Netflix’s newly released film Best of the Best brings the world of competitive Bollywood-fusion dance to the screen, with dancer and choreographer Tanishq Joshi appearing as Vishal. The role marks a new creative chapter for Tanishq, whose career in dance has taken him from India to Philadelphia to Los Angeles. We caught up with him about his experience on the film, his journey with TMilly, and what he hopes to explore next.
Q: Where did your journey with dance begin, and how did it grow into something you wanted to pursue?
Tanishq: I was a soccer player who always loved dance but never imagined pursuing it professionally. After I was run over by a car and had three rods and two screws placed in my left leg, my doctor recommended dance as a safer form of movement during recovery. I started as a beginner in Indore, India, quickly progressed, and continued training after moving to Philadelphia for college, where I studied Finance, competed with Creative Reaction, and trained regularly in New York. After working in Finance, I realized my heart was in dance and moved to LA, eventually earning an O-1 visa as one of the first South Asians from India in U.S. street-style dance. Despite another major injury, I continued training and teaching across India and the U.S. and that journey ultimately led me to acting and Best of the Best.
Q: What first brought acting into your creative journey? How did Best of the Best first come about for you, and what was your path to becoming part of the project?
Tanishq: Honestly, I never imagined acting would become part of my career. I did a few plays in high school and took a couple acting classes in college, but it was always just something I wanted to explore. Ironically, Best of the Best came into my life through dance I connected with Prashant and Lena through the South Asian dance community nearly two years before casting, and when they later gave me the opportunity to audition, I was incredibly grateful to be chosen as Vishal among thousands of submissions worldwide. I’m honored they took a chance on me, and I truly gave it everything I had. This feels like the beginning of a whole new chapter for me.
Q: What was it like stepping onto the set for the first time? With Best of the Best set in the world of competitive Bollywood-fusion dance, in what ways, if any, did your background as a dancer influence your experience working on the film?
Tanishq: Interestingly, stepping onto a film set didn’t feel completely new to me. I’ve spent years on sets as a dancer, choreographer, movement director, and performer, working on music videos, commercials, and TV with major artists, actors, brands, and crews. I’ve also performed on huge stages and in front of cameras countless times, so I was very comfortable with the environment and understood how a set operates. What was new was being there as an actor, and that definitely brought a different kind of excitement. Instead of being nervous, I was focused on giving my best, adapting to the million changes that happen on set, and absorbing as much as I could. I think all those years of being both in front of and behind the camera prepared me for this moment more than I realized.
Q: What was the most memorable part of the experience for you?
Tanishq: Honestly, I don’t think I can pick one specific moment, because the entire four-month journey from rehearsals and production to being on set, and post-production has impacted me in ways I’ll carry forever. Watching choreographers like Phillip Chbeeb, McKenzie Dustman, and Joya Kazi bring their ideas to life, working alongside such incredible dancers and an insanely talented cast, and seeing every department from lighting and sound to costume, production, and set design work together like an orchestra was an education in itself. I asked a million questions, absorbed every conversation, and learned from every person around me. More than anything, I’m taking away the people, the lifelong bonds, and all the knowledge I’m still processing and turning into my own craft.
Q: You also spend time teaching dance. What led you to teaching, and how has that experience shaped you as a dancer?
Tanishq: I started teaching through free community classes in Philadelphia, just calling some friends and whoever wanted to show up and dance. Then my mentor Akia Deyvon gave me the opportunity to choreograph for World of Dance, where we placed second, and that really pushed me creatively. Since then, I’ve taught across India and the U.S., and teaching has honestly been one of the biggest ways I’ve understood myself as a dancer and choreographer. I love taking what I’m learning, breaking it down, and giving it to someone in the way I would want to learn it. But the biggest thing I’ve learned is that everyone hears music differently, moves differently, and interprets the same choreography differently and that’s beautiful. I want my students to take something away that stays with them beyond that one class, something that becomes part of their own vocabulary. And I’m always going to salute teaching and learning because, at the end of the day, I’m still a student too.
Q: How did you first become part of the TMilly community?
Tanishq: TMilly was already a huge name in the dance community when I was training in Philadelphia. Everyone would wait for Tim’s videos of the biggest classes at his studio to drop, and that iconic studio with the lights became a whole phenomenon in itself. When I was training in Philadelphia, I came across Tim’s “Lost in Japan” contest, learned Jake Kodish’s choreography, and ended up winning it, which was already such a cool moment. Then I moved to LA, and one of the first classes I took at TMilly Studio was Jake’s, and Tim was actually filming it. So that was a pretty crazy full-circle moment. Tim and I connected instantly, and over the years our friendship just kept growing. He saw the work I was putting in, eventually I started teaching regularly at TMilly and doing online classes, and now I genuinely consider him a really good friend and brother. We talk dance, fitness, life, Indian food, and a lot of completely random brainrot stuff. I’m just really grateful that someone I looked up to for so long became someone I get to call my friend.
Q: As you look ahead, what are you excited to explore creatively, whether in dance or beyond it?
Tanishq: Going forward, I definitely see myself still dancing, choreographing, performing, and all of that good stuff, because dance is always going to be my first love. What has changed is that I’m now taking acting from the ground up and approaching it the same way I approached dance. I know what it takes to learn an art from scratch, to explore it, be obsessed with it, have those love-hate moments, and still not give up. I know acting comes with auditions, rejection, connections, luck, all of it, and I’m ready for the challenge. As long as that fire stays alive and I stay disciplined, I know I’ll be more than fine. And best believe, this movie isn’t my prime or the end. It’s literally just the beginning, just the foot in the door. There are a million things I haven’t done yet. Just you wait.
Q: What advice would you give to dancers who want to stay open to new opportunities and creative paths throughout their careers?
Tanishq: Honestly, my biggest advice is just be a good-ass human being. Know yourself, be self-aware, have real conversations with yourself, your friends, and your family, and actually be present for your life. Give people and situations the benefit of the doubt, trust the process, and keep showing up especially for the things you’re most afraid of, because that’s usually where the most growth is. Step outside your comfort zone, keep working hard, love your people hard, and be honest with yourself. And most importantly, have fun. Don’t ever lose that inner child, because whatever creative path you choose, I think the more you stay a kid at heart, the more fun and beautiful the whole journey becomes.
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