Sunday Times (Sri Lanka)

Legless break dancer from India

- By Emily Allen

If you thought break dancing was hard - imagine doing it with no legs.

A 22-year-old Indian man, who was born handicappe­d following a birth defect, has become a star with his remarkable dance moves which put four-limbed b-boy dancers to shame.

Vinod Thakur even went on India's Got Talent after learning his show-stopping hip-hop thrusts and acrobatic flips in just three months.

However, he was pipped to the top spot during the 2010 series by glass-chewing Warriors of Goja, missing out on a £68,000 cash prize.

Two years on Thakur is still creating a storm on the internet and across India and has become a national celebrity.

Footage of him performing is all over You Tube attracting thousands of hits.

Thakur, a mobile phone repairman earning £85 month, developed his skills following hours of practice and watching other hip-hop dancers on the internet.

He said: 'After passing my exams my friends encouraged me to learn dancing.

'They had seen some handicappe­d people dancing who had benefited from doing it. They told me I could do better than them and I should start practicing.

'They told me that they would help and just asked me to work hard.'

The dancer, from East Delhi, has developed incredible upper body strength in order to perform the moves.

Before he started learning to dance he spent his childhood learning to walk on his hands.

Kmata Chopra, his former schoolteac­her, said: 'He would move up the stairs faster than his classmates. From then, I knew that, through his hard work, he will make it big someday.'

 ??  ?? Talent: Vindor Thakur has been taking India by storm with his remarkable dance moves which he performs despite having no legs
Talent: Vindor Thakur has been taking India by storm with his remarkable dance moves which he performs despite having no legs

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Sri Lanka