Participants from across Odisha learn hip-hop steps from dancers from the US at Utkal Mandap in Bhubaneswar. Pictures by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, July 2: Dance enthusiasts here are taking a big step, literally.

Twelve professional hip-hop dancers from the USA are in the city for a four-day camp at Utkal Mandap auditorium.

About 100-odd participants from across Odisha are attending the workshop that has been organised by Good News India, a social service organisation. Participants have come from far off districts such as Kalahandi and Koraput and are between the age group of five and 35. The students are being taught break dance, popping and locking, six steps, zumba and hip-hop choreography.

Wallis, one of the trainers, said: “We had an impression that not many people in India follow the hip-hop style, but surprisingly here the youngsters can perform the power moves such as head spin, quite well. All we have to do is just fine tune them.”

He also said that his team has been touring Odisha for a week now and would like to pick up some Indian dance steps before leaving.

Three members of Freak Dance Crew, a Puri-based dance group who came to learn the art form, feel that the camp is worth every penny.

“The trainers are paying attention to individuals and correcting their mistakes. Their command over the beats is spectacular. We had lots of queries about different steps which they are patiently listening to and sorting out,” said Chandrashekhar, a 21-year-old dancer.

The dancers also said that they were taught the easy steps on Day 1 as many of the participants are not much acquainted with the western dance forms.

While the students looked content, the parents were left asking for little more. “Not many times does a 12-member crew from the US come to Bhubaneswar to teach hip-hop. This should have been at least a weeklong camp so that the students could have learnt a little more,” said Uday Swain, whose eight-year-old daughter Subhashree is attending the camp.

The camp begins in the morning and concludes at dusk. The participants will present a grand spectacle at Rabindra Mandap on Saturday. The students were initially asked for a fee of Rs 1,200 but as most of the participants were either school or college students, they were all given heavy discounts.

“The whole idea is cultural exchange. The response that we received for the camp has been brilliant. Bhubaneswar has many dancers who have a knack for western dance forms,” said Faiz Rahman, founder of Good News India.