Now, learn basic to advanced garba through apps

The pre-Navratri season is a packed schedule for most people, particularly in Maharashtra and Gujarat, as they are busy prepping up to display their best garba performance during the upcoming festival.

However, in these narrow time scopes, many have been struggling to attend crash courses for the same. Sensing an opportunity here, some choreographers have started offering free tutorial videos online and even over mobile apps for both, beginners and advanced performers.

Hiren Patel, 34, a Surat-based garba choreographer, saw an opportunity to teach the dance online after returning from a trip. He noticed that many Indians were keen on learning western dance forms such as salsa, but, on the other hand, foreigners barely knew about the Gujarati folk dance.

Patel's Sathiya Garba institute started a Youtube channel last year, which received an overwhelming response locally. An Android App was launched this year on the same.

"I started the channel with the aim to introduce garba to the world but I got a huge response from the local public too. Though I travel to many cities to teach, not all could attend the courses and the concept of learning in the comfort of one's house and at one's own convenient time must have appealed to the people," said Patel, who donates the ad revenue from his videos to NGOs working in different spheres including animal welfare.

"There were other people who had already posted garba-steps videos, but they were mostly amateur and were inconsistent. Most people didn't know many steps and those who knew couldn't teach properly in a video. So we spent a lot of time on being camera-friendly so that the viewers could easily follow the steps. Garba goes way beyond two claps and turning around," said Patel, who has been teaching the dance form for 18 years.

Those who download the new apps or follow video channels are mostly well-versed with the basic steps and go online to catch the latest trends in the versatile dance style.

"I wanted to perfect my steps for a new song Chogada, which is going to be a big hit this Navratri, and so I rehearsed it in front of a mirror after learning the steps online," said Yogita Kamerkar, a Charni Road resident.

Priyesh Bhavsar, a New Zealand resident, part of the extensive Gujarati diaspora, reviewed one such app saying it was a great idea to compile all garba in one place, making it easier to learn.

About six apps turn up after a quick search promising to teach anything from salsa, garba all the way to the elaborate Dodhiya variant.