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Nico Greetham on collaboration, choreography and his latest dance film Best of the Best.
WORDS Olive Walton
Nico Greetham has spent his career moving between TV, Broadway and film, but Best of the Best asked something new of him. For Netflix’s Bollywood-fusion dance comedy, the actor learnt Bollywood choreography and Hindi from scratch, with a cast and crew invested in getting it right. He tells us about the training, the friendships and the finale that pushed everyone to their limits.
Olive Walton: You’ve worked on projects for TV, Broadway, and film — was there a moment on set for Best of the Best where those different chapters of your career all clicked into place at once?
Nico Greetham: There’s a privilege to doing a dance or Broadway piece because there’s such an extensive training and rehearsal process – something that film and television usually don’t have the time for. While shooting Best of the Best, I was reminded of how much I love that process. You bond with your cast, you pour your blood, sweat and heart into the project before you’ve even started filming, and then when you see the final product, there’s so much to be proud of. It reminded me how much I love being part of that kind of collaborative process.
OW: Did your previous dance experience prepare you at all for the choreography on Best of the Best?
NG: I’d only ever done one Bollywood dance number before this, and that was a group number on So You Think You Can Dance, Season 10. I remember absolutely loving the high energy, almost cardio-like choreography, which was choreographed by Nakul Dev Mahajan. Funny enough, one of the choreographers on Best of the Best is a dear friend and fellow SYTYCD Season 10 cast member, Makenzie Chbeeb. It’s a beautiful feeling to have something come full circle like that and realise that, in some way, everything has led us to this moment.
OW: Bollywood dance has a very distinct vocabulary of movement. What was learning it like, and who helped you prepare for this role?
NG: Thankfully, this cast and crew really cared about honoring the authenticity of the culture. I felt incredibly supported in making sure everything I was doing, from the dancing to speaking Hindi, was being executed properly. Neema Sharma was my angel on set, drilling my Hindi lines with me every day, and Joya Kazi was our cultural consultant and co-choreographer, making sure we were honoring the authenticity of the Bollywood movement and storytelling.
OW: What was the atmosphere like on set with the rest of the cast? What was it like training together, and how did that shape the chemistry we’ll see on screen?
NG: We became a big happy family pretty quickly, and our group chats still pop off daily. I think the pre-production rehearsal and training process really bonds you because you spend so many hours working toward the same goal. Everyone is there to do their best and lift each other up.
Rehearsing the finale number was intense because there were so many moving parts, and some moments didn’t leave much room for mistakes. The pressure was definitely on to keep everyone safe, and inevitably, we trauma bonded through it. “Trauma” being used very lightly, of course!
OW: How does performing live compare to dancing on screen for film? Was there anything about the process that surprised you?
NG: When you perform live, you usually only do it once (or twice if you have a matinee) so you can go full-out, give 100%, and know that once you walk offstage, you’ve completed the job. With film, you’re doing multiple takes and multiple setups, so it’s a completely different beast. I learned how important it is to understand when the camera is heavily focused on you and you need to go full out, versus when you can conserve a little energy and save it for the moments that really require it.
OW: Was there a specific number or scene in Best of the Best that pushed you the hardest physically, or that you’re proudest of?
NG: I’m proud of all the numbers I was a part of, and when we wrapped the finale, I was mostly just elated that we had all made it through unscathed! But I’m especially proud of our actors and, in particular, our leads, Priyanka Kedia and Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, who didn’t have as much dance training prior to this project. I think it’s incredible what they accomplished and made look effortless, when in reality, there was so much work that went into it.
