Youngster is 'super star'

Youngster is 'super star'
By SHILPA CHANDRAN for GULF WEEKLY Bahrain

SCHOOLBOY dancing sensation Vidyuth Menon has returned to Bahrain to a hero's welcome after starring in one of the world's most celebrated reality TV competitions.
The Asian School pupil took time away from his classroom to grab the opportunity of shining under the spotlight in the Super Star Junior Dance Competition aired on popular Indian television channel Amrita.

Viewers watched in awe every week from Monday to Friday and thousands of Batelco customers here in Bahrain cast their SMS vote for Vidyuth, 11, who attracted millions of fans in India too as he battled into the semi-finals.
Vidyuth, was one of only 15 children selected from more than 7,000 worldwide entries, and said: "I just love to dance!

"This was an incredible experience and so exciting and I've made so many new friends."

His proud mum Priya, from Hoora, said: "The competition has helped him immensely to overcome his shyness and has brought about a fresh ray of confidence - so I am very thankful.

"It was not one of the easiest ventures we have ever done as we had to travel up and down to India twice. After the first audition which was in August last year, we came back.

"He was selected for the next stage and so we returned in September for rounds two and three of the audition process."

After the auditions were concluded and Vidyuth was finally selected his family were forced to make some serious decisions. Fortunately Vidyuth's school permitted him to take a six-month leave of absence but his mum had to resign her position as a maths teacher at Al Noor International School so she could take care of her only son.
Priya explained: "Our jobs are very important but I knew that I could come back and look for a new one. Vidyuth's chance was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. For the sake of our children we sometimes need to make compromises and sacrifices.

"I am glad I made that choice, otherwise I am sure I would have lived to regret not going."

The pair returned to the kingdom after spending six months back in India.
Although the family live in Kerala where the show was staged their hometown was actually 440km from the set.

They decided to rent a house close to the studios rather than face a daily gruelling train trek.

"Both of Vidyuth's grandmothers came to stay with us. It was quite demanding ... every 10 days there was a shoot for two days.

"This meant choosing two songs, learning the steps, arranging the costumes and preparing for the filming which began at six in the morning."

Also assisting the family was Jyothi Raj, a well-known dance teacher from Bahrain, who is Vidyuth's trainer. Priya explained: "He actually came to India and stayed with us throughout the competition - all at his own expense - to be able to help Vidyuth."

During the adventure Priya was often overcome by the pressure but Vidyuth's excitement and energy helped soothe over the periods of anxiety.

Priya said: "There were times when I wanted to just leave everything and come back home to Bahrain but my son would tell me not to worry."

His talent and optimism proved decisive as he was the only contestant not to fall in the 'danger zone' - a part of the competition where the participant achieved low audience votes and marks.

In the competition, the selection process was done in two ways. While the judges gave them the marks and comments, the real fate of the dancer rested with the viewers and audience.

Text messages were the main source of voting a favourite dancer and after every performance, the number of votes were counted for each of the contestants.
With Vidyuth's participation in the competition, the family requested the channel organisers to also accept votes from Bahrain, as this was indeed his home.

Vidyuth's father, Arun Menon, commercial manager, African and Eastern, had the pressure of coping with the stress all alone in the kingdom.

He said his son had attracted a huge following of fans, adding: "He has one particular supporter living in Saudi who still regularly calls up! He is a dancer himself and has been keeping a track of Vidyuth's performances since the very beginning.

"There are also two girls - Mary and Lachchu students of the Indian School who regularly keep in touch. They even created a community name 'Vidyuth the Super Dancer Junior' on the online friends networking site - Orkut!"

The youngster has faced a few embarrassing moments of fame too. Once he received a greeting card addressed to 'Vidyuth of Class Five, Asian School' from an Indian admirer.

Vidyuth also has a growing number of dance fans in Bahrain where he has been performing ever since he returned from India.

Priya said: "Recently during a show organised by the Indian Ladies Association for the Children and Mother's Welfare Society, Vidyuth performed to an audience of Shaikhas.

"After the performance one lady came and gave him a small packet and congratulated him saying the society's president sent her regards and a small gift."
The gift, BD100, helped him purchase a collection of games for his Play Station which is his passion alongside dancing.

Vidyuth also performed at the May Queen 2008 event as part of his dance group - the Rap City Boys. The group was formed by his trainer and consists of six dancers.
His love of dancing began at an early age when he watched his mother give dance lessons at home.

Priya said: "When we first moved to Bahrain I used to hold dance classes at home and he would silently watch me before running to the sitting room and doing his own dance."

Since his small screen performances, Vidyuth has been approached by TV soap opera producers in India who have expressed an interest in creating a part for him.

Master Vidyuth Menon - A REAL Talent from Bahrain

AMRITA TV Super dancer Junior Final Five contestant - Master Vidyuth Menon

How many of you can forget the always smiling little boy who came to perform in the recently concluded Super Dancer Junior show of Amrita TV?. How many of you can forget his innocent replies complementing his mother and grandmother for his beautiful costume selection and hair style. How may of you can forget a boy studying and living in Bahrain expressing his liking for Kanji and Payaru?. It is none other than Master Vidyuth Menon from Bahrain about whom I am writing today.

Many of us were shocked beyond imagination when this little champion was voted out from the Final 5 of the Super Dancer Junior competition for the Final 3. Master Vidyuth was not selected for the Final 3!!! It was utter dismay and disbelief as he was progressing from one round of performance to the next extremely well and giving us an almost flawless performance which we all expected from the contestant of such a Reality Show. That was history – of course man made.

Out of passion to find out the realities of these little children after participating in such reality shows and also as part of my TQM process to see it that these children are not lifted and left down half-way, I approached Master Vidyuth and his family for a brief session and present it to you as it is:

Greetings to you Vidyuth. You have been one of the contestants of the recently concluded Super Dancer Junior programme conducted by Amrita TV. Participating in a talent hunt show of this calibre to find out the best amongst children of your age, it gave a feast to all the viewers and the contestants. It is the same interest of the viewers that made me now approach you for a brief and casual talk to find how your progress is after the post-elimination from this show.

1. Vidyuth, congratulations for participating in the Super Dancer Junior Competition and getting selected to the top 5 level. Your elimination was a shock news for many of your fans. Tell me, how did you hear about this programme?

Hi all… Thanks a lot for including me in this focus. In fact I was so keen on watching Super Star Junior and Super Dancer shows. After watching the advertisement in ATV, my parents enrolled my name.

2. How did you find the different stages of the competition? Particularly on the challenges thrown to you to perform non-conventional rounds.

Though it was very tough, I was enjoying each round of the competition. Classical round and folk round was very new to me and I had to really work hard for those segments. My mother is a trained classical dancer. But as she was busy with my costumes and other work, Sajna Najam (Sajna aunty) helped me in classical round. Myself and aunty became very close in that short period.

3. Who is your Guru? Could you please give us an idea how you went about preparing for each round.

Mr. Jyothiraj (Bahrain) is my master in western dance. He was so thrilled when I got selected and even accompanied me to Trivandrum. At Trivandrum I had Sajeesh master (foot loosers) to train me. Shaine sir and Baby Shivaram also helped me in one round each. My mother is my inspiration & was there with me for every thing; she gave me tips on improving my facial expressions and even helped me to improve my performances.

We had minimum four dances in each rounds. After one shoot we hardly get two days to rest. I used to have classes till late night. It was a bit tough but novel & nice experience. Learning from different choreographers helped me to improve my style.

4. How was the support given by the Amrita TV channel in terms of co-ordination and arrangements for contestants like you, especially since you were not from Trivandrum and based outside India.

The support given by the channel was very minimal. Not that they didn’t support us at all. Even the song selections were done by my mother and my master. They used to give us the next round. About money and things.. I am not aware of it but, my mum tells me that they give very little for the preparation of each dance. Very good support was given by the Amrita make up team. My hair style was done by my mother herself.

5. How do you rate the grooming sessions before each stage of this competition? Did you all get sufficient notification about each stage and also did you get sufficient guidance about how your performance should be for each one of them?

We didn’t have much grooming sessions (for dance) except from Mrs. Vimala Menon and Aravind chetan. I wished to have one from Kalamaster but we never got & I am so sad about it.
Kalamandalam and SOS village visits were unforgettable ones in my grooming sessions. SOS village visit had a very strong impact on my mind. I wish I should do something for them when I grow up.

6. How do you rate the other contestants who participated along with you? Did you all get along well?

All 15 are very good dancers. Of course we had a great time there. I enjoyed their friendship very well. Now, since I am at Bahrain I will be visiting TVM during my next vacation to see all my SDJ friends. My mother keeps in touch with almost everyone through sms or phone calls.

7. Was there any stress on you with regards to the SMS votes / campaign which was a part of the requirement for getting through to the next level in each stage? How did you work on this, especially in your case, being from an ordinary family compared to the other rich contestants?

Frankly speaking I didn’t have much stress with regard to the sms votes as I always used to be in safe zone until the semi final round. I was very confident that I was getting many votes from Bahrain (which made amrita channel to include vodafone voting too from Bahrain after one month of my participation)

May be my parents experienced the stress regarding sms votes. They kept my posters all over the state(tvm, calicut, ekm, mankombu etc) My uncle (venumama), and my grand father introduced me to each and every shops and offices in tvm & calicut and requested them to see my dance and send sms for me. I did request people to vote for me while travelling in train or bus too. It was so embarrassing to ask people who never had heard about such a show to vote for me. How can you rate a participant from such votes? Anyway I use this opportunity to thank all my well wishers, friends & relatives for giving me their love and support through out the show. They are my strength.

8. What do you rate amongst the various stages for this particular competition as the toughest round? What was the reason that made you say this particular round as very challenging?

In my case free round (where I did Krishna - Asura dance) was very challenging because that dance had duel personality and it was really difficult for me. As my master’s wife was sick he had to teach me the whole dance in one (prior to the shoot) day. I still remember after the performance that I burst into tears. I tried to give variety performance in all my dances. I never got this exposure in my life before and I thank Amrita TV for that. My parents used to tell me that people should remember my name with my performances and not just as a participant or winner, and I tried my very best to fulfil this.

9. Looking back at this competition after elimination, do you feel, the stages set were tough or that you could have performed well in those?

I could have performed well in classical and album rounds. It was really tough to learn four or five dances in a span of ten days. Still it was a great & challenging experience and it helped me to build up my confidence in life. I don’t think the stages set were tough but the time limit was not enough and the over strain made many of us sick during the shoot.

10. How often you give performances? How many hours normally you practise?


I do not practice one full dance daily, but I do at least five steps everyday in front of my mirror. Now I perform with a professional group (THE RAPCITY BOYS, Bahrain), which is lead by my master Mr. Jyothiraj. Now I am more interested in learning difficult jumps, waves and such kind of things. I do watch Jaykumar’s dance (boogie woogie fame) in my phone and try to attempt his steps.

11. Other than dance, are you learning any musical instruments or any other extra-curricular activities?

Yes I learn violin, interested in singing and drawing and I am very much in to sports especially cricket, basket ball and foot ball. In school I won prizes for English poem recitation, dance and fancy-dress for many years. I am very active in Bahrain Keralyeeya Samajam youth festival for the past 6 years and won ‘GROUP CHAMPION’ award in 2005 and became ‘KALAPRATHIBHA’ in 2007.

KALAPRATHIBA 2007 AWARD CEREMONY

12. I understand you are good at studies. Tell me something about your activities other than those involved with dance.

Though I am not trained in music I like to sing Tamil and Hindi songs. Other than this I spend time in computer games, game boy and play station. Watching Mr. Bean and Jackie Chan movies are my pass-time hobbies.

13. Which grade/school you are attending and what was the reaction from the school, your friends and well wishers when they came to know about your participation in Super Dancer Junior?

I was studying in 5th STD (Asian school, Bahrain) when I got selected for super dancer junior. It was a pleasant surprise for my friends and teachers. My head teacher used to announce my voting format in the school everyday. My teachers helped me by sending notes to Tvm. I thank my school Principal Mr. Joseph Thomas, vice Principal Mrs. Thomas, head teacher Mrs. Molly mammen, co-ordinator Mrs. Rebeiro , and all my teachers and friends for supporting me.

14. Did you get any support/recognition from any associations or any other news media channels for your excellent performance in this competition?

The Indian club, The Bahrain Keraleeya Samajam and Fraternity Of Cochin (Bahrain) were the three associations who felicitated me with mementos. I got a chance to perform in front of the ruling family members of Bahrain. After the dances they called me near them and shook hands with me. I got a special gift from one of the sheikhas and that was a thrilling and unforgettable moment.

BAHRAIN KERALEEYA SAMAJAM FELICITATION

15. Who is your favourite Dancer? And who else do you like to follow closely from this field?

Lawrence, Prabhu Deva and Hrithik Roshan are my favourite dancers.

16. What are your future plans? What do you want to become – other than a Dancer?

I don’t have any plans right now. My parents don’t insist on anything. They say that whatever you do it should be done with perfection and aim to achieve the goal. Studies come first so I am fully involved in studies now.

17. Do you get noticed when you travel within Kerala/outside Kerala after participation in this show. How do you handle this popularity / recognition/encouragements?

Certainly, people do recognise me after my participation in this show. I love being loved by the people especially the strangers and passer-by. I never knew and expected that people love me this much and that is a great honour you could ever receive than winning any titlest.

18. Tell me anything additional you want to include here.

Looking back at the SDJ participation, I am so lucky to be one among them and for this I am so very thankful to God first and secondly to my parents & grand parents. My mum, Priya, being a teacher in Bahrain, sacrificed her profession and was there with me for the entire show. My dad, Arun, encouraged me through phone calls; my both grand mothers were there in Tvm throughout to help us leaving out their chores. One thing I have to remind others is that “if there is a will there is a way”.

You may contact Master Vidyuth Menon on the following:

Cell Phone No : +973 36200910
Email: vidyuthmenon@gmail.com

Vidyuth Menon with his parents

Age & DOB: 10Yrs. 30-05-1997

Father's name & occupation: Mr. Arunkumar, Chief accountant, Manamma, Bharain

Mother's name & occupation: Mrs. Priya Arun
Teacher (British Senior Section), Al-Noor
International School, Bahrain

Residence address: Aathira, Mankavu (P.O), Calicut -7, (Kozhikode -7)

School: The Asian School, Bahrain

Passions or hobbies:

Dancing, Singing, Drawing cartppm charactors, Cricket, Foot ball

Choreographer's Name: Mr. Jyothi Raj (Bahrain), Mrs. Priya Arun (Mother)

Now let us see some of his performances:

Vidyuth's performance at Indian club, Bahrain




Vidyuth with Rapcity Boys, Bahrain




Vidyuth's western dance



Vidyuth pair with swathi




Vidyuth property round for Amrita TV Super Dancer Junior




Other performances:

I sincerely wish this young boy a bright academic and artistic future.

Ramesh Menon
04072008