Sheru Bharadwaja of Morningside has just launched a new hip-hop class in Woolloongabba which will help persons with disabilities to stay fit. Mr Bharadwaja will help these usually “dance-shy” individuals to be confident, despite their disabilities.
Mr Bharadwaja, who once feared the idea of dancing, claims that through hip-hop, his life has changed greatly. From a shy nerd, he became a social butterfly. According to him, he got interested in hip-hop when he saw a video of someone dancing hip-hop, and then a few days after, a street performer doing the same. After some reflection, he decided to give it a go.
Within a year, Mr Bharadwaja decided to give up his day job in order to become a dance teacher. Today, Mr Bharadwaja is part of an inclusive dance studio called InsideOutside. The studio caters to people who have mental and/or physical disabilities through their dance ensemble project. Launched in August 2015, the project encourages those with disabilities to build up new skills. According to him, hip-hop helps people to develop some life skills and stay connected with each other.
InsideOutside’s overall aim is “to create a performance platform where emerging artists with disability can learn, create, explore and perform a body of work.” The studio hopes to eventually go on tour with the dance ensemble regionally, nationally, and internationally.
InsideOutside currently has almost 20 classes. Students with disabilities are taught hip-hop, contemporary, aerial, and experimental dances in secured studios. During the joyful classes, Mr Bharadwaja said that these students “grow in confidence, learn new skills and make friends.”