Interview with Nishanta Gauchan

Nishanta Gauchan is a member of the Everest Crew and a professional B-boy instructor. He is also a beatboxer and a member of Lyrics Inthepenthense.

FROM ISSUE # 197 (May 2012) | IN THIS ISSUE
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Do you think B-boying in Nepal has matured since it first started?
Yes, at present, B-boying has spread like wildfire, not only in Kathmandu but throughout Nepal. People from all age groups are getting interested and getting more serious about it nowadays but that wasn't the case a few years ago.

Is the current B-boy scene lacking anything?
Earlier B-boying was just for fun, to pass time. But now it has come into limelight, but B-boys haven't developed mentally. They haven't utilised B-boying as an art form as you find B-boys dancing in any club nowadays. It is quickly turning into a fad and we need to stop that.

Is there a future in B-boying?
There is a future in everything! If you can dedicate your time and work hard then you can make a living out of anything, including B-boying. In my 4 years as an instructor I have been earning enough to support myself which makes me feel happy and independant.

 So would you advise students to take up B-boying as a career?Before taking B-boying as a profession, you must understand what B-boying really is, it is not just for fun. Proper knowledge and technicality is needed along with self-esteem. Just busting a few moves on the mat won't make you a professional. I advise my students to enjoy B-boying but if anything serious arises, I am always there to guide them.

What are your thoughts on the clash between studies and B-boying?
This is more of personal issue for everybody. In general, B-boying does not hamper school life. As long as you have a routine and stick to it, it isn't difficult at all. The main thing is advisors or seniors should not tell children to quit school, or something along the lines of, " Kati padhe? Boru b-boying garum, padhnu pardaina". That is why proper guidance is necessary for young B-boys. Education cannot be compromised as it is above everything.
With the number of dance studios rapidly increasing, is B-boying turning into a business than culture?
Everything in this world is business. As long as B-boying is being used positively, there is no problem at all. But becoming an instructor without proper skills and giving fake information is wrong. There is nothing wrong in earning while doing something you love.

A word to our readers?
Please support not only me, but my crew 'Everest Crew' along with all other Nepali B-boys. Please view B-boying as a positive art form and understand that it is beyond gymnastics. B-boying needs encouragement as we are going to represent Nepal around the world in the coming years.

Movie Review

As a self proclaimed 'B-Boy encyclopedia', I frequently raid the popular website 'Youtube' to keep myself updated. Trailers, compilations, video blogs, webisodes, I'll try anything that comes my way. So there I was, browsing through the latest videos when I stumbled upon what seemed to be a trailer of a movie on B-boying. I act on instinct, skip the trailer and download the entire movie on my laptop. And after the 2005 superhit 'Planet B-Boy', Alastair Siddon's 'Turn it Loose' is getting a similar response from the audience for capturing the rawness of the dance.
Siddon tells the story of six B-boys who have earned the right to represent their country in an international tournament known as the Red Bull BC One. The BC One is an annual event where 16 of the world's finest B-boys come together to face off in a 'one on one' style knock-out competition. And while the mainstream dancers get to perform on fancy stages, the b-boys make do with an abandoned power station in Soweto, South Africa.

French born Lilou who represents his native Algeria, Japanese teenager Taisuke, Korean powerhouse and former champion Hong-10, Senegalese rookie Ben-J and the Americans Roxrite and Ronnie all tell their stories during the 96 minute movie. Brought together by the love of dance and having recieved no formal training, these B-boys are a part of a new generation of creative youngsters. Being a part of a 'street culture' they all face poverty and the hardships of life, yet it is their determination and hunger that turns them into warriors.

Siddon has beautifully captured the essence of the street dance and has given us the opportunity to get inside the lives of the B-boys. Throughout the story, the viewers may take a liking to a particular B-boy, but at the end realise that each one is a winner in his own way.

If you want to break away from your normal routine and do something different, then 'Turn it Loose' is definitely worth a watch. Who knows you might end up trying to do a baby freeze in the end.