Grooves of South was performed at dance East on Saturday 17th October as part of DanceEast Youth Fest 2026.
The piece is a dynamic fusion performance that brings together traditional South Indian and South Asian folk dance and the energy and physicality of contemporary Hip Hop and street dance.
I have been lucky enough to experience the performance, which was followed by a workshop on the day.
Before you read my review here’s something about each of the performers:
Ajith Shaji
Artistic Director
A trained South Asian dancer and artistic director with extensive experience across Indian classical forms and contemporary performance. Ajith shapes the conceptual and artistic framework of the piece and founder of Flow Factory.
Mathew George
Choreographer
A professional Hip Hop dancer, choreographer and co-founder of Flow Factory. His practice spans competitive Hip Hop, South Asian folk dance and large-scale cultural productions.
Sumitha
Choreographer
A choreographer and dance practitioner working across classical Indian dance and multiple street styles, co-developing the movement language of the piece.
Ramu Radhakrishna
Concept & Production
A creative practitioner, founding member contributing to the conceptual development and production of the work.
Anwil Joju
Concept & Production
A performer, founding member and creative contributor to the development and realisation of the piece.
Cliferd Dominic
Concept & Production
A performer and production collaborator across the creative development of Grooves of South.
Review
This was an energetic and spirited performance with a diverse range of dance styles. There’s a real connection between the group and they were perfectly coordinated and in time with each other.
I really enjoyed the mixture of contemporary street dance, hip hop and the traditional South Indian and South Asian dance styles as they blended together very successfully with clever and skillful choreography.
Each performer gets to shine in this piece and that adds to the feeling that Flow Factory are a collective with everyone supporting each other.
It was incredible to see how these young people had choreographed and devised this piece and they should be very proud of it.
About the workshop:
Following their performance, Flow Factory delivered a structured educational workshop for young aspiring dancers attending the event. Anwil Joju, Sumitha AS, and Ramu Radha Krishna were the lead workshop facilitators under the mentorship of Artistic Director Ajith VS and Lead Choreographer Mathew George, who oversaw both the pedagogical framework and the delivery of the workshop.
The workshop centred on a distinctive cultural fusion methodology developed exclusively by Flow Factory: the integration of South Indian heritage movement vocabulary with the foundational principles of hip hop street dance. Participants were guided through an original short-form choreography that embodied this intercultural dialogue, enabling young dancers to experience first-hand how two seemingly distinct artistic traditions can be synthesised into a coherent and compelling creative language.
Beyond the physical choreography, the workshop incorporated a substantive artistic Q&A, during which Flow Factory shared insight into their wider creative process — including the cultural significance of South Indian dance forms, the conceptual thinking behind their blended choreographic approach, and the challenges inherent in developing work that authentically represents multiple heritages. Attendees were introduced to Flow Factory’s artistic philosophy: that meaningful choreography is not merely technical execution, but a considered act of cultural storytelling.
The session concluded with a discussion on artistic completion — what it means for a work to be finished, how Flow Factory evaluate the integrity of a piece, and what responsibility artists carry when representing cultural identity on stage. This reflective dimension distinguished the workshop as not simply a dance class, but a formative encounter with professional artistic practice.
