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He was discovered as a break dancer in Mumbai. Now he’s trying to make it in NYC ballet.
By
Precious Fondren
Published Dec 19, 2023
Modified Dec 22, 2023
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By
Precious Fondren
Published Dec 19, 2023
Modified Dec 22, 2023
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Before ballet dancer Manish Chauhan moved to New York City from Mumbai, India, he’d never had coffee. Now he drinks it everyday.
The habit started because he couldn’t find any chai tea that met his standards, so one day he grabbed coffee instead.
“I don't know if it wakes me up or not, but now it's become a habit for me every day to drink it,” he said, over coffee at Unregular Bakery in Union Square, one of his new favorite spots.
His preferred place for coffee is Starbucks, though he said he can’t go there everyday.
“It's very expensive!”
Manish at rehearsal.
Starbucks' coffee may be out of his budget, but Chauhan recently met the company CEO Laxman Narasimhan at a screening for a new documentary about Chauhan’s journey to make it as a professional dancer called “Call Me Dancer.”
The movie is out this week in New York City, and chronicles the last five years of Chauhan’s life as he’s had to convince his parents that he can make a career out of ballet and dance, instead of going to college and getting a regular job to support the family in India.
Chauhan grew up the son of a taxi cab driver in a working-class family in Mumbai and taught himself to breakdance.
After receiving a scholarship to a local dance school, Danceworx Academy, he was discovered by 70-year-old former Israeli dancer, Yehuda Maor, who took note of his talent and encouraged him to pursue ballet professionally.
Chauhan’s path, though promising, has been uncertain, partly because he started training in ballet later in life.
Manish Chauhan with his grandmother.
Photo by Neil Barrett / Courtesy Shampaine Pictures
Chauhan would only say he's in his late 20s, and his PR company says his interest in ballet began when he was 21.
While ballet is less-known and less-studied in India than it is in New York City, Chauhan is hopeful that under the guidance of Maor, he can still fulfill his dreams here.
Chauhan moved to New York City in 2021 after receiving his first contract with Peridance Contemporary Dance Company in Union Square.
He recently wrapped up performances in the title role in the company’s production of "The Nutcracker."
“He's a very positive and very hardworking person,” said Igal Perry, the artistic director of the Peridance Center. “That is why people gravitate to him. When you speak to him you immediately feel this positive aura.”
Since moving to the city, Chauhan has mostly focused on dancing, but still finds time to enjoy life as a new New Yorker.
“I don't feel like I'm an outsider in New York because everyone is from outside,” he said, adding that he hopes to continue working here. “I'm from India, the most populated country in the world. I like people around me.”
He said when he first arrived, the most frustrating experience he had was trying to figure out how to take the train. Even though he had a camera crew following him, they weren’t allowed to offer directions, not even when he went to the wrong platform with all his luggage.
“I'm like, tell me! And they're like, ‘Imagine we were not here. How are you going to find a way?’”
Eventually Chauhan did find his way.
Now he’s a regular on the L train. His favorite grocery store is Patel Brothers in Jackson Heights, because he can get all the Indian spices he needs to cook. When he craves a break from the dance world, his favorite thing to do is go to the movies. He thinks of it as his “vacation” from work.
“It takes me to Switzerland sometimes, sometimes to Paris. When I go to the movies, I am in a different place,” he said. “And when I come back outside of the theater, I'm refreshed and ready to work. Sometimes with motivation or sometimes with some emotions.”
Chauhan had the option of sidelining his dance career for a chance to make Bollywood movies.
He was cast as himself in a fictionalized version of his story called Yeh Ballet. But for Chauhan he’d rather watch a movie than be in one.
He doesn’t know exactly what’s next, but he knows it involves dance.
“I came all the way here to pursue dance. Otherwise, I would have stayed in India and done some acting or Bollywood films. And make money there. But I wanted to dance.”
“Call Me Dancer” is now playing at Quad Cinema in Greenwich Village. Tickets start at $16. For more information visit here.
This story has been updated to correct details of Manish Chauhan's dance career, including how he obtained his first contract.
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Precious Fondren
Precious is a former WNYC & Gothamist culture reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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