With sessions on ballet, flamenco, salsa and even Western music gaining popularity, the city seems to be opening up to international art forms.

There was a time when the cultural scene in Hyderabad, in terms of international dance and music, was called `thanda’, when compared to cities like Mumbai, Delhi or even Bangalore. Art forms like flamenco, ballet, bachata etc., we only heard of, and watched, maybe, on TV . But if recent city trends are anything to go by -flamenco classes, ballet lessons, jazz and piano concerts, hip-hop training -it seems that Hyderabadis are finally taking a step to learning international art forms.

“When I moved to Hyderabad in 2009-10, other than Bollywood and Indian classical, there weren’t many international dance forms that one could learn,” shares Shashi Dhar Reddy, an MNC employee, who also teaches Salsa. With the aim of introducing Hyderabad to different dance forms, just like other cities, Shashi started teaching salsa. “Compared to then, we have come a long way -we have even hosted our very own international dance congress this year and 50 Hyderabadis took part in the Salsa festival held in Goa!” says an excited Shashi.

Mary Cheriyan, who recently conudcted a flamenco class in the city, is pretty kicked with the response she’s received. “A lot of people have been coming up to me and asking if I’ll be conducting more of these sessions,” laughs the dancer, who’s learnt the dance from Spain.

And not just dance, even music-wise, the city has become more experimental.Joe Koster, who has been instrumental in bringing Western Classical music, jazz and cross-border music to the city, throws light on some startling information.”It might sound incredible to teachers and parents, but thousands of students from the twin cities sit for piano examinations conducted by international music colleges, like Trinity College London and The Royal Schools of Music,” he shares. Despite such a stellar performance by city musicians, Joe rues the fact that the city doesn’t get to see them perform at public venues. “Which is why we conduct events like concerts, school-outreach programmes and workshops to give them a platform to showcase their talent. The increasing number of events we conduct -listening posts, classes in vocal and theory, international artist concerts and workshops -points to one fact; that Hyderabadis welcome international music positively,” explains the musician.

So why is it that there’s suddenly a boom of international art forms in the city? Harsha Maheshwari, a hip-hop dancer who also teaches the dance form and managed to rope in artistes from America, pegs this to the increase in awareness.”Earlier, people weren’t aware of international dance forms -in fact, there weren’t even studios that undertook them. Those who were aware of it would participate in reality shows to learn the form better and showcase their talent. But the scene has changed now,” she says.

The springing up of open cultural spaces in the city is another reason why more such workshops are being held. “I don’t think art needs to be restricted by boundaries. The more the diversity , the merrier!” says Nayantara Nanda Kumar, founder of one such open space, who is an accomplished Odissi dancer herself.

With social media permeating into every aspect of our lives, dance and music are no longer restricted to specific boundaries. In fact, one can even learn an art form with the click of a mouse. “With video-sharing websites gaining popularity now, there are a number of tutorials through which one can learn.I too learnt hip-hop from the Internet for a while. This medium gives one more chances to learn the steps and helps in creating awareness,” feels Harsha.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Hyderabad / by Apurva Sridharan, TNN / October 20th, 2014