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Dance your way to the top in 10 mins

Dubai - After the four-year success of Short and Sweet Theatre in the UAE, this festival now brings its dance format to the UAE.

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For many, dance is entertainment and for some, dance is a pathway to fitness. However, for the truly dedicated, dance is a form of meditation and self-expression.
For those who think dance is the best form of self-expression, Dubai-based dance company The Ripple Effect is inviting talented dancers to put on their dancing shoes and give a shot to compete at the one of the biggest international dance festivals - Short+Sweet.
Initiated in Sydney, Australia, the 12-year-old Short and Sweet Festival has travelled to over eight countries and 32 cities, branching out into diverse artistic platforms like theatre, dance, music and cabaret, to name a few.
After the four-year success of Short and Sweet Theatre in the UAE, this festival now brings its dance format to the UAE.
The competition is being bought to Dubai by Dance Theatre Company 'The Ripple Effect', spearheaded by Joshua Johnson and Aishwarya Shivkumar. "Participants will have to prepare a routine of not more than 10 minutes to compete. However, they would need to go through an audition round by putting up a two-minute piece," said Shivkumar. Auditions for the competition will be held on April 19 at DUCTAC, Mall of the Emirates; April 22, at The Hive in Bur Dubai; and April 23 at thejamjar in Al Quoz.
"The semifinals of the competition will be held on May 13 at the DUCTAC and the finals will be held on May 19, also at the DUCTAC theatre," added Johnson.
"There is no shortage of creative talent in Dubai and there is a slow growth of theatre dance performers as well," added Shivkumar. They stated that there is high expectation from the competition since the quality of theatre dance in the city has grown incredibly in the last couple of years.  
The Ripple Effect

When, where Auditions at: > DUCTAC, Mall of the Emirates -  April 19 > The Hive in Bur Dubai    - April 22 > thejamjar in Al Quoz   - April 23 > Semifinals at DUCTAC, Mall of the Emirates -  May 13 > Finals at DUCTAC, Mall of the Emirates - May 19

Friends for 11 years, Aishwarya and Johnson started the Ripple Effect to pursue their love for the art form full time. "I've always been a dancer. I've been a trained Bharanatyam dancer since age 4 and over the years, I've experimented with both contemporary and traditional dance forms. I've learned Kathak and I've also spent a few years learning pole and belly dancing," said Aishwarya.
However, Johnson entered dancing by chance. "I participated in a school dance competition where I experimented with hip-hop and some contemporary dance. There was no looking back since and I've been dancing ever since," he said.
Aishwarya continued to pursue dance throughout college and hosted several stage shows. After finishing several corporate shows and dancing at weddings and private shows, the dancers realised that they want to pursue the concept of dance theatre.
"One time we performed at a private show and our show was timed during the dinner break. It was very embarrassing for us because people focused more on the food and less on us. And as dancers, we've put a lot of effort into choreography," she added. Eventually, Ripple Effect was born in 2014.
The dance company put out their first theatre performance last December in a production called 'Mirage'. Their first show explored the movement of water through a mix of contemporary, hip-hop, Kathak, belly dancing, thandav, and several other dance forms.
According to Johnson and Aishwarya, there is great potential in the UAE for dance theatre and there is also interest in dance as an art, and not just entertainment.
More information on the Short+ Sweet competition is available on the Facebook group: ssdanceuae.
dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com