Dancing the dream: City group takes hip-hop from streets to global stage

Back in 2012, when RaviVarma, along with four others set out to dance together, little did he imagine that they would be taking their steps onto international platforms. “I studied engineering and took up a job at a business process outsourcing (BPO) firm. I was earning well, but I realised something was missing in what I was doing. That is when I decided to start dancing, which I loved right from childhood. Initially, there was a lot of struggle for us — we didn’t even know if we were good at what we were doing. As we began to practise and perform, we slowly learnt more about hip-hop,” recalls 29-year-old Ravi, the founder and choreographer of Born From A Boombox. 

The group began practising at the city’s parks and streets when they didn’t have a space to dance, and made Anna Nagar Tower Park their home for a while. As they began performing at dance competitions around the country, they started getting their winning streak on. “Due to personal commitments, the four members I started with are not dancing in the team any longer. So, we have been holding auditions every year to expand the team. Currently, we have about 30 dancers, who we train and help compete at competitions whenever they’re ready,” adds Ravi. The team’s seven core members, including Navalarasan Baskar, Jude Peter, Rajavarman Murugan, Rohith Vivekanandan, Anish Govindaraj, Naveen Charles and Rajaram, however, compete in every competition, while Ravi continues to mentor the group.

The dance group, that was recently crowned the champion at India’s biggest hip-hop dance festival, Breezer Vivid Shuffle Season 3, also represented the country in the popular American dance competition World of Dance in the past. The universality of hip-hop is what appeals to the group, elaborates Ravi. “Hip-hop is more than just dance — it is a culture and a lifestyle. When I started off, I didn’t have much idea about hip-hop, but I didn’t want to put myself in a box and kept experimenting. The style we adopt involves a mix of contemporary dance and hip-hop,” says Ravi, who also learnt Bharatanatyam for a short period. Through their dance, the group tries to narrate a tale, taking the performance beyond just moves. The stories usually revolve around moments in life that one wishes to remember. 

“Chennai has a large community of dancers. Of the most renowned dancers in the country, many hail from Chennai. The city has also given us many opportunities to perform and grow to an extent where we are now making waves on a global level. But, I feel that more dance teams from the city should go out and compete in competitions,” he asserts. Opportunities to take up dancing full-time have risen over the years, with the help of dance reality shows in particular, Ravi adds. In order to help dancers find opportunities to teach and take part in competitions, he also founded the United Grooves School of Dance in Anna Nagar. 

Even with several dance titles to its credit, Born From A Boombox will continue to compete in dance competitions in the years to come. “I want the team to continue competing, as that helps boost the dancers' confidence. I want all dancers to achieve their dreams,” heremarks.