Jamaican-influenced dance crew Irie Dance Crew, lead by Garima Gambhir, organised a dance performance on June 23 in the capital.
Garima Gambhir is a professional dancer and has been performing Dancehall in India since the past six years. Dancehall, a style and music genre originated in Jamaica in the late 1970s, provides a space to bring all kinds of people together.
The energetic and upbeat form of dances and music represent Jamaica’s culture and allows people to escape hardship.
Issa Dancehall Ting was established in 2018 with an aim to create a similar space promoting community, culture exchange and a chance for people to learn a different dance style directly from the source. The event is one of a kind, bringing Jamaican culture in India through a powerful dance movement.
Gambhir, who goes by the name, Lady Lolita, is a dancer, choreographer, fitness coach from Delhi. She got introduced to dancehall while she was studying in London in 2016 and ended up training in the renowned Pineapple Dance Studio for a year. She is one of the pioneers in promoting the dancehall culture in India and first Indian dancer to go to Jamaica and experience the culture directly. She has worked as a choreographer for various music videos, highlight being Roots Rock Reggae by UB 40 ft General Zooz from Reggae Rajahs. She has represented India in dancehall competitions in London and Spain. She has performed at music festivals: Vh1 Supersonic 2023 and Goa Sunsplash. Recently, along with her crew, IRIE Dance Crew, she did a dance video for internationally renowned Jamaican singer and rapper, Shaggy.
IRIE Dance crew brought a Jamaican dancer named Rollx from Jamaica to share his culture and style. Over 70 students from all around the country travelled to Delhi to take part in the event. Rollx energy truly took everyone to Jamaica for a bit and gave the taste of authentic dancehall. As they say in Jamaican creole, everyone at the end was left feeling IRIE, a word used in Jamaica for being excited and happy!
Also read: Conversion through Online Gaming Platforms | UP CM
