At the age of five, Amman Thakurdat (28) took his first steps in the dance world. Now, twenty-three years later, he teaches dance classes in cinematic dance from India and beyond. In addition, he shares dance videos on social media, with a global reach. His enthusiastic way of dancing is contagious!
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Zoetermeer Amman teaches in Delft and can be hired for workshops, bachelor parties and as a choreographer for weddings. “This is really my dream.”
Dancing at Pro Patria
As a little boy, Amman already danced along with his favorite Hindi cinema films. But he didn’t dare admit it yet. Yet at the age of five he took the plunge when he heard that his aunt was getting married. “In Indian culture, it is customary to perform a dance at weddings.” He decided to dance with his nieces and that tasted like more. “After dancing I knew I wanted to keep doing this. My mother immediately put me at dance school Pro Patria. That’s where I started with jazz dance.”
Read more below the video>
Indian music is stupid
Jazz dance wasn’t quite his thing, but Indian dance was. “I have always had a love for Indian culture. That is where my roots lie,” explains Amman. He secretly decided to continue dancing in his bedroom. But why secretly? He says: “Young people often told me that Indian music is stupid. So I decided to keep it to myself.”
Until two years ago. Amman finished dancing behind closed doors and posted his first dance video online. “I thought, I’ll just post it, and it arrived well,” he says proudly.
Emma Heesters started following me.
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Positive and negative reactions
His videos reach many people from the Hindu community in the Netherlands. But they are also fans of Amman in India, America and England. Except for a few rotten apples. “I get a lot of positive reactions to my videos. And of course there are also sometimes nasty reactions. But they don’t reach me. They are overshadowed by so many more positive reactions.”
In addition, Amman has been noticed by a well-known Dutchman, he says: “Emma Heesters started following me. She has a lot of love for Indian culture and sometimes sings Indian songs.”
Read more below the photo‘s >
Dance lessons in Delft
Amman is so trained that he can imitate anything he sees in movies. And that’s not all. Every Sunday Amman teaches in Delft. Here, various choreographies from the film and theater industry of India and the surrounding area pass by. “I don’t just teach according to the choreographies you see in the colorful Bollywood films. Folk dances from, among others, Rajasthan, Gujarat, but also Pakistan also come up in my lessons,” he says. He also takes a piece of history with him. “I think it’s important to dive into history. You have to do movements as they are meant to be.”
Live in the now
The passionate dancer finds it important to live in the now. Planning far ahead is not something he likes. But of course he sometimes fantasizes about the future. “Who knows, I may one day play in a film or choreograph for a film,” he says. For now he is especially proud of what he has achieved. “I’m glad I never have to say ‘I wish I had tried’.”
Watch Amman’s swinging dance moves in the video below: