Two Newcastle performers are having the time of their lives in India while dancing their way to Bollywood stardom.
Mary Dundas and Olivia Park flew to Mumbai last November on a contract with international talent agency Glowshow Entertainment. In addition to performing in commercials and music videos, the pair are also part of the Delhi Capitals' official dance squad in this year's Indian Premier League (IPL) competition.
The team includes Australian cricketers David Warner, Jhye Richardson and Jake Fraser-McGurk.
Both Mary and Olivia starting dancing at the age of three at Baby Ballerinas & Co, a Lake Macquarie ballet school run by Karen Barker Rogers. Mary went on to train at Yvette Cox Tap for the next 10 years where she was also under the instruction of choreographer Cassie Bartho.
Mary's other passion is musical theatre, and she received formal vocal training from Kim Hornby. She performed in Hairspray: The Arena Spectacular and was a member of the Newcastle Jets dance squad.
Olivia attended Ablaze Dance Academy as a student and teacher and, like Mary, graduated from the academy's two-year Commercial Elite Performance Program. She also completed her certificate III in dance education, performed in both Hairspray: The Arena Spectacular and Grease: The Arena Spectacular, and was a cheerleader for the Newcastle Knights.
Casting director Diane Heaton OAM, who made the Queen's Birthday Honours List in 2021 for her services to dance, supported Mary and Olivia's quest to perform overseas.
"These types of contracts require dancers to have outstanding fitness, versatility and strong technique across multiple performance genres. The ability to pick up new choreography quickly is paramount," she says.
"I see some amazing performers from Newcastle - it has some of the best studios in the state with consistent achievements in national competitions and international dance careers.
"The auditions are highly competitive, and it was clear that Mary and Olivia have had outstanding technical and commercial training as well as broad performance experiences for their young age."
Bollywood is regarded as one of the largest centres for film and television in the world, and accounts for close to 80 per cent of India's music revenue.
"We love casting international performers from Australia, New Zealand, UK Europe for stage and screen," says Jayesh Shah, of Glowshow Entertainment.
"They add such diversity and bring a lot of unique artistry to our industry which ultimately enhances our productions."
For Olivia and Mary, living and working in Mumbai has been eye-opening.
"We are literally having the time of our lives and working with some really, really famous Indian stars," Olivia tells Weekender.
"We are treated so well in the industry here - all the performers are. I would describe this journey as surreal. It's so different to anything I have ever done professionally."
Adds Mary: "I'm just in love with India, the people, the culture and the whole vibe. We have had the most incredible experiences already, dancing in movies, music videos and TV, but being able to experience and be welcomed into the culture that is India has already been life changing.
"I could never have imagined in a million years I would be living my dream at 18."
They remain in awe of the sheer scale of Bollywood productions and love travelling to unique locations for a shoot. Mary cites as an example a flight to Hyderabad "to film a big Bollywood movie dance scene".
"We got off the plane at 4am and were on set shooting at ancient temple ruins by 5am," she says.
"The sun was coming up and the rays of light through the trees and temple ruins was incredible - the choreographers worked with the light to incorporate it into the dancing scene and it was totally magical, like living art."
The pair liken learning to dance Bollywood-style to learning another language.
"Bollywood dancing is really a freedom of expression - it's very colourful, very dynamic and very theatrical," Mary says.
"It's like a fusion of classical forms of Indian dance, traditional folk dance, salsa and belly-dance with contemporary Western forms of hip-hop, jazz and contemporary. There are no set rules which means every dance is very dynamic and unique."
It's also intense, says Olivia: "Our dance repertoire has expanded so much. We hit the ground running needing to perform and perfect a brand new genre and technique. The physical demands of Bollywood dancing require a whole new level of fitness."
"That's also because of the high temperatures and humidity," adds Mary.
"Your physical fitness has to acclimatise to the heat. Your body needs to be fit enough to have enough stamina to cope with the high temperatures as well as the energy demands of the dancing."
It's been a steep learning curve for Mary and Olivia, who are the only Westerners in a gated apartment complex occupied by thousands.
"Having safe water is always on our mind. We use bottled water for absolutely everything except showering," Olivia says.
"India is one of the most water-stressed countries in the world but their supply is not safe. We think what we do at home in Australia to save water is effective, but living here, you literally value every single drop because you see how quickly it is used."
Safety is also taken seriously.
"You have to be careful, like in any country. We never go anywhere alone and always catch tuk tuks instead of walking," Mary says.
"We are picked up and transported to the studios or on location, whether locally or interstate. Our agent knows where we are at all times and he checks in with us every day.
"I can honestly say no matter where we go or what we do, we feel so welcomed, accepted and included. Learning and respecting the rich spiritual and cultural traditions has been so enriching."
