Professional dancer Tidiane Montout from the Caribbean calls Shanghai "the best in China in dance." A teacher and choreographer, he is one of the few to offer street jazz, which he calls "more raw, more street and more Shanghai."

 

He can grove, he can scat, he can salsa and he can dance street jazz. Originally from Guadeloupe, one of the French islands in the Caribbean, Tidiane Montout has brought his sunshine and rhythm to Shanghai to teach the moves to locals and expats alike.

 

Montout has his own distinctive style; with his spiky hair and classic black dress sense, he looks every bit the stage icon, having been part of performances such as the acclaimed musical Notre Dame De Paris in the French capital itself.

 

Now one of the co-founders of Dancelicious, a performance group and dance school in Shanghai, he has been performing across China since 1993 and has lived locally for almost four years.

 

"I have always been a dancer, I learned jazz in New York and LA and salsa in the clubs of Cuba," says Montout.

 

His dancing career started at the age of 10 when he went to Paris to study at a theater and arts academy.

 

Dancing was fate, he continues. "I have always loved it." At 17 he was invited to join the international dance studio of Rick Odams, a famous jazz choreographer, and the rest, as they say, was history.

 

He moved to China reluctantly. With an uncle working in China, Montout had frequent invites to visit. "I always refused, as at the time China just seemed so far away and I did not know the language. I never imagined that down the line I would be here," he says.

 

Despite initial preconceptions, he eventually accepted his uncle's invitation four years ago.

 

Since then he has worked for La Maison in Xintiandi and helped make Jazz du Funk what it is now.

 

"Shanghai was lacking international-level dance and Jazz du Funk was just a small studio with a couple of classes. But through the work of six people we built it up to what it is now," the dancer says.

 

Two years ago, however, he decided to break away from the usual steps and started his own studio, Dancelicious, with his business partner Joy Natividad.

 

Now Montout brings a new dimension of dance performance to Shanghai's entertainment world he is well known for street jazz, jazz, hip-hop and salsa. "Not many places here offer things like street jazz," he observes.

 

A mix between classic jazz and hip-hop, street jazz can vary depending on who teaches it.

 

"It was introduced commercially in the 1980s by Michael Jackson and was also popularized through the show 'Fame.' It moves away from the classic style and is more raw, more street and more Shanghai!"

 

The problem locally, however, he continues, "is that Chinese dancers can be very good technically but they seem to miss emotion. Especially for jazz, you need emotion."

 

The level of dancing is not as high in China as it is in the West, says Montout. "Even in Shanghai people seem to employ dancers based on appearance rather than skill. But now with my studio and places like Jazz du Funk, we try to push the level, so Shanghai is now the best in China in terms of dance."

 

Living above his dance studio, he says, "My life is very much dance. I live so close to my work so I can cater for an event even at the last minute. Even if I have any spare time I will go to the salsa parties in the city to relax."

 

Dancing is the best way to learn about your body, continues Montout. "When I am dancing I understand all the limits of my body as I push it as far as it can go.

 

"I tell my students that it is all about attitude and expression. When they dance they must leave their shyness behind and let themselves open up," he says.

 

The future for Montout is not yet clear. "I will probably stay here for another couple of years. Shanghai is the most interesting yet most tiring place.

 

"I love people and am of a very trusting nature but here the culture is so different that I get exhausted trying to understand people. But this complicated understanding is what makes it interesting, and here is a great place to dance."

 

(Shanghai Daily April 3, 2007)