July 2011

Critically acclaimed choreographer Longiness Fernandes (Slumdog Millioanire, Guzaarish, etc) in conversation with Puja Amin, artisitc Director of BollyCORE!.

Longinus Fernandes (Longines or Longie) is an Indian choreographer and dancer, who won the Filmfare Best Choreography Award in 2009.

Internationally, he is known as the choreographer of the closing credits dance sequence featuring in the Academy Awards for Best Original Song , ‘Jai Ho’ and another featuring `O… Saya`, also nominated in the same category, in the film `Slumdog Millionaire` (2008). At the 81st Academy Awards ceremony, director Danny Boyle thanked him in his acceptance speech, while receiving his award for Best Direction, and also acknowledge missing out his name in the credits.

Longinus started out as a dancer in Hindi cinema in early 1990s, which paved way for work as assistant choreographer, soon he graduated to choreographing independently with film, `Dil Ka Doctor (1995). He became popular when he took part in the reality dance competition, `Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa` (Season 1), on Sony TV in 2006, where he partnered with actress, Shweta Salve and the couple were adjudged the runners-up. Thereafter in 2008 he appeared as a judge in another reality dance competitions. He has also choreographed music videos like, Baba Sehgal’s Balle Balle Ho Gai and Adnan Sami’s Lift Kara De. In 2008, he choreographed two songs in the film `Slumdog Millionaire`, O… Saya and Jai Ho, which were shot at Lion’s Gate, Essel World and the CST station in Mumbai, with scores of dancers. In February 2009, he started work on `Bollywood Hero`, a three-part international miniseries’.