Cornel & Rithika, The Indian Bachata Sensation Who Went Viral

Who Are Cornel & Rithika?

Cornel Rodrigues and Rithika Poojary are professional bachata dancers from Mumbai, India who broke every assumption about where bachata dancers can come from. With 800,000+ YouTube subscribers and videos reaching tens of millions of views, they proved that bachata sensual has no geographic boundaries.

Cornel originally from Mangalore, was self-taught, learning to dance by watching YouTube videos. He competed on India's "Dance India Dance Doubles" (Season 1) where he was first runner-up. Rithika later joined Cornel as his dance partner. Together they created the "ConRi Style", a unique fusion of sensual bachata with modern bachata patterns and hip-hop influences.

They founded Studio ConRi in Mumbai, and now teach workshops in Europe, the USA, the UK, Australia and South East Asia.

The Viral Video That Changed Everything

In 2016, Cornel & Rithika performed a bachata sensual routine to Conor Maynard's cover of "Elastic Heart", and it exploded on YouTube. The video has amassed over 40 million views.

The ConRi Style

• Sensual bachata connection with smooth body movements
• Hip-hop and urban influences, sharp hits, street attitude
• Modern bachata patterns, intricate figures and swift transitions
• Dynamic filming, cinematic, social-media-ready performances
• Extreme musicality, every beat, every pause, every drop

Watch & Follow

Cornel's Road From Mangalore to Reality TV

Long before ConRi Style, Cornel was a hometown hero in Mangalore. Local press there described him as a dancer from Jeppina Mogeru, in the city's Bajal parish, who studied at St Aloysius College before moving to Mumbai. On Zee TV's Dance India Dance Doubles in 2011 he danced with Kolkata dancer Sonali Kar as part of the "Geeta Ki Gang" team, and the pair twice won the show's best performance of the day title. When he flew home after the finale, friends and local clubs met him at the airport and took him through the city on an open jeep.

Rithika joined Cornel as his dance partner around the middle of the decade, and by December 2017 the two were running two-day bachata intensives in Bangalore covering technique, footwork, shines and partnerwork.

Inside Studio ConRi

By their own account, Cornel and Rithika built ConRi Style from scratch because there were no local teachers to learn from. They describe its signature as swift transitions, sharp technique and smooth body movement.

Their school, Studio ConRi, began in Mumbai and now runs classes in Mumbai, Bangalore and Delhi, along with online lessons. Bachata leads the timetable, but students can also take salsa, kizomba, belly dance, hip-hop and dance on heels. A team of instructor couples teaches alongside them, including a pair devoted to Dominican bachata and another that runs the Bangalore studio.

Dancers who want to go further can join the ConRi Style Instructor Training Program, which leads to certification and has been held in cities such as Barcelona and Melbourne, or the ConRi World Team Project, where dancers learn the couple's show routine through video breakdowns and personal feedback, with the chance to perform it alongside them at events.

Festivals and Following Their Work

Their touring calendar keeps them busy in Europe, with stops such as the A'dam Bachata Festival in Amsterdam, the Luxembourg Unified Dance Festival and Toulouse Bachata Edition in France. The Goa festival they organize is called ConRi Sensual Aura, a bachata and kizomba event with masterclasses, shows and social dancing.

To keep up with them, follow the YouTube channel Bachata - ConRi Style, the Instagram account @cornelrithika_official and the Facebook page Cornel & Rithika Bachata Sensual.