NAME: John Giju

AGE: 32

BORN: Kerala, India

LlVES: U.S.A.

SALSA FACTS:

Dancer with SalsaMania for the last seven years.

Summer 2007 released the first ever salsa track in Hindi - Rang Rangeeli Yeh Duniya, now showing on Indian MTV. And if you want to see the video, click on

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDMH0fhC3bM

I've learned so much from salsa - not only how to dance, interpret the music and spin (!) but also about other people - who they are, what background they are from, what motivates them. Just from going to lessons and clubs I have met people I would never have normally encountered through my work, family or everyday living and it has truly enhanced my life.

I mean, I am VERY nosy, and I just love to know about what people do and what they think, and especially about their connection to salsa: how did they get here, why do they love it, what are their aspirations. And every last person has a story to tell..

And this is a bit of a story, actually, and it just sums up how salsa crosses boundaries of culture, country and language, and how, if you have a dream, if you keep it close and nurture it, it could come true.just read on..

John Giju's dance story began at the age of eight in India when his mother made him start music and dance training.

"I trained in a branch of Indian classical music - called Carnatic music - and Indian classical dance - called Bharatanatyam - for seven years," he says, "and growing up, I used to take part in numerous music and dance related shows and competitions. One thing that I realised at a very early stage in my life is that I really enjoyed performing.

"Even when I was in my early teens, I dreamt of making a mark in the Indian pop scene. I was determined to make it happen; just didn't know how. My education and career led me to a parallel track."

So, with this training and background, out of all the kinds of genres he could choose, what drew him to salsa?

He explained, "Salsa has a universal appeal and like the hundreds and thousands of salsaholics around the world I also got attracted to its unique feel. You can hardly find any other music and dance form which can project so many variants in its scope - romance, passion, sensuality, playfulness, raw energy, and sometimes even sadness. And it's very vibrant," he continuef, "mainly because of the set of instruments involved - timbale, conga, piano, et al."

So, you've got the background, you've got the dream, and you've got they why of salsa. But how salsa - we've all got our seminal moments - that second when you walked into a salsa club and that was it. So, I asked Giju, how did his involvement in salsa actually begin.

"My tryst with salsa dancing happened very much by chance", he said, "right around the time when I moved to California, I happened to go out one night to this random club, and they were playing salsa. That was the first time I saw salsa dancing and I was so fascinated by the way all the couples on the dance floor were dancing to the wonderful music with so much flavour, and interpreting the music in their own unique style. No two couples looked the same, but together they all seem to emanate this passionate energy that had a surreal quality."

And from that moment, the passion really began - something any one of us can identify with.

"I started to take lessons right away at this local club. I used to take up to five classes a week. My sole mission was to be able to dance salsa with the same passion that I'd witnessed in that club."

Early in 2001, John and Liz, directors of SalsaMania, came to his club, and according to Giju, that changed everything.

"They offered me to join the new dance company - SalsaMania - they had started. Little did I know my destiny was about to change. It's 2007 now and I have just released my crossover pop album in Hindi showcasing the vibrant salsa music to the Indian music industry!!!! And I'm still part of SalsaMania, which is rated as one of the best salsa teams in the world. I feel truly blessed!!"

So, you're an engineer by day, in SalsaMania by night, then you release a cd..how does someone get that to happen?

Explained Giju, " I had cherished this dream to make a Hindi pop album for a long time. When salsa became my new found passion, it occurred to me that this is a great opportunity for me to make my dream come true in an exclusive fashion. That's how the whole idea germinated.

"Then the journey started", he continued, "to get the right music composer, to set the right themes and song styles to each song, planning to make the video, setting the choreography, video production, distribution.release. It took me three and a half years to complete the whole project..!!!

"In addition to the salsa title track there are seven other tracks in the album"

There is a definite distinctive Indian feel to the salsa track - that's no mean feat, so how did he achieve that??

"That was my biggest challenge!! My objective was to come up with a combination which retains the true essence of salsa but set to Indian format. So more like expanding the scope of the salsa music style to reach out to a broader set of audience.

"All the credits go to the music composer, Benny Johnson, for bringing this to fruition.!! He is a true musical genius."

The video concept and script were Giju's, and watching the end result, it has a kind of Hollywood/Bollywood feel.

Said Giju, "The concept and the script were mine. My primary objective was to showcase salsa in the video but at the same time I also wanted to narrate a small story through it, so as to get the audience to follow the entire video without losing interest. Usually in movies or plays, music and dance are used to take the story forward. I took the opposite route - I used the story to seamlessly join the dance sequences."

He continued, " The choreography was a combined effort. I wanted to showcase different styles in the choreography. So I roped in John and Liz from SalsaMania, Junior and Emily, Jayce and Tellina (Afinkao) and Alex and Chi to help me out."

The response from the public has been very positive since the song was released. And for the Indian audience, Giju has presented them with something unique.

"There have been a few Indian songs that were fused nicely with some Latin flavour." he said, "but this is the first strong/video that showcases salsa.
They love all the dance movements and the video as well."

And as for the Indian media?

"As one of the TV channels put it, "It brings fresh air to the Indian pop scene." My CD launch was covered on all the major TV channels nationwide and I also did interviews with most of them.

"Salsa is getting very popular in India now, mainly in the metros. I'm sure that my CD would add impetus to spread it at the national level."

So, is John Giju having a rest from the world of singing and dancing...nope

"I'm planning on the next video for another track on the CD. It's going to be a different Latin dance this time, and I intend to start working on my next CD in mid 2000. I have a few ideas, but it's too early to divulge."

So, there you are - Bollywood Salsa? MTV Salsa, Hindi Salsa.another seed sewn in the multicultural world of our favourite dance. And if you used to leap about in front of your bedroom mirror and sing into a brush, harbouring long lost dreams of musical fame and fortune.it may not be too late for you, you know..

Giju's CD has just hit the American market and will be released in the Middle East soon. It's available on Amazon as well http://www.amazon.com/Rang-Rangeeli-yeh-Duniya-Giju/dp/B000SKKD0Y/ref=pd_bbs
_sr_1/102-6011754-6436947?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1187116092&sr=8-1 .

Copyright Chris Penhall 2007

www.chrispenhall.co.uk