“India is a sea of talent. We have two thousand years of culture, of music and dance…(but) ballet is the most complete framework for global dance…”—Mumbai-born Ashley Lobo, founder of The Danceworx
Indefatigable dreamer and dancer Manish Chauhan, the hero of the award-winning and joyous documentary film, Call Me Dancer, tells it like it is about his career path: “I don’t want to be an acrobat. I want to be a dancer. Call me dancer…I showed up with broken shoes. Now no one can stop me…When we’re happy we dance…it’s like offering a prayer to the gods.”
And, Manish, his pal Amir (formerly of the Royal Ballet), the teachers like Yehuda and Ashley, and the other performers who dance and share their exuberance in this movie, all offer up those prayers to the gods.
The film’s producers suggest that Call Me Dancer is a genuinely heartfelt, captivating and inspirational documentary about Manish Chauhan, a dancer from Mumbai who pursues his dream of becoming a professional ballet dancer. And, they’re right when they say the movie will inspire you and make you cheer. Co-directors Pip Gilmour and Leslie Shampaine, a former professional ballet dancer, followed Manish for five years starting from his days of street dancing in Mumbai. Manish took a chance by entering a dance school where he first met Yehuda Maor, a ballet dance teacher and former dancer. Call Me Dancer is as much about Manish's struggles to become a professional dancer as it is about the compassionate bond between him and Yehuda who becomes his mentor.
And, it’s also about the monumental obstacles that many of us in the arts face.
Distributor Abramorama is initially releasing Call Me Dancer in cinemas in New York City, December 15-21 at the Quad, and then in Los Angeles, December 21- 24.
We caught up with one of the producers, Cynthia Kane, to talk about Call Me Dancer, about Manish’s ongoing performing saga, and about the artist in us:
Could you give us some context about India and and its history of performance beyond Bollywood?
India has many thousands years of dance history. But there are many new forms that are global and super popular there – hip hop, b-boying, street dancers. Of course, everyone is influenced by Bollywood. Ashley Lobo who heads up Danceworx and is an amazing choreographer in his own right, feels that ballet, modern, contemporary needed a bigger place in India and that India should be on the global stage in terms of dance. As he says in the film, “India is a sea of talent…” Additionally, India has an extraordinary history of film, and not just Bollywood (which I love, don’t get me wrong.) But, we don’t get to see enough non- Bollywood cinema here.
Why do you feel this documentary will move other people?
Call Me Dancer is really such a universal story, the classic underdog story about a young man who is in love with movement and dance. And he faces the kinds of obstacles that many of us in the arts face—a lack of resources, income, parents who want a better life and security for their only son. He also lives in a country where there’s an ancient history of dance, but that’s not the dance he’s drawn to. But to be a professional dancer in a more global world, he’s started at an older age than most do. Still Manish will not give up his dream. And, we producers and directors found him an inspiration. Most of us involved with the film could relate in many ways to his story. Our executive producer, Jay Sean talks about how his very Indian parents didn’t want him to dive into a career in music. Even my own beloved father begged me to go back to school and learn a profession so that I could make a living.
What else has also resonated with audiences?
Call Me Dancer is also a film about ageism. Manish is told over and over that he came to dance late. But whether he’s just stubborn or deeply passionate, he won’t stop. He doesn’t give up. Yehuda thought his teaching career was over at age 70, when he could no longer find a job. Then Ashley Lobo from Danceworx called and he went to Mumbai. In India, he’s not too old; he is the guru!
What was the influence of co-director Shampaine, as dancer, on the overall project?
Indeed, one of the other great things here is that Leslie Shampaine, one of the directors and whose vision was to make this film, was a professional ballet dancer for many years. She knew Yehuda Maor because she saw him dance when she was very young, and he was the hottest young dancer in Bat Dor. She later studied with him in New York. Early conversations made it clear we had to make this film an insider’s film about dance. A film about a dancer, made by a dancer.
Why are documentary films like Call Me Dancer so important these days?
We need films like this now. The world is deeply divided and in the midst of wars and chaos. It is so easy to look at the dark. But, Call Me Dancer turns you to the light. The film lifts you up in an authentic way. You’ll cry and laugh, and hopefully want to jump from your seat and dance! Which is another thing we spoke often about in the making of this filmz—movement, dance is an expression of the soul, it’s joyous. So, we brought on the amazing Nainita Desai and Nina Humphreys to compose our score and Jay Sean wrote two delicious songs for the film. In conclusion, Manish’s story is very much ongoing, as all our lives are. But he continually surprises as he takes everything in stride. He’s dancing in New York City now at a wonderful company, Peridance. Where he’ll go next, no one knows, but he’s got not only a great spirit but the gumption—what all us artists need in spades.
Check out the trailer for Call Me Dancer, and its website. Also, drop in on the news about upcoming screenings and the movie’s distributor, Abramorama.
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