From Bollywood to Hollywood: Actors who danced their way into films

April 29 is celebrated as World Dance Day every year in memory of 19th century French dancer and ballet master, Jean Georges-Noverre. BT lists some famous names that started their careers as dancers before entering the industry and enthralling us as actors.
Sushant Singh Rajput
Best known for his role as Manav in the daily soap Pavitra Rishta, he was a background dancer at one of the Filmfare Award ceremonies and the Common Wealth Games in 2006.He made his debut with the film Kai Po Che.

Shahid Kapoor
One of Bollywood’s heartthrobs, Shahid was seen as a background dancer for the Aishwarya Rai Bachchan-starrer film Taal. He was a student at Shiamak Davar’s institute before he went on to make his Bollywood debut Ishk Vishq.

Daisy Shah
This model and dancer assisted choreographer Ganesh Acharya for almost a decade and appeared in a number of films as a background dancer. After a stint in Kannada films, she made her Bollywood debut opposite Salman Khan in Jai Ho.

READ: Sushant Singh Rajput: Lesser known facts
Hollywood’s dancer-turned-actors
Zoe Saldana
She began with ballet and dance productions, before making her mark in Hollywood.

Neve Campbell
The Scream actress was a ballet student at the National Ballet School of Canada.

Penelope Cruz
Penelope pursued ballet for nine years at Spain’s national conservatory before she began acting.

Alexander Codunov
The Die Hard actor performed with the legendary Bolshoi Ballet in the Soviet Union.

Mia Wasikowska
She was trained in ballerina till the age 15 and started her career with fairytales like Swan Lake.

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