition was created by Anjan Sivakumar and introduced in
India in 2012. His academy was selected from Goa as the winning crew before
becoming national winners and confirming their spot for the qualifying rounds
at the competition in the US. The students, though from different schools, get
together at Siddhant’s house for daily practice. Crew member Shruti Powar, a
Class VII student who adores Madhuri Dixit says, “I am very excited to perform
and my parents are very proud of me.”
“There are three
rounds in the USA, qualifying round, semi finals and finals which require three
different routines. The 95-minute piece should comprise styles including hip
hop, urban hip hop, miracle hip hop, krumping and popping and locking,” says
Siddhant, looking forward to make his mark on the world stage through his crew.
