Hong Kong loves Bollywood: meet the woman teaching locals to dance like Madhuri Dixit and Shah Rukh Khan

As the upbeat Bollywood song Dil Dooba plays, Hanisha Gianani dances in front of more than a dozen people of diverse backgrounds. The onlookers do their best to follow the vibrant movements, but it is not easy to keep up with one of Hong Kong’s best Bollywood dancers. Gianani, 30, has been performing Bollywood dances since she was three years old. More recently, Gianani pursued her passion: she left a successful marketing job and launched a start-up dance company to bring Bollywood to Hong Kong. “Bollywood dancing is the most easy-going, welcoming form of dance. It is all about having fun, building confidence and expressing ourselves,” she says. “I want to bring it to Hong Kong.” Bollywood dance, as performed in popular Indian cinema, is a mix of classical Indian dances, folk dances and modern dance forms like jazz and hip hop. Bollywood star Manisha Koirala on having it all, hitting rock bottom and surviving stage-four ovarian cancer Gianani was born in India and moved to Hong Kong with her parents when she was two months old. She speaks Hindi, English and some Cantonese she picked up at local international schools. Having grown up in Hong Kong, Gianani calls the city her home. Yet her Jhumkas, the traditional Indian bell-shaped earrings, and her baggy Salwar trousers are evidence that she is still strongly connected to her Indian roots. Her love for Bollywood dance began in kindergarten, when she gave her first dance performance. At 10, she started taking Bollywood dance classes and performing at Indian cultural events in Hong Kong. She studied management at the London School of Economics and received a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Hong Kong. In 2015, Gianani worked for a marketing company that supported Google’s office in Hong Kong. The heavy workload left no time for dancing. Still, her love of dance never faded, and a chance opportunity reignited her passion. From passion to profession In August 2016, Gianani’s best friend was getting married and invited her to choreograph a Sangeet wedding ceremony – an Indian tradition that features dances performed by the families and friends of the bride and groom. The work was challenging. With a full-time job, she had to make time for the choreography. She spent four months designing 10 dances. But her efforts paid off: the wedding went on successfully for three days in Bali. She soon received requests for more Sangeet choreography. Her talent was also discovered by her friends at Google, where her Bollywood dance instruction became popular. She also launched a YouTube channel. She choreographed and performed dances inspired by famous Bollywood actors and actresses such as Madhuri Dixit, Karisma Kapoor, Govinda Ahuja and Shah Rukh Khan. Her high-energy, exuberant dances attracted more than 38,000 followers. Indian choreographer gets people to let loose in Bollywood dance class As Gianani’s popularity grew, she received more offers for work. She was soon flooded with orders for Sangeet choreography and started to consider turning her passion into a profession. “I wanted to see if I could dedicate all my time and energy to Bollywood dancing,” Gianani says. “I’m willing to take this risk and see what I can do.” She left her marketing job last August and started Ek 2 Three, a dance company named after her favourite Bollywood song, Ek Do Teen, meaning “one two three” – the steps of dance movements. Over the years, Gianani explored different dance styles – including hip hop, jazz and belly dancing – but Bollywood was always her favourite because of its energy, joyfulness and narrative form. “To me, Bollywood dancing is telling stories in which movements marry lyrics,” she says. Bringing people together On a recent day at a 200 sq ft studio on Hollywood Road in Sheung Wan, a diverse group of 15 people were enchanted by Gianani’s Bollywood dancing and tried to follow along. “Bollywood is such a joyful culture. Despite the struggles and differences, people are brought together by it,” says Surmayee Tetarbe, a 26-year-old Hongkonger of Indian origin. Hong Kong resident Jessica Shum, 29, has attended Gianani’s dance workshops for two months. She says she appreciates Bollywood culture. “Hanisha teaches us the movements with the lyrics so I get to learn about the stories behind the dances as well as the Bollywood culture,” Shum says. Gianani tries to contribute to the local community through dance. She and two partners organised a two-hour Bollywood dance event last October to raise public awareness of breast cancer. The event raised HK$14,000 (US$1,783) for the Hong Kong Breast Cancer Foundation. How Bollywood is giving Hollywood a run for its money in China “Growing up in Hong Kong, we are always encouraged to contribute to the community,” Gianani says. “Dance has the power to bring people together.” For International Women’s Day this month, she brought together 10 Bollywood dancers in Hong Kong, one from the United States, one from Nepal and the rest from India. They choreographed a strong, energetic dance that was dedicated to the empowerment of women. Gianani appreciates Hong Kong’s embrace of Bollywood culture, and has seen how dance has brought people together. Last year, Varun Dhawan became the second Bollywood actor to have a wax statue in Madame Tussauds Hong Kong, following Amitabh Bachchan. Gianani was invited to attend the unveiling ceremony and she created a digital dance installation behind the new statue. “Hong Kong is embracing Bollywood and people appreciate this dancing style,” she says. “But it can still grow.”

Hong Kong loves Bollywood: meet the woman teaching locals to dance like Madhuri Dixit and Shah Rukh Khan

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}‘It is all about having fun, building confidence and expressing ourselves,’ says Hanisha Gianani

‘It is all about having fun, building confidence and expressing ourselves,’ says Hanisha Gianani