The Journey: I suffer from 'D' Virus

A recent development in my professional space got me into thinking of the glorified science of detachment. ‘Detachment’ a word that helps overcome a lot of shocks and surprises that life has in store for you. My office colleague has a simple way of putting things across the table that being “Yeh Sab MOH MAYA hai” and my classic human response to MOH MAYA is “easier said than DONE.”

In the world of dance and music however Detachment is a language in its own right. STACCATO (Italian for detachment) a form of musical articulation wherein a note of shortened duration is separated from the note followed on. Lyrical Hip Hop is loosely inspired by the concept of Staccato. A dance beat separated from the main step to showcase a strong movement.

One name that came to my mind while writing about lyrical Hip Hop was Dharmesh Yelande famously known as D Sir. My earliest memories of him is his stint on DID (Dance India Dance) season 2. The show that earned him the name ‘D’. One of my favourite performances was his trio performance on the song Rasiya (Movie-Kurbaan). The most striking thing about his dance is indeed the Staccato. His unique ability to break the musical note and create an expression of its own is a delight to the eyes.

From a dance teacher in Vadodara to a national icon his journey is no less than a classic Bollywood masala film.

D is the CHAMPION ;-)

I love Mumbai in the rains, so what better day could I ask for to meet D. A Saturday afternoon, Dharmesh at his casual best, rains playing the perfect background score, I finally caught the D Virus (wink)

Let us talk about the journey of ‘D’ (Dharmesh)?

I am a Maharashtrian born and brought up in Gujarat. In hindi we say ‘MAA KE PET SE SIKH KE AAYA HAI’, dance for me is something like that. I was not very good at studies so dance was the best resort (laughs). I was very fortunate to have a family that always supported my decision to pursue dance. So I actually started my journey with Bharatanatyam, however being from a modest background I could not afford the class fees. I then went on to meet my sir Krishna Rao who introduced me to free style and western dance forms (HIP HOP, LOCK & POP….). Few years down the lane I started my own dance class D- Virus. It was not enough to make the ends meet so I put up a Misal Paav stall alongside my father’s tea stall (it was a competition as to who made more money every day). I was so crazy about dance that when my mom asked me to pursue a job, I took one on the condition that it would get over before 6 so that I could pursue my dance classes. Opportunities kept knocking my door with my stint as a back ground dancer in Gujarati and Bhojpuri films. In 2008, I won the Boogie Woogie championship with the price money of 5 lacs. Never in my life before had I seen such a ransom. Then came Dance India Dance, unfortunately I could not participate in season 1 due to the age restriction (15-25 years). In Season 2 the age limit was increased (15-30 yrs.), being a huge fan of Remo Sir I pounced on the opportunity to participate this time and the rest is history…

How did acting happen?

In my childhood a fortune teller predicted that I would be in the showbiz. At that time, we all laughed it out kahan chote sheher ka chokra hero banega (how would a small town boy be a star). Post DID Remo sir has once called us ( Puneet, Salman, Prince...) to his place. Siddharth Roy Kapoor from Disney UTV was there and Remo sir announced these kids are the stars of my movie (ABCD- anybody can dance). It was a huge risk as apart from Prabhu Deva none of us were actors. But the movie was a hit and then came the second installment ABCD 2 which was a huger hit.

From a contestant(mentee) in DID (Dance India Dance- Season 2) to a mentor in Dance plus what has the transition been like?

You know as a child it was my dream to be a background dancer, my dream sequence was me dancing behind a Bollywood superstar (laughs). Toh mujhe UMEED se DOOGNA mila hai (I have achieved more than I asked for…). To answer your question, in DID I had 3 amazing masters (Remo Sir, Geeta Ma & Terence Sir) guiding me through the season. Ever since I wanted to earn my spot on that judging chair. I would always observe their mannerisms and their outlook while judging any performance. Post DID I got the opportunity to mentor on DID little masters and my kid Jeetu Moni won the season. But I was still waiting for a larger podium. So when Dance+ came across I took up the job hands on… And we all know that V company from my team won the season. So ya the transition has been inspiring.

Apart from D style what is your favourite dance form?

I do not have one particular favourite as it keeps changing with the mood and music. But ROBOTICS is one dance form that stands out for me.

Tell us more about Banjo…

I was a judging Marathi reality show MAD (Manjhe Assal Dancer) when I met Ravi Jhadhav (director of BANJO). Later on he came to me with the script of BANJO. Banjo is a story of 4 friends who take their music from the chawls of Mumbai to New York. I play the character of GRESE the drummer. The film also stars Riteish Deshmukh and Nargis Fakri.

D the Actor or D the Dancer?

That’s a tough one because dance is my Soul and acting is my Life, can’t have one without the other (wink).

Words of Wisdom for your fans….

My motto in life is ‘JO HOTA HAI ACHE KE LIYE HOTA HAI.’ Whenever I meet young kids and contestants on dance shows I always tell them to keep going even if the way is tough. Be so good with your talent (Dance) that judges fight to have you in their team. I had Remo sir, Geeta ma and Terrence sir all vouching for me in DID. Let your talent speak for you, Winning or Losing won’t ever matter then……..

With Dance+ season 2 around the corner D virus is surely VIRAL (wink)……..