The Event at a Glance
| Guest Choreographer | Melvin Louis |
| Date | Sunday, 26 February 2023 |
| Venue | Tangerine Banquet, Kolkata |
| Host Studio | Twist N Turns Dance Studios |
| Format | Single-day intensive, open to all levels |
| Signature Style | Bollywood × hip-hop × contemporary fusion |
On 26 February 2023, Twist N Turns brought Melvin Louis back to Kolkata for a high-energy one-day workshop at Tangerine Banquet. The session drew a full room of dancers — from beginners to city-circuit crews — and closed with every attendee taking home a fully learnt routine in Melvin’s signature style.
About Melvin Louis
Melvin Louis is a Mumbai-based choreographer, dancer and YouTube creator widely recognised as one of India’s most influential contemporary voices in mainstream dance. His work blends Bollywood expression with hip-hop precision and contemporary emotion, and has been watched by millions across social platforms.
- Started his career as a backup dancer in Bollywood, then pivoted to choreography and teaching.
- Built a following of 2M+ subscribers on YouTube through original routines and tutorials.
- Runs Dance Inc. (Melvin Louis Dance Company) — a platform focused on dance education and talent development in India.
- Known for a distinctive visual language — tight body isolations, cinematic framing, and emotive storytelling.
This was Melvin’s third appearance with Twist N Turns, following earlier workshops in May 2017 and 2018. His profile on the Twist N Turns guest faculty roster is available on the Melvin Louis guest faculty page.
What Happened at the Workshop
The session ran as a tight, focused intensive rather than a loose class. Melvin opened by walking through his journey — from early Bollywood work to building his own choreographic identity — which immediately set the tone: craft over flash, intention over improvisation.
He then moved into the core of the day: breaking down one of his signature pieces step-by-step. Each section was taught with context — not just “what comes next” but why a particular move sits where it does, how it reads to camera, and how to sync body dynamics with the musical accent.
Key craft areas covered during the workshop:
- Choreography logic — how a piece is structured, where hits land, and when to rest.
- Body isolations — clean chest, shoulder and head work that makes Bollywood-contemporary fusion readable.
- Musicality — listening past the beat, finding the subtler cues in a track.
- Stage and camera presence — performing to a live room vs. performing to a lens.
- Performance confidence — how to commit fully to a piece even when you’re still learning it.
Between drills, attendees got a chance to ask Melvin direct questions — on technique, on his creative process, and on making a career in dance — and received live feedback on their individual takes of the routine.
Who Was in the Room
The 26 Feb 2023 session drew a broad mix of dancers:
- Students from Twist N Turns’ own regular Bollywood, hip-hop and contemporary batches.
- Working choreographers and dance teachers from across Kolkata.
- Crews and dance-reel creators preparing for competition and social content.
- First-time workshop attendees getting their first taste of a guest-choreographer intensive.
The level-agnostic design meant every group could plug in — beginners came away with a usable piece and stronger fundamentals, while advanced dancers used the session to pick up Melvin’s specific stylistic fingerprints.
Why Twist N Turns Hosts Workshops Like This
Twist N Turns has been running in Kolkata since 2005, with a core focus on building long-term dancers through weekly, structured classes across ballet, Bollywood, hip-hop, contemporary, classical and fitness forms. Guest workshops sit on top of that regular-class foundation as concentrated exposure — one day with a choreographer of Melvin’s calibre condenses weeks of stylistic learning into a single session.
Over the years Twist N Turns has hosted dozens of guest-choreographer events in Kolkata — Melvin Louis is a returning favourite, and the 2023 workshop was the third time he was brought in. The studio’s intent with these events is simple: give Kolkata’s dancers direct access to the choreographers shaping the national conversation, without needing to travel to Mumbai or Bangalore.
Learn Bollywood at Twist N Turns — Year-Round
While guest workshops are one-off intensives, Twist N Turns runs structured Bollywood and fusion batches every week across all its Kolkata studios.
- Bollywood dance classes in Kolkata — regular batches for teens and adults at every studio.
- Hip-hop dance classes — freestyle and choreography batches from beginner to advanced.
- Contemporary dance classes — technique, expression and choreography for teens and adults.
- Full studio timetable — batches across all seven Kolkata locations.
- Book a free trial — drop into any regular class before committing.
Stay Notified About Future Workshops
Twist N Turns regularly hosts guest choreographers from Mumbai, Bangalore and abroad. To be notified first when the next workshop opens:
- Call / WhatsApp: 98310 18015
- Email: info@twistnturns.in
- Subscribe to the studio newsletter (in the footer of this site) — monthly updates on new batches, events and guest workshops.
- Follow Twist N Turns on social media for live workshop announcements.
See all past events and shows for the full archive of Twist N Turns workshops, productions and performances.