'Bad boys' thrill Delhi

New Delhi -  Delhi's culture aficianados were caught in a groovy mood as the renowned dance troupe 'Bad Boys of Dance' performed at the Siri Fort auditorium Saturday.

Founded by dancing star Rasta Thomas in 2007, the troupe, popularly called BBD, has come to India for the first time.

The group is known for its high energy version of classical western dances such as ballet, often in combination with contemporary music.

Saturday’s performance saw BBD dancing to the tunes of popular artistes such as U2 and Michael Jackson.

Their performance on Jackson’s songs "Billy Jean" and "Smooth Criminal" garnered much applause.

Their tour started with a show in Jaipur on Feb 29. According to Thomas, while the crowds in capital was more experienced and knowledgeable about dance, for the audience at Jaipur, it was a culture shock.

“It was crazy in Jaipur. We had some small kids dancing next to the stage,” an exhilarated Thomas told IANS.

“We have enjoyed ourselves immensely ever since we arrived in India. Right from people, to food, to sights to architecture, everything is so amazing,” he said.

The group will be performing in five more cities including Kolkata and Mumbai.

Thomas went on to claim that their next visit to India might be “more earlier than later.” He said the troupe would try to brush up their skills and dance on Bollywood numbers next time.

BBD also conducted a workshop with Danceworx, a dance academy. Senior students of Danceworx opened the show Saturday with a titillating performace.

“The experience with Danceworx was great. The level of Indian dancers there was amazing,” said Adrienne, a member of the troupe.

The crowds at Siri Fort found BBD performance called ‘Rock the Ballet’ captivating and called for an encore at the end. The artistes were happy to comply.

Even after the performance, people thronged backstage to get autographs.

For Kamakshi, a student of Danceworx, it was a chance to meet her idols.

“My brother, who lives in New Jersey, told me about BBD. They are the reason why I started pursuing dance so seriously,” the 17-year-old told IANS.

“My final exams are going on, but this is something I couldn’t miss,” she added.

For Shalini Khanna, the chiseled dancers were the biggest draw.

“Rasta and Jamal are so hot. I loved them in their youtube videos and they look so much better live,” the 26-year-old banker told IANS.

The event was organized by American Center, the public relations section of American embassy that works for increasing the interaction between Indians and Americans on subjects of common interests.