Call Me Dancer, the story of a Mumbai street dancer, who makes it to world ballet stage, comes to India

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 the Tridha School at Andheri East in Mumbai. Over a hundred students had gathered to watch, and they erupted in joy, “laughing, jumping up and down”. Of the screenings it has had worldwide, this was the most rewarding, says Leslie. “It was a truly emotional moment for me. It is an Indian story and it feels special to show it here,” she adds. 

The film was premiered at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Mumbai, earlier this month.

The documentary follows the life of street dancer Manish Chauhan in Mumbai, who accidentally ends up in a ballet class and meets Yehuda Maor, a 70-year-old Israeli ballet teacher, who finds a spark in him and decides to train him. Manish has to overcome various social and economic obstacles to achieve his dream of dancing on the world stage.

A heart-warming story of hope and resilience, Call Me Dancer, started filming in 2018 and was shot over five years across various locations in India, the UK, the US and Israel. Released in the US in early 2023, it has been resonating with audiences world wide and winning awards across categories at film festivals.

Manish, who headlines the documentary, is a hip-hop dancer, who drops out of business school to pursue his passion despite opposition from his parents. Their only son, Manish’s parents looked to him for support and dance was not something they considered a prospective career. “It is a story every parent can relate to,” says Leslie. “The journey Manish had to take to follow his heart was filled with pain and hard work.”

Leslie, a professional ballet dancer-turned filmmaker, says the story found her. A few years ago, she was taken by surprise when she got a call from her teacher Yehuda, asking her to make a documentary on his students in Mumbai. “I hesitated initially, but Yehuda told me that being a dancer, I would have an insider’s sensitivity and perspective to tell the story and I said yes.”

A renowned ballet teacher, who had taught some of the world’s finest dancers, Yehuda was also known for his exacting standards, which could intimidate students. In the sunset of his career, he moved to Mumbai where he came across students such as Manish, who were willing to give their hearts and souls to dance. “Yehuda gave me full access to his studio; despite being from a different cultural background, I could easily blend in, as we all spoke the same language — the language of dance, says Leslie.”

Having performed on stage for over 13 years, Leslie knew the grit, determination and perseverance that classical dance demanded and it helped her portray the lives she was filming with more authenticity. “I call the film my love-poem to dance.”

Just as the film showcases Manish’s journey, it also explores his and Yehuda’s guru-shishya bond and how they transform each other. Leslie adds that she consciously stayed away from stereotypical representations of India. “Even the relationship between Manish and his parents is a universal one; everyone would relate to it.”

Leslie put together a team for the film, which also included film professionals from India. The 84-minute film (in English and Hindi) largely took shape on the editing table. “Shooting a film like this, following a person in real life, one does not know how it was going to turn out. Though it is a documentary, it has the treatment of a feature film.” Leslie was assisted by Pip Gilmour in direction. The music is by singer-songwriter Jay Sean and hip-hop artist-rapper Anik Khan, with a score by Nainita Desai and Nina Humphreys. Leslie, who is in India till September on a Fulbright Scholarship, researching arts education, is also looking for more distributors in India.

Manish, currently working as a professional dancer in New York’s Peridance Centre, was in Mumbai for the premier of the film earlier this month and says he was overcome by emotion watching the film in the city he grew up in. “Dancing makes me happy, and that was all I ever wanted,” he adds. A B-boy, who practised on the concrete-paved gullies of Mumbai, ballet was something he had never seen. “I was amazed by it — the pirouettes, the organised movements, I was mesmerised and I wanted to be able to do it,” he says. It proved extremely challenging at first, “I had no idea that it would be so difficult, but I had no fear of falling, as I was used to practising on the street.” He would practise head spins, every day. “I would wear a polythene cover on my head and practise. In 15 days, I could do it.”  

The film will be screened at the American Centre, Delhi, on July 19 and at the American Centre in Chennai on August 20.