Popular choreographer and celebrity judge Terence Lewis, who was recently seen acting in a single, shares how his first love was always acting, and that was his goal when he started out. However, life had other plans for him, and his struggles pushed him to become a choreographer.

“I’ve always enjoyed being in front of the camera since my early days, but I had to give it up to become a dance teacher. I came from an economically strapped background and needed to put bread on the table, apart from paying my college fees. So, when I was only 17 years old, I started teaching dance to a group of kids. I was studying microbiology, but then I moved on to do hotel management and, eventually, choreography. My first film as a choreographer was for a song for Lagaan (2001),” he shares.

Terence stresses on how it is hard to break stereotypes in showbiz. He says, “I will admit that it’s not been easy to act, as there are preconceived notions that once you are established in a certain field, then you can’t excel in another. I have seen this resistance from people. But, I hope this myth will be shattered, and anyone with talent can pursue their passion for acting. I am excited to play roles that require a certain maturity. I want to cross over to films and OTT with good roles. I don’t carry any privilege of being an established choreographer to land me roles.”

This year, the choreographer completed 25 years of teaching dance and to celebrate, he held a series of free workshops across Mumbai. He is also currently judging the third season of India’s Best Dancer, and he admits that judging dance reality shows helps him connect with the masses.

He says, “My first TV show Dance India Dance was rejected by many popular dance choreographers because of the nature of the work involved. But I accepted the offer, and it was a turning point in my career. Today, I feel the youth of the country has connected with me. There is a marked difference in the quality of contestants compared to a decade ago. The millennials are bold, highly skilled, and their personality reflects in their choreography.”