Jhatkas and thumkas are her every move

“Chennai is my home, Bollywood is my world; jhatkas and thumkas are my every move; I’m a little bit of a drama queen, and a little bit of Geet from Jab We Met; Prabhu Deva and Madhuri Dixit are my guiding stars; there’s nothing like ‘two left feet’ — just dance from your heart!” That’s Rohini Mohan for you; the dancer/ choreographer who has been delighting city weddings and sangeets with her vibrant personality and easy-to-pick-up steps. It’s no wonder everyone from little kids to grandparents are having a ball learning from her.

“It started a couple of years ago when a family friend was getting married — since I love dancing, I was asked to help out at the sangeet. Soon, I had mothers and aunties from all over reaching out to me. I was quite well-versed in Bollywood, salsa, jazz, semi-classical, etc. So I decided to give it a whirl, and via word-of-mouth, the venture picked up,” begins Rohini.

Sangeets may not have been part of traditional south Indian wedding until a few years ago, but thanks to the increasingly cosmopolitan nature of friends at such occasions — her choreography grew in demand. “Who doesn’t like a day of celebration to cut loose? There are professional dance schools that offer this service too; but a wedding isn’t about trying to dance like Hrithik or Shahid! The idea is to do normal, fun steps that anyone can pick up quickly,” she adds.

Wouldn’t it be a challenge to make shy elders or grandparents shake a leg though? Rohini laughs, “They are the ones who are most enthusiastic, in fact! In fact, to get rid of stage fright, some even start practicing two months in advance. My favourite experience has been in Sri Lanka during a Tamilian-Punjabi wedding, where several grown-ups got on board so emphatically — and now they dance during every family occasion!”

Weddings happen all year round, so choreographers don’t have an off-period as such — but Rohini says they are constantly prepping even in their free time. “Music channels and dance reality shows on TV, YouTube videos — these are our fodder. Even in the car, when a song I like comes on, I’m inspired to car-jam madly,” she grins.

Rohini, who also has her friend Lekhamithra assisting her, next is moving on to video sessions and tutorials for wedding parties all over India, Malaysia, the U.S and so on. This wedding party is just beginning!