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Kathmandu Thursday September 27, 2001 Ashwin 11, 2058.
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Jazz dance classes magnetising youngsters
By Perina Pathak
KATHMANDU, Sept 26 - What is common between pop stars Britney
Spears, Jennifer Lopez and some teenagers in Kathmandu? They all are the practitioners of
comtemporary jazz dance.
Dozens of youngsters in the capital are following Meghana
Thapa to learn footsteps of jazz dance. These people have shown lots of interest in
learning this latest type of dance, which is becoming widely popular in the Western world.
Even the famous pop sensations like Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez and Madonna are
including this contemporary jazz dance in their music videos. This has further attracted
the MTV generation in the Capital.
"The contemporary jazz dance is different from the
traditional one because it has crossed traditional barriers creating a movement of its own
type," says Meghana Thapa, who teaches jazz dance at the Alliance Francaise,"
she says.
"It is a new concept as it has the mixture of both
traditional jazz and ballet dance," says Thapa. "Everyone likes this form of
dance as it has transgressed the traditional style of dance into the modern one."
But, says Thapa, "this style should not be regarded the same as the hip-hop
style."
" I was attracted to this dance because this is based on
the music that has fast beats and rhythm, which helps to make your body flexible,"
says Marie Christine, one of the students at the Alliance Francaise. Around 15 students
are presently attending the regular classes at the centre, most of them are
Kathmandu’s youngsters.
According to Thapa, contemporary jazz dance is usually taught
in three levels. Primary level is about 5-6 months long, depending on how fast the student
learns and the second one is elementary level, which takes about a year to complete. After
going through these stages, the students have to complete the intermediate level of two
years to become the professional jazz dancer. The training on exercise and body toning
lead students to prepare for the basic jazz movements.
"A new comer usually learns this dance technique within
three years," says Thapa. "This too depends on the instructor and how fast a
student can learn."
Twenty-seven year old Thapa, who works as a designer in a
local pashmina factory, completed a three-year course from Ashley Lobo’s Dance
Academy in India.
"I started teaching jazz dance because there isn’t
any centre to teach interested individuals here," says Thapa. "And I also enjoy
every movement with my students."
"This typical jazz dance not only keeps one fit and
healthy, it also helps to lose weight," remarks one of the students at the centre.
"We at least need one dance academy here as those
interested can learn and develop a career in this field," says Thapa.
Thapa, who started teaching jazz dance recently at the
Alliance Francaise, is also planning to start this course at the Banu’s Fitness
Centre soon.
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