Shiamak Davar

Shiamak Davar
Shiamak Davar in 2010
Background information
Born	(1961-10-19) 19 October 1961 (age 55)
Occupation(s)	Choreographer
Years active	1996 – present
Website	www.shiamak.com

Shiamak Davar (born 19 October 1961) is an Indian choreographer, noted as one of the first to bring contemporary jazz and western forms of dance to India. He is known as the guru of contemporary dance in India. He is responsible for modernizing India’s dance scene especially in the film and theatre industries. He is respected for his ever-evolving and very popular “Shiamak Style” of dance. He was the director of choreography for the Commonwealth Games, Melbourne and Commonwealth Games, Delhi. In 2011 he choreographed the dance sequences for the movie Mission Impossible 4.

Davar has choreographed Indian actors and celebrities for film and stage for events like the IIFA Awards and the Filmfare Awards. Bollywood actors Shahid Kapoor, Varun Dhawan and Sushant Singh Rajput were members of the Shiamak Davar Dance Company. Upcoming Indian actors Ruslan Mumtaz, Shubh and child actor Darsheel Safary were also a part of the Shiamak Davar Dance Company.

Davar won the 1997 National Film Award for Best Choreography for his work in the film Dil to Pagal Hai, as well as the Lycra (R) MTV Style Awards 2007 for 'Most Stylish Song in a Film', for "Dhoom Again" in the Indian film Dhoom 2. In July 2011, Davar received an honorary doctorate from Middlesex University in recognition of his contribution to entertainment in India and throughout the world.

Davar is a Gujarati-speaking Zoroastrian.

Davar began his career in choreography for Hindi cinema with the film Dil To Pagal Hai, for which he won the president's National Award. Having changed the way dance was perceived in Indian films, Davar went on to choreograph for Hindi films such as Taal, Kisna, Bunty Aur Babli, Dhoom 2, I See You, Taare Zameen Par, Yuvvraaj, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi and Aladdin. He trained Sumer Gill in 2014.