Fans jostle to get a photograph of Terence Lewis in Jamshedpur on Monday. Picture by Bhola Prasad

Jamshedpur, Nov. 15: If you want to rock the dance floor, you better hit the gym.

Ace contemporary choreographer Terence Lewis, in the steel city after judging Dance Jharkhand Dance finale, advised female dancers to sweat it out just like the boys, with callisthenics exercises such as push-ups, pull-ups, crunches, et al.

Taking time off from fan frenzy to meet the media — he was hugged and mobbed for autographs, while some girls even tried to kiss him — Terence, who judged Dance India Dance on Zee TV, asked aspirants to stay grounded even while pursuing glamour and focus on one’s performance.

“The actual performance is a matter of 90 seconds. And you create an impression on the judges in the first 30 seconds, which requires lots of hard work and perfection. We also prefer raw talent that can be groomed, so judges want an appealing personality and good work. The rest is of course teamwork,” said the ace choreographer.

But he came back to chanting the fitness mantra.

“Both boys and girls need to work out. Martial arts and yoga also go a long way towards a good body,” said the choreographer who was the first Indian to bag the DanceWEB scholarship in Vienna, Austria.

He also busted the myth that small town aspirants lag behind. Yesterday’s state finale that he judged at the Rajendra Vidyalaya Auditorium was of a high standard, while a couple of dancers “were of an international level”, he said.

“All you need is the right attitude and style. If they have talent and work hard, nothing can stop them,” he said.

But he put in a word of caution for parents who pressurise children to achieve glamour and fame. “Nowadays, emotions have reached an extreme. When we were learning to dance, it was taboo. Now, parents encourage children to achieve fame by hook and crook, which is wrong. The passion should be for dance, not glamour,” he said.

Terence also spoke about the Terence Lewis Dance Incorporation, India, where he conducts professional dance classes for both teachers and students and the Terence Lewis Dance Foundation Scholarship Trust, which aids talented dance aspirants with a view to providing dance as a serious and viable career option.

The Mumbai-based choreographer has worked extensively across genres — stage shows and contemporary dance performances, Bollywood-related shows, corporate launches, Broadway Westend musicals, feature films and music videos.