Backflip is not easy act, say dancers after viral video shows youth breaking neck

BENGALURU: A viral video that showed an amateur dancer landing on his neck while attempting a

backflip

stunt has drawn attention of experts about the perils of youngsters attempting complicated moves without proper guidance.

Kumaraswamy, 19, from Tumakuru, suffered a

spinal injury

and is undergoing treatment at Victoria hospital.

Dancers

say backflip is one of the most difficult moves in street style and hip-hop dancing and practising it cannot be a casual affair.

Shilpa Somananthan, a dance expert who won the first place in the World Dance Championship (2018-2019), said: “Three major factors matter while doing a backflip: Physical strength, presence of mind and a partner who is understanding. Even if one of these goes wrong, the dancer can easily fall and break neck.”

She said dancers with basic gymnastic training are better equipped to perform this move. She also pointed out that the partner needs to be firm on the ground and his/her legs must be positioned in a way that allows the dancer to run and step on his/her knees and flip in the air. “A person needs to practice on the crash mat, sand or soft bed before doing it on any other surface,” Shilpa said.

Bharatanatyam dancer Sneha Nair said mental strength is more important than anything else while performing acrobatics in dance. A dancer normally takes a month to learn the art and two months to master the act, until which support would be advisable. “Many times, our children fall and injure their legs or bruise their hand. We always keep a pillow to ensure neck is not damaged,” she added.

‘He did not use right flooring’
On what could have caused Kumaraswamy’s accident, street dancer Princy William, who has been practising the act for eight years, said: “He did not use the right flooring to do it and his partner did not lift him properly.”

Kumaraswamy’s relative Bharath M said the dancer’s spinal cord is broken. “He tried the act twice and they were perfect. When he attempted it for the third time, it went wrong,” he said.

Denying that Kumaraswamy was attempting to do a Tik-Tok video which was being recorded by his friend, Bharath said the incident happened 10 days ago though the video went viral on Tuesday.

Doctors were not available for comments.


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