Miss Diva runner up Alankrita Sahai performs the Aerial Silk act
Natura Outdoor Education & Training Solutions, is now involved in a project of a different kind. The rigging house that provides aerial rigging for events, brand activations and launches recently trained and choreographed an Aerial Silk show for Alankrita Sahai, a finalist on Miss Diva 2014, which is part of Femina Miss India. What’s more, the performance won her the talent round and as a runner-up, she will be representing India at Miss Earth in Phillippines later this year, for which Natura is choreographing a new sequence.
This may be the first time in India that a beauty pageant contestant has sought professional help of this kind. Speaking about the act, Shrirang Swarge of Natura said, “We had conducted a workshop earlier this year, on May 17-18, called Airplay, which was all about aerial acrobatics, adventure and dance. Alankrita had attended that workshop then. So when the pageant and the talent round came up, she contacted us as she wanted to do aerial acrobatics.”
The challenge for them was in figuring out the specifications given the limitations imposed as a result of the contest. “Our operations manager, Rohit Pote, realised that the ballroom stage at the venue of the competition would not do to rig up our equipment for her aerial act,” added Swarge. “So we had to hold it in Sitara Studio, Parel where we got a day’s time to set up the rig and the sequence was shot and played for the judges during the talent round.”
The act was shot on September 27 and telecast on October 19. Aerial Instructor Aditi Deshpande trained Alankrita for the talent round.
“It was a challenge from the beginning,” she said. “Although Alankrita had done gymnastics earlier and she is physically quite fit, I had to help her master a new skill within a short span of time. Her schedule was tightly packed because the contest was going on during the training session. She had photo-shoots and other activities all day and we only got two hours to practice each day. Although she would be quite tired when she walked in to practice, she was a very enthusiastic learner.”
“So we had to choreograph the dance keeping all these factors in mind and also give her positions where she would not get bruises as it would look bad during photo-shoot,” added Deshpande. “So we decided to go for Aerial Silk act. We had accommodate last minute changes in the songs and the time module given to us by the contest organisers. Also, once we realised we could not run the silk act live due to stage limitations, the entire sequence had to be modified to moves that would look good on-screen, rather than live.”
Alankrita Sahai performed a 2.30 min choreographed sequence for the shoot. They are still in preparation for the world stage of Miss Earth at Phillippines. “We are still working out the details,” said Deshpande. “Equipment is obviously an issue. We have sent specifications to the organisers there, asking for motor for the aerial silk act and we are working in a chair sequence initially as well.”
The contestant, Alankrita Sahai won the talent round because of this act and she will be showcasing a modified version at the Miss Earth contest in Phillippines.