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SINGAPORE: The glitz and glamour of Bollywood come alive on stage at the Esplanade Theatre when theatrical dance spectacular, "The Merchants of Bollywood", hits Singapore on January 12.
Written and directed by Toby Gough, the Australian production has garnered critical acclaim the world over for its energetic dance routines, colourful costumes and its gifted leads Carol Furtado and Dipender Singh.
The US$2.8 million production follows the journey of Ayesha Merchant (Furtado), a young Indian girl whose family members are the keepers of the classical Karthak dance form. Brought up by her grandfather, Shantilal, and trained in Kathak, Ayesha harbours a secret desire for the bright lights of Bollywood.
Despite her grandfather's objections, Ayesha chooses to leave everything behind, even her childhood sweetheart Uday (Singh), to pursue her Bollywood dreams.
This dance musical is loosely based on the lives of the real life Merchant family, a family of musicians, film-makers and choreographers who have greatly influenced the development of Bollywood. However, it resonated with Furtado and Singh, who felt that the story is about something much more profound than a runaway girl.
"The story is about what India is today. There are always going to be people who stick with tradition and there are people who are modern. Sometimes the two do not agree," said Singh in an e-mail interview.
"I feel the story has a very universal appeal; the next generation trying to free itself of the practices of the previous one and leave its own mark on the world," added Furtado.
She went on to reveal that she could relate to her stage persona as her family did not support her decision to become a dancer when she started out.
"It took a long time for my family to accept my dancing," she said.
Practise, Practise, Practise
Getting ready for a large-scale stage production like "Merchants" is no easy task. It takes a lot of work to make sure everything goes smoothly after the curtain rises. One of the biggest challenges Furtado and Singh faced in the beginning was to pick up classical dance to play their roles.
"Like all classical dance forms, form is very important; dancers take years to become fairly accomplished at any traditional dance form. And here I was expected to portray this journey of the classically trained Ayesha to Bollywood dance while having a reverse journey myself of contemporary to classical dance!" Furtado said.
"It just takes time to practise as each state has their style of traditional dance," said Singh.
And practise they did. The cast have to endure gruelling rehearsals that lasted from four to six hours, for every single performance.
"We definitely push our bodies to its limit," she said, adding that they sometimes even had to rehearse and perform in sub-zero temperatures.
"Rehearsals for me are not as intense as they were a few years ago. Back then it was at least six hours a day. It can get a little intense but it's great fun learning new moves," said Singh.
Unfortunately for Furtado and the rest of the female cast, things will not get very much easier as they still have to contend with dancing in their heavy, elaborate costumes. Singh had described the costumes for the female performers as "all very beautiful", but beauty comes at a price.
"The heavy outfits and accessories worn in the show become quite a hindrance while dancing," said Furtado.
"There have been times when I needed to be on my knees and I've gone down too hard landing on the beads, stones, sequins of my skirt," she lamented. "Some stories are best left backstage!"
The twin leads of "Merchants" may live and breathe dance, but for now, they have something other than dance on their minds as they prepare to perform in Singapore.
"It's been many years since I first visited Singapore and so much has changed since then. Like most girls I'm looking forward to the shopping!" said Furtado.
"I am very eager to try the local cuisine as I've heard a lot about it from friends," she added.
Singh shared her sentiments.
"I love food and I will be trying everything, so no strict diet for me while I'm in Singapore," he said.
"The Merchants Of Bollywood" runs from January 12 to 17 at the Esplanade Theatre.
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