In conversation with Terence Lewis

Coming from a lower middle class family, it took 14 years for Terence Lewis to become one of the stars that he is always surrounded with now. He never thought or aspired to become a celebrity but as it’s said that you cannot stop fate from becoming reality, he did became one. The much awaited IGNITE Festival of Contemporary Dance 2015 is back and Terence Lewis would make his comeback with his company’s production, ‘Scrambled Eggs’. In conversation with Terence, One World News had an opportunity to know about his journey and about Scrambled Eggs:

How has your journey been so far?

The journey has been good and I feel blessed that I have come to this stage where people know my work and me. Frankly, I never planned to be on television but all of it just happened accidently. I was approached to judge the first season of Dance India Dance but I was very skeptical about this whole idea since I thought the show would be similar to any of the serials/daily soaps we watch, so I refused but then I met the producers of the show who were quite intellectual and explained to me that it’s just not judging but also the opportunity to train/choreograph the participants. They also showed me videos of a few participants and I was taken aback by the fact that India is filled up with unexplored talent, so I thought why not to give it a chance and finally I was convinced to take up the role of a judge.

Terence reveals his journey with One World News

Judging with Remo D’Souza and Geeta Kapoor was another fruitful experience. They come from a Bollywood background so for them it was a challenge to choreograph people who were not trained whereas for me this was a boon because I have trained people since the age of 14, so all that I wanted in a person was the talent, you come to me with talent and I will transform you into a performer. So, training non-trainers was not a tough job for me.

Do you think reality shows have made a difference?

Yes absolutely. DID has raised the level of dance in India, earlier even a thumka would make the audience happy however now people have got the knack of dance forms like locking-popping, hip-hop, contemporary and so on, so only kaam-chalao dance would not work for them. Also, now dancing not considered an unrespectable job, parents are encouraging their children to take up dance as a career.

Terence to make a come back with Scrambled Eggs at IGNITE International Contemporary Dance Festival

Was it easy to take up dance as your career?

Well, I was a brightest kid in my family and was a scholar. With two degrees under my belt, when I chose to be a dancer and choreographer, my family was not at all happy with me. We were not a financially sound family and we needed money, with the kind of job offers I was getting I could have easily brought up my family to a good level however my passion for dance preceded everything. You cannot leave behind something that has supported your entire life, so I chose to go with dance even after knowing that being a dancer was not a respectable job at that time.

Scrambled Eggs is an interesting mix of 8 stories together where we would show different lifestyles that we come across around us. The stage is set as my house with a coffee machine at a side, dining place and so on. Scrambled egg is my step to prepare the audience for more and yet to come in contemporary’s truest form. I am keeping my piece as a bit of narrative where I am with the audience explaining them about the things taking place but also withdrawing my spoon feeding at places so that the audience gets the space to fill the blank with their thoughts and imagination.

Contemporary Dance Master Terence Lewis

What exactly is contemporary dance?

Contemporary is a dance form which has a lot of precision, poise and is focused on technique. It is an intellectual dance form where the audience might not get the idea about what the performance is but the choreographer has everything in his mind. The level of dancing involved in Scrambled Eggs is way much higher than what the audiences have seen in Dance India Dance. It is a form where your mind and body is working in sync. You dance but there is a beauty in it, there is a technique in it, the moment you make a mistake the person watching you can see it. Its team work where your body thinks it is moving a part and you think you are doing so.

Terence Lewis Contemporary Dance Company

Tell us something about your Alvin Alley School experience?

Going to Alvin Ailey school in New York was an amazing experience. I love Mumbai for its power-packed energy but New York just blew my mind with its environment, people and energy which was four times higher than Mumbai. There, no one would interrupt your life, you are a free spirit and people listen to you and relate to you. I had the opportunity to learn from the masters who have spent their entire life in knowing the dance form. Coming back from New York was equivalent to having a heart attack but I had to come back and start my own school.

How important are such festivals for dance?

Festivals like IGNITE are an amazing opportunity for choreographers and dancers to show their talent and learn from other performers and choreographers. Similarly, for the audience, this stage becomes a world of knowledge where they get to know much more about contemporary dance forms coming from different international performers.

Spreading Dance: Terence Lewis

How would you describe yourself?

I am a self-made man who is a quick learner. I love observing and listening to people because of which I have been able to polish myself as a dancer in every form of dance. I have taken a course in Bharatnatyam and I feel a lot of Indian dances are similar whereas that’s not the case with western dance forms. I have taken workshops by Birju Maharaj and have seen a lot of his performances. I also listen to discussions where people talk about the form, the technique and so on. So, that has also been a way of learning for me. I haven’t got anything easily, not even fame, success in true sense for me was when at every corner of India, dancers got respect.

Would we also see you in the role of a director like Remo D’souza?

I am not going to direct or produce any movie till the next 5 years. However, as far as Bollywood is concerned, I am getting offers to act but I am in search of roles which have substance in it.