MANGALURU: He knows that it takes two to tango! Think jive, waltz and cha- cha, this Mangaluru Guru has been teaching these dance forms to enthusiastic Mangalureans. Ripson Soans, who makes the evenings go with a swing, will complete 25 years in dancing. What started as a passion for Ripson, has spread like wildfire among many happy feet in Mangaluru. Age no bar. Enthusiastic dancers from 6 to 66 gather each evening on weekdays to practise ballroom dancing for two hours. Unlike a regular dance class, this is a trend called social dancing popular in South America and in Goa and Mumbai, and now in Mangaluru.
The form that has taken the city by storm over the last couple of decades started with two enthusiastic dancers Ripson and Vinaya John in 1992. Ballroom dancing is not uncommon at wedding parties in Mangaluru, and what makes it possible for most in the city and those who migrated to groove to jive and waltz is Ripson Soans’ dedication for 25 years to social dancing.
Ripson who was keen on jiving found a teacher in an Anglo-Indian dancer in the city, who taught him and Vinaya back in 1992. “She told us we could start a dance class,” he says. And so they did. They started teaching their friends, a group of 12, at a small school in Balmatta, where they taught them jive, cha-cha-cha, fast and slow waltz, and quick steps. All they wanted to do was teach dance to as many people in the city as possible. Eventually, the number of students increased and now has a community of thousands, and at least 2,000 on the Facebook page, some of who frequent the current location at YMCA.
“It’s my way of contributing to the society,” says Ripson about the various benefits that social dancing provides. While for many it is a way to keep fit, relieve stress after a monotonous day, or socialise, some use the opportunity to be trainers. That’s the aim, agrees Ripson, to help others.
With its Gulf connect, many from the city have also taken this culture to the middle east, where they have taught others. “While I was in Dubai for three years, I had my dance classes there,” says Royson D’Souza, marketing manager in Mangaluru.
Unlike other professional dancing classes where a set pattern is in place, social dancing in a ballroom set-up makes room for improvisation. “It is a cue-based dance, where you look out for your partner’s cue,” says Preethika Suvarna, an HR professional from Bengaluru. Like Preethika, quite a few of Ripson’s students fit in their dance classes when they come back to Mangaluru on holiday.
Vinaya, who started out with Ripson, also taught in Bahrain for a while. A graceful dancer, Vinaya has taught Ripson most of what he teaches his students today. “Each time she came down to Mangaluru, she taught me a new style of dance,” Ripson recalls. She continues to guide him, while he shares the spark with others.
Vinaya remembers being passionate about dance ever since a child. “Dance was looked down upon, in the community and in homes,” she recalls. However, things fell in place when she met her teacher back in the 1990s, and was encouraged by her husband to grab the opportunity.
Says Ripson, “Even after 25 years, it’s the passion for dance that keeps me going. I hope it never dies till I do.”
On Her Feet
Ripson recalls his best moment in all these years of dancing. “Ten years ago, I taught a student with a disability,” he says. The girl who had issues with her feet was keen on jiving. She connected with Ripson on Facebook, and he consented to teach her at her house.
Family Backing
Ripson comes from a family of eight, which isvery supportive of his passion. “Now my nephews and nieces also dance,” Ripson says. While Ripson took to dance like fish to water, his wife joined his dance class after their marriage. “I could not get enough of dancing once I joined,” says Ripson’s wife Nisha. Neither hit the gym but use the dance routine to stay fit.