February 24, 2008

Dance as a career
My daughter is very passionate about dancing. What is the prospect for dancers in this competitive world? How can one take training for the same in Mumbai?

Please guide us.
Sreeharini

The stage has literally opened up for dance troupes. Be it family functions or popular reality show dance competitions or even stage performances, dance has come a long way as a profession. Today, many youngsters take pride in being part of a dance troupe.

The journey to being a successful dance performer is not without challenges though.

Who can be part of a dance troupe?
Dancing in a troupe is an exciting and very challenging assignment.

There are many people who are good soloists. But the demand for solo performers is very limited. Anyone with a good sense of rhythm and flexibility can be a good dancer.

You need to understand dance and movements well. You need to intrinsically understand rhythm and music.

You also need to be a good team player. Since in a troupe you almost need to look like one entity, it is important to be a good team player.

Where can you learn to dance?
There are many dance schools that provide dance training and many more that are mushrooming thanks to the growing demand for trained dancers.

The most popular ones in Mumbai are Shiamak Davar's Salsa Dance Company, Sandeep Soparkar and Ashley Lobo's Danceworx.

The courses are announced either through a newspaper or you could call to check on the next course dates. All these institutes have websites that announce the dates of the courses.

What do you learn?
There are many who believe that you can learn any dance form as long as you learn rhythm and flexibility.

It is recommended that you need know a few of the Western forms like salsa, jive, foxtrot, waltz, samba, rumba, tango, and such.

That will give you the entire spectrum. Each dance form teaches you a new aspect, hence the more you learn the better your performance.

Dance classes focus on warm-up and exercises too.

What are the course fees and what sort of remuneration should one expect?
The course fees range from Dh1,000 to Dh3,000 for Western classical dances. Indian classical dance takes many years to be mastered. As for remuneration, you can charge anywhere from Dh5,000 to Dh25,000 for a two-hour performance.

What are the challenges you can face?
The key is to decide whether you want to make a career in dance. If yes, you will need to first get into shape.

How can you plot a career?
Rigorous training and promotion is the key to success.
To Succeed you have to innovate and entertain. The key is to do things that impress people, you have to take care of the "wow" factor. This is showbiz and you have to give it the attention it needs.

Here are a few more tips: