MJ fan Harihar looks to burn the dance floor

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Following is an Excerpt from The Telegraph story on Harihar by Shilpi Sampad

BERHAMPUR: The Silk City of Orissa, Behrampur, went into celebration mode after Harihar Dash danced his way into the grand finale of a talent hunt show ‘India’s Got Talent Khoj-2’ being aired on a private entertainment channel. Harihar, with his signature ‘popping and locking’ dancing style impressed the audiences and received a huge number of votes that helped him secure a berth in the final round. Interestingly, Harihar has not received any formal training in dance. As a kid, he used to admire late pop star Michael Jackson. “I used to play his music and imitate his style of dancing. Soon I added my own steps to them and made it into a unique style of dancing,” he told The Telegraph on phone from Mumbai. Harihar, who completed engineering from MITS, is now preparing to get into a business management college. He was the cultural champion in the annual festival of BPUT for three consecutive years (2005 to 2007). Initially, Harihar’s parents did not support his passion for dancing. But they changed their minds when Harihar started doing well at the dance show. Earlier, we used to advise him to focus more on his studies. However, when judges appreciated his dance, we realised he had a gift. Now we hope that he wins,” said his parents. Family members, friends and relatives of Harihar have already started visiting temples to pray for his success in the final. The city has gone into a celebration mode. Harihar said: “From the auditions to the semi-finals, I have used my style, which is popping and locking with a bit of variation here and there. For the final, I am trying to fuse different dance forms and tell a story through that.” Moreover, the team of sand artists from the state, Manas Kumar Sahoo and group, has also gained entry into the finals with the help of a ‘wild card’. Harihar said he would be equally happy if either of them wins the title. "The Prince dance group from the state had won it last year. This year I want either of us to repeat their success. It is a tough competition with seven other participants from different states. However, Orissa stands a great chance to win the show. The sand artists are extremely talented and gifted. The best one should win,” he said.

Source: The Telegraph