Grace, Glitter, & Grit: Jhinuk Alvares' Path As Indian Ballroom Dancer

Preening in sequins and vibrant colours, Jhinuk Alvares commands the dance floor with poise, her every move mirroring the contortions of a kaleidoscope. But what sets her apart isn't just her mastery of ballroom dancing—it's her unexpected origin story. Originally an aspiring lawyer from Mumbai, Alvares followed her heart and gave her all to the Latin-American dance form. Embodying a fusion of cultures, the Hungary-based dancesport athlete has participated in competitions across the world and garnered numerous accolades. Her story is a reminder to embrace the unexpected paths that life offers and to follow our passions fearlessly.

Jhinuk Alvares spoke to SheThePeople in an exclusive interview, sharing how she stepped into the unique dancesport as a South Asian woman. She narrated her inspiring journey of hard work and sacrifices to follow her dream of making it big on global stages. 

Delving Into Ballroom Dancesport

Born and raised in Mumbai, Alvares’ journey began with Indian classical dance forms like Odissi and Kathak. As a fan of Western reality television shows like So You Think You Can Dance, she was intrigued by Latin dances and joined renowned performer Sandip Soparrkar's classes in her law school days. Alvares was interning at the Bombay High Court when she was at a crossroads between her profession and passion.

"To find the balance between law and dance was tough but I realised that my heart was looking to dance much more than being in attendance in the court of law. After I graduated and completed my education, I decided to change my career and take up dancing Latin American Ballroom professionally since I enjoyed it so much," she said.

Alvares' parents always encouraged her to be athletic, which is why when she found out that Latin-American Ballroom is recognised as a sport by the International Olympics Council, she had to hop on. "I began researching for schools that trained competitive dancesport athletes in Mumbai, I found a few but couldn't find the appropriate one where my dancing could reach the next level. I competed in many State and National Level Competitions but wanted to venture out into the International sphere of dancing. I was one of the handful of Indian dancers to take this up as a sport."

Alvares secured a scholarship for upcoming athletes and embarked on her journey to train in Moscow, Russia. "Competing successfully as the only Indian Dancesport Athlete was a matter of pride, joy, and responsibility. For the first time, we had an Adult Couple team [from India] not just participating but securing a spot in the Quarter Finals in a World Dance Sport Federation Competition!" she said, gleefully. Ever since she got a taste of the rush at international dancesport competitions, there was no stopping her.

Blending Cultures

Jhinuk Alvares went on to represent India on more worldwide stages and inspired several Indian dancers and athletes along the way. Talking about her experience as a South Asian woman in the Latin-American dancesport, she shared that the journey had been difficult but she was persistent to fly higher.

"I received mixed reactions from people when they saw an Indian dancer on the dancefloor amongst a predominantly European crowd. Some people appreciated me but many others found me not to be the perfect or ideal fit. Having struggled a lot with finding my way I can say that winning the title of International Dance Organisation World Champions 2023 was just a means to an end. It’s the journey that counts not the final destination," she expressed.

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Alvares also described how she incorporates her roots into the dancesport, presenting the fluidity in global cultures. "I incorporate all the grace and expressions I have inculcated in myself through Indian Classical dancing in my Latin styles. With regards to my dance shoes, I kind of consider them like my ghungaroos. I respect the floor so thoroughly that sometimes I brushed it after my performances as if I were doing Bhoomi Pranam just like in classical dancing. I did this involuntarily and realised later on, how my roots have made me who I am today. I have many ideas and experimental projects planned for the future wherein I expect to show the fusion of Indian and Latin dance, music and culture more prominently," she shared.

Conquering Challenges

Alvares also got candid about the challenges she faced as a dreamer in the big world. She spoke about how she coped with while training in a foreign country. "The sport itself is very challenging but for women, it’s always more of a challenge than our male counterparts. Just like in day-to-day life, it’s still a male-dominated society and even couple dancing is a tad bit sexist if I may say so in all honesty," Alvares disclosed.

She also described the expectations set on women performers in the dancesport. "The demand for women to look and dance perfectly is crazy. It takes me approximately 4 hours to do my hair and makeup, so if I have a competition at 9 a.m., I must wake up at 4 am to be ready on time. My costumes are extremely expensive and even though I have now got a sponsor, initially I had to spend a truckload of money on the designer wear costumes which was probably ten times the price of my partner's," she expressed. 

Sharing the support she received through the journey, Alvares said, "To be fair, it all depends on the people who work with you, and I am blessed to have found a very nice training, teaching and dancing environment with everyone appreciating each other as artists first irrespective of their genders." She also shared that Vlad Alex Pop, her partner on the floor and in life, is a great support system. "I found the love of my life thanks to dance so I couldn’t be more grateful to this art form," she added.

Alvares described her commitment to dance despite the struggle and the challenges. "I love dancing so much that I am never really tired of it. Dance has saved me in so many ways that I can’t begin to express my gratitude for it. It’s made me tougher and stronger, both physically and mentally. Even emotionally I’ve learnt so much about myself and I’m still learning. Dancing has taught me to always be a learner throughout life because there is just so much to learn and grow."