Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Dream of Dancing



I told my wife that there was a dance party coming up on Saturday and Sunday.
Wifey: “Oh good, it’s been a long time since I had been on the dance floor and shook a leg”
Me : “We are not going to the party to dance. Its a photo shoot and I have to cover the event organised by the Latin dreamers

My wife’s face fell. I quickly told her that she can come along if she could be my assistant and shoot a few pictures.

Wifey : “You mean all those guys will be dancing and we will be just looking at them clicking away”

Me : “Yes, we have a job to do and we better do it right. Moreover its Latin dance and you know I can’t do the Salsa or Bachata or Merengue. The only association I had with Latin was when I was an altar boy in the church and had to learn all the prayers in Latin, but that was many decades ago”
 
Wifey: “OK, OK, what will I wear?”

I side stepped that question. The saturday event was at the Red Bar in Koregaon Park Plaza. It was supposed to be from 8.30 pm to 11.30 pm but it went on well past midnight. I started clicking away as soon as the first pair hit the floor. 





Catching them at the right moment with the right expression was the challenge




I suppose the follower and the leader plays a major role in these type of dance. 




Lighting was a major issue for me as most of the dance floors these days are equipped with the “disco light” which is a nightmare for a photographer. 


As the night progressed, the participants got into the right mood and let their body flow with the music. 





To capture some real moments, I had to be in the thick of the action and that called for some tactical moves like avoiding the flying hair and the swishing skirts. 





I think having the right footwear also matters, but hats off to the ones who can pull it off on stilettoes. 


Capturing some difficult holds with the right expression is a matter of luck 


The second day was at the Flying Saucer at Viman Nagar. A little more spacious and the lighting was better. 


People were rooting for the in sync performance by Satyaki & Sovit 


One would think that one has to be slim and trim to dance, but Sovit proved them wrong as can be seen in this video.

I was very impressed by the fluid body movements of Shazeb Sheikh. His footfalls are very soft as can be seen in this two minute video. Sahiba has managed to keep pace with him.

The selection of the music by the DJ was just right for the mood, and they were actually part of the group who doubled up as DJ 


 
I enjoyed filming “follow the leader” as much as they enjoyed performing it. 



Bhavin and Soonruta runs the Latindreamers and conducts workshops all over Pune at specific intervals. 

Made a few videos and posted them on FB and YouTube.

The links are here:





 
At the end of the day, my wife said that she didn’t mind not being on the floor. 


Wifey: “for a change I just enjoyed looking at them dance. By the way make sure that some of the pictures I clicked show up on your blog”

Looking at all the pictures above, I think she has done pretty well, considering the fact that this is her first venture as my assistant. 


(ps: all the FB links may show as "this content is currently unavailable" but if you login with your FB account, you can view them)



24 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow , you did have a gala time - Charles

angeliodevil said...

Lovely Joe. You have captured some really nice moments. Hope to see you soon :)

Anonymous said...

Great photographs Joe and liked the videos also.
Looks like you both had a good time. ENJOY. - Kersy Mehta

Yamini MacLean said...

Hari OM
Ayye karamba! You need danger money for dodging the dancers! Nicely done. YAM xx

tina said...

Your wife did very well indeed. What fun! Gosh I wasn't even there and was enjoying the energy in your pictures. Excellent job!

Stephanie said...

Looks like great fun and you did a wonderful job of capturing the moment...well done, Joe :)

Anonymous said...

Thanks Joe and Marie.(the new camera boy)
As for me, Joe you have captured pics that make the dance look good! When I watched the videos you have been putting up I was like "one, two,three, now bend ..,," everyone looks so serious ! Salsa is sensuous , it's pure rhythm and that I saw in your pics! Not in the dancing!!!
In the pics, the smiles, the hair flying, the feet , all added to its glamour.
Thanks
Here's to you being called for many more
Love
Cindy

Anonymous said...

Ur blog on dream of dancing is just amazing. Captured moments and expressions so well. Enjoyed viewing the same.

Regards

Marie Menezes

Locomente said...

Looking at these pictures, I feel like dancing too!

magiceye said...

Nice captures

Anonymous said...

Another great post! The pictures are terrific!
Next time I come to Pune, we MUST go to one of these Latin dance parties, if at all possible!! Looks like some great dancers! Latin dancing on Friday nights in Djibouti is the highlight of my weeks here. At least they have been... all the good male dancers are gone. Hopefully new ones will come in soon. - Christine

Rajlakshmi said...

that's a cool dance party. You captured the moves quite well.

M'Bai Madrasi said...

Thank you for dropping by !


Beautiful pictures, to click hem while dancing, especially at the right time is indeeed a hard task!

Kudos!

My Unfinished Life said...

Really nice pics haddock

www.myunfinishedlife.com

Anonymous said...

Hey Jo cha!

"Dream of dancing" simply moved the spirit of dancing in me. I could feel the energy vibes on the floor in your blog and the images. Thank you for sharing.
Looking forward to many more.

Best,
Priya

Debbie Nolan said...

Joe looks like you captured some great photos here. Hope you had some time on the dance floor with your wife. Thank you too for stopping by to visit my flowers. Have s lovely week.

Lowell said...

I'd say you and your "assistant" did a great job what with the lighting and all the movement. Excellent work!

Renu said...

As usual beautiful pics..

Suvarna Gold said...

thanks for the comment ! greetings from germany


My Blog | Facebook | Bloglovin | Lookbook
| My Showcase- Header, Facebook-banner, Logos and more .Get one too

awadhut said...

Thanks Joe

Your blogs are always a priority for me. Each one gives some new information.
These dance floors must be a electrifying experience for all those present.

Thanks for sharing 

Awadhut

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

You're a good team! Looks like all were having fun.

Karen Xavier said...

Oho, looks like a fun party with cool people... all of them seem to be having a great time.

Shalet Jimmy said...

The pictures were awesome. Where was it? Malayalees do not often dance and it is one of their problems tooo....

Rjendra said...

Plz give me address