ballet

Manish Chauhan’s father drives a taxi, while Amiruddin Shah’s is a construction worker. Both boys dropped out of formal education early on. And this is their story of becoming professional ballet dancers.

On the birth anniversary of Uday Shankar, we remember the Padma Vibhushan and Sangeet Natak Akademi awardee, who played a pivotal role in fusing Indian and Western culture with his unique dance style characterised by Indian non-classical dance forms.

"I didn't have the money to afford a place to stay. Sometimes, I would sleep on railway platforms. But nothing mattered", says the 18-year-old lad who has been offered a seat in some of the world's most prestigious ballet academies. #Inspiration #Respect

While most kids his age played the ball or perhaps spent a majority of their time getting enlightened within the four walls of their classrooms, Anand sifted through garbage, picking rags to make ends meet.

Gilles Chuyen moved to Delhi in the 90s and has lived here since. A choreographer, teacher and master of many forms, he is also a practitioner of dance meditation.