Dancer and filmmaker Leslie Shampaine from Washington DC was not prepared for the response she received at the screening of her documentary, Call Me Dancer, at Tridha School in Andheri East in Mumbai. More than a hundred students gathered to watch, and they burst into joy, “laughing, jumping up and down”. Of the screenings that have taken place around the world, this is the most meaningful, Leslie said. “This is a very emotional moment for me. This is an Indian story and it feels special to be presented here,” he added.
The documentary follows the life of street dancer Manish Chauhan in Mumbai, who accidentally enters a ballet class and meets Yehuda Maor, a 70-year-old Israeli ballet teacher, who finds passion in him and decides to train him. Manish had to overcome various social and economic obstacles to achieve his dream of dancing on the world stage.
Leslie Champagne | Photo Credit: Special Arrangements
A heartwarming story of hope and resilience, Call Me Dancer, began filming in 2018 and was shot over five years in various locations in India, England, the US and Israel. Released in the US in early 2023, it has resonated with audiences around the world and won awards in various categories at film festivals.
Manish, the title of the documentary, is a hip-hop dancer, who dropped out of business school to pursue his passion despite opposition from his parents. An only son, Manish’s parents were looking for support and dancing was not something they considered a prospective career. “This is a story that every parent can relate to,” Leslie said. “The journey Manish had to take to follow his heart was full of pain and hard work.”
Leslie, a professional ballet dancer turned filmmaker, said the story found her. A few years ago, he was surprised when he got a call from Yehuda, whose master class he had once attended, asking him to make a documentary about his students in Mumbai. “I was hesitant at first, but Yehuda told me that as a dancer, I would have the sensitivity and an insider’s perspective to tell the story and I said yes.”
Posters from Call Me Dancer
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangements
A strict teacher, whose exacting standards are known to intimidate students, Yehuda has moved to Mumbai to teach ballet where he finds love and respect for his students, which he has never experienced in his career. “Yehuda gave me full access to the studio; despite being from a different cultural background, I was able to blend in easily, because we all speak the same language – the language of dance,” said Leslie.
After performing on stage for more than 13 years, Leslie understands the grit, determination and perseverance that classical dance demands and helps her portray the life she records more authentically. “I call this film my love poem for dancing.”
Manish Chauhan and Yehuda Maor | Photo Credit: Special Arrangements
Just as the film shows Manish’s journey, the film also explores his and Yehuda’s journey guru-shishya bond and how they transform each other. Leslie added that she deliberately steered clear of stereotypical representations of India. “Even the relationship between Manish and his parents is universal; everyone will notice.”
Manish Chauhan Photo Credit: Special Arrangements
Leslie put together a team for the film, which also included film professionals from India. The 84-minute film (in English and Hindi) is mostly on the editing table. “Filming a movie like this, following people in real life, you don’t know how it happened. Even though it’s a documentary, it has the treatment of a feature film. Leslie was assisted by Pip Gilmour in the direction. The music is by singer-songwriter Jay Sean and hip artist-rapper -hop Anik Khan, with a score by Nainita Desai and Nina Humphreys. Leslie, who is in India until September on a Fulbright Scholarship, is studying the social impact of the film, as well as looking for a distributor in India.
Manish, now working as a professional dancer at New York’s Peridance Center, was in Mumbai for the film’s premiere earlier this month and said he was overcome by the emotion of watching the film in the city he grew up in. “Dancing makes me happy. And that’s all I want,” she added. A B-boy, who practiced in the concrete-paving gullies of Mumbai, ballet was something he had never seen. “I was surprised – the pirouettes, the organized movements, I was surprised and I wanted to be able to do them,” he said. It proved very challenging at first, “I didn’t know it would be difficult, but I’m not afraid of falling, because I’m used to training on the road.” He would practice his head, every day. “I will put a polythene cap on my head and practice. In 15 days, I can do it.
The film will be screened at the American Centre, Delhi, on July 19 and at the American Center in Chennai on August 20.
