A bit about our Artistic Director

Chinmaya Kumar Padhy, endowed with a deep love and passion for dance and fine artistic sensibility, is a virtuosic dancer with an energetic and captivating persona. He is a choreographer par excellence in Bollywood/Bollyhop and contemporary genres, a keen connoisseur of the arts, a savvy artistic manager, a respected and passionate teacher who has nurtured excellent talent, and above all, a blazing performer. He is known for his power-packed dance moves and vivacious facial expressions among his contemporaries. Although his main forte is Bollywood and contemporary dance, his knowledge, understanding, and sensitivity to other forms, and his ease in adapting to different styles—be it Western styles like Jazz, Hip-Hop, and Ballet or Indian classical forms like Kathak and Bharatanatyam—make him a versatile artist.

 

Chinmaya Padhy was born in a small town in Odisha in 1991. He completed his schooling at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Ganjam, and earned his Bachelor’s degree in Physics (BSc) from Vinayak Mission University. From early on, his love for Bollywood movies drew him to its world of dance and music. His lifelong love for dance began at the age of 9 when he watched Hrithik Roshan dancing in "Kaho Na Pyaar Hai." He was so enraptured by the actor's dancing skills that he resolved to become a dancer.

 

His growing love affair with dance spiraled into a wider interest and passion for the art form, and he dreamt of making it big as a dancer, performer, and choreographer. He dared to believe that this could be more than a possibility. So, with a backpack and eyes full of dreams, he moved to the city of dreams, Mumbai, in 2008 at the tender age of 17 to embark on a career as a dancer and to carve a niche in this field.

 

Chinmaya started his formal dance training at the legendary Shiamak Davar’s Institute of Performing Arts (SDIPA) under its founder Shiamak Davar (the guru of contemporary dance in India) for five years. As an up-and-coming choreographer, he had the honor of working with Sandip Soparrkar at Sandip Soparrkar’s Ballroom Studio (SSBS) for over two years. His other professional experience includes assisting Mahesh Poojary, a stage show/creative director and Bollywood choreographer, and Siddhesh Pai, a renowned Bollywood choreographer. His extensive training and experience working under the finest dance maestros of India helped him hone his natural choreographic talent and nurture his creative flair.

 

He achieved recognition in the dance field when he appeared on the Indian television dance reality show "DID Doubles." He has a long list of choreography and leading artistic work, including coaching contestants in reality shows like Dance India Dance, Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa, Nach Baliye, and others.

 

During his journey as a student, his teachers had a formative influence on him with their love for the art of teaching and the way they shaped and nurtured each dancer, kindling his passion for teaching. So, he naturally gravitated towards pedagogy early on in his career.

 

Chinmaya’s career took flight when he set up Soul 2 Sole Dance Academy in 2012 with the aim of sharing his knowledge, love, and reverence for the craft with all. Having started with just 10 students, today he has 4 branches with over 350 students and 10 faculty members.

 

He also initiated the half-yearly student showcase called "RUH" with the intention of providing a platform for all students and emerging dancers. The ever-growing success of the show each passing year catapulted him and his academy into the spotlight. He further mapped the academy's artistic and physical growth by setting up a bigger studio in 2018, which has now become a home for dance enthusiasts, beginners, and professionals alike to learn various professional forms. Since then, there has been no looking back, and with him at the helm since its inception, the academy has been soaring to greater heights. Today, S2S is one of the leading dance academies in Navi Mumbai.

 

He is an honorable recipient of the "Best Dancer of Navi Mumbai" award in 2011. He was also announced as the "Best Choreographer of Navi Mumbai" in 2017. He has many other accolades to his credit, including running the "Best Dance Academy of Navi Mumbai" award in 2017.

 

Pursuing his dream definitely wasn’t a cakewalk; it came with its own set of hurdles. But his meticulous planning, hard work, grit, determination to rediscover himself every single day, conviction, unapologetically fierce attitude towards achieving excellence, and commitment to adding value to others' lives have put him on the path to success at a very young age.

 

He has had the courage to believe that he can succeed and has indeed left no stone unturned to make his dream a reality.