DANCE instructors and studios are cashing in on Bollywood-mania with the international success of Danny Boyle's Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire.
Sign-up of new students who specifically asked to learn Bollywood dances had seen as much as a two-fold increase.
Dance experts told my paper that Bollywood dances are seeing a surge in popularity - thanks to the movie and its catchy theme song, Jai Ho.
Bollywood dancing comprises of exaggerated hip and shoulder movements set to the tunes of high-tempo Indian pop music. Ms Nidhi Mehta, founder of Indian dance company, Bolly-Beatz and a dance instructor, said her Bollywood classes have seen a spike in new students, especially among the non-Indian community.
Last month, there were 15 new students - almost double the monthly average of about eight.
Previously, just over one in 10 were Chinese. Now, nearly two in five are Chinese students.
"The popularity of Slumdog Millionaire definitely drove the demand. There was a lot more interest after that, especially for the song Jai Ho," she said.
"In fact, when the movie first came out, about 20 people asked me when Jai Ho will be included in my routine," she added.
Ms Yasminbee Sheikh, a Bollywood dance instructor from dance studio JJSalsaRengue, said there was up to a 30 per cent increase in her Bollywood dance-class enrolment over the past four months.
Mr Imran Manaff, general manager of performing and arts management company Apsara Asia, said: "The success of Slumdog Millionaire made it possible for Bollywood dance to join the ranks of other dance genres and to become a staple norm."
Mr Imran added: "More choreographers are also using Bollywood dance in their choreography... and, for once, it is not what everyone perceives it to be: where girls and boys sing and dance around coconut trees!"
Even line dancing has not been spared from the Slumdog phenomenon.
Part-time line-dancing instructor Lim Chee Kiang said: "Jai Ho is quite catchy and unique, with Indian elements in it, which makes it suitable for line dancing. A lot of people are choreographing for this song, which means more people are dancing to it."
For Ms Seraphina Teow, hearing her friends rave about the movie was enough to pique her interest about all things Indian.
The 24-year-old, who attended her first Bollywood dance class with Ms Mehta last Tuesday, said: "I wanted to know more about it and see what the dance offers. I also have quite a few Indian friends, so I wanted to explore their culture."
Tax auditor AzlinaMarlin Arasmi was so impressed after watching the show that she signed up for a Bollywood dance class.
The 34-year-old said: "When the music came out at the end of the movie, my heart was thumping. It made me wish I could get into the movement and dance."
