Robin Merchant
Encyclopedia
Robin Merchant is an internationally recognized Choreographer and dance instructor. Notably she has choreographed for mega hip-hop icon: Ludacris
, China’s international dance festival, MTV
, Stunt Mania, and Dancing with the Stars
(India).
(NY), Pineapple Dance Studios
(London
) and the National Ballet of Canada
. From these specialized roots, she traveled and debuted in India
, bringing a high caliber of expertise and form to a market that was traditionally under represented in western styles. Robin’s strong knowledge of dance quickly led her to become India’s most sought after instructor in Jazz
and Urban Dance styles and allowed her to pioneer jazz funk within the country. Production houses and corporations such as Sony
, Lay's
, and Reebok
began vying for Robin’s choreography for their Indian TV commercials. Given the extraordinary demand that India generates for new art forms, Robin also established a dance institute in Mumbai. It specialized in western technique, and those that trained at her studio became some of the most sought after dancers in the country. Bollywood
cinema took notice and Robin was commissioned to choreograph dance songs within hit films such as “Game (2011 film)"
and reality TV shows such as Dancing with the Stars
(India). Now as a seasoned artist, Robin travels frequently bringing her unique perspective of multimedia, dance and technique to the rest of the world.
Ludacris
Christopher Brian Bridges , better known by his stage name Ludacris, is an American rapper and actor. Along with his manager, Chaka Zulu, Ludacris is the co-founder of Disturbing tha Peace, an imprint distributed by Def Jam Recordings...
, China’s international dance festival, MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
, Stunt Mania, and Dancing with the Stars
Dancing with the Stars
Dancing with the Stars is the name of several international television series based on the format of the British TV series Strictly Come Dancing, which is distributed by BBC Worldwide – the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the format has been licensed to over 35 countries...
(India).
Career
Robin began her career as a Master Instructor at internationally recognized dance studios such as: Broadway Dance CenterBroadway Dance Center
Broadway Dance Center, located in the heart of Times Square in New York City, was founded in 1984 a "drop-in" dance training schools in the world, offering over 200 classes a week in Jazz, Tap, Ballet, Hip Hop, Theater and more...
(NY), Pineapple Dance Studios
Pineapple Dance Studios
Pineapple Dance Studios is a dance studio complex based in the Covent Garden area of central London, England. It was founded by the English model and businesswoman Debbie Moore in 1979. The studio is used for castings and rehearsals by dance companies, record labels, television networks, film...
(London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
) and the National Ballet of Canada
National Ballet of Canada
The National Ballet of Canada is Canada's largest ballet troupe. It was founded by Celia Franca in 1951 and is based in Toronto, Ontario. Based upon the unity of Canadian trained dancers in the tradition and style of England's Royal Ballet, The National is regarded as one of the premier classical...
. From these specialized roots, she traveled and debuted in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, bringing a high caliber of expertise and form to a market that was traditionally under represented in western styles. Robin’s strong knowledge of dance quickly led her to become India’s most sought after instructor in Jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and Urban Dance styles and allowed her to pioneer jazz funk within the country. Production houses and corporations such as Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
, Lay's
Lay's
Lay's is the brand name for a number of potato chip varieties as well as the name of the company that founded the chip brand in 1932. Lay's chips has been marketed as a division of Frito-Lay, a company owned by PepsiCo since 1965...
, and Reebok
Reebok
Reebok International Limited, a subsidiary of the German sportswear company Adidas since 2005, is a producer of Athletic shoes, apparel, and accessories. The name comes from the Afrikaans spelling of rhebok, a type of African antelope or gazelle...
began vying for Robin’s choreography for their Indian TV commercials. Given the extraordinary demand that India generates for new art forms, Robin also established a dance institute in Mumbai. It specialized in western technique, and those that trained at her studio became some of the most sought after dancers in the country. Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
cinema took notice and Robin was commissioned to choreograph dance songs within hit films such as “Game (2011 film)"
and reality TV shows such as Dancing with the Stars
Dancing with the Stars
Dancing with the Stars is the name of several international television series based on the format of the British TV series Strictly Come Dancing, which is distributed by BBC Worldwide – the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the format has been licensed to over 35 countries...
(India). Now as a seasoned artist, Robin travels frequently bringing her unique perspective of multimedia, dance and technique to the rest of the world.