A virtual abundance !

Striking a balance between work and a passion for dance can always put you in a pickle. You want to stay home on weekends, but still want to go and enrol yourself for those dance lessons to learn the routine to your favourite song? Quite a dilemma, isn’t it? Not anymore! A lot of dance studios have started going online and are creating a space for themselves on these online forums. By visiting their pages on Instagram/Facebook or their channel on YouTube, everyone can easily access various styles and routines and watch and learn at your own pace. 

Kishen Bilagali, founder and owner of Kishen The Academy of Dance (KAD), has had an online presence (mainly Facebook) since the advent of the company which was three-and-a-half years ago. Kishen has over 20 years of experience and is the co-owner  along with Amanda Joy Puravanakara. “For people who are looking for dance, it really helps us a lot. Marketing wise, it makes more sense to be online because no one really calls hotlines,” says Kishen who claims to have had a greater outreach through YouTube and Instagram.  

Hari and Aashika from High on Heels

“As artistes, we also look for inspiration online. One announcement online and everyone is aware instead of having to contact people personally, which is the added benefit.” says Madhuri Upadhya, associate director of Nritarutya Dance Company. She adds that she cannot imagine running a company without an online presence as all announcements relating to auditions, present and upcoming events, and workshops happen on their website and social media pages which helps followers stay updated. 

‘Dance Acoustics’ and its sister company ‘High on Heels India’ are city based dance companies owned by Hari and Aashika. “We feel going online is the best way to reach people. Nowadays, each and everything is going digital! It helps us get feedback as well as inform people about our regular classes in different branches across the city along with our knowledge about dance and various routines which people can access from anywhere in the world and learn it at their own pace in their own comfort zone. Hari and Aashika plan on expanding to other forums like Skype, LinkedIn and Twitter to give online lessons, and improve interaction with their followers. 

Deepika Ghose owns a dance company called ‘Dance with Dee’ and is very active on Instagram (@dancewithdee) as compared to other platforms. She says, “Majority of my students come via  Instagram and Facebook. From messages as small as ‘class cancelled today’ to big announcements relating to introduction of new batches, it  helps cater to a lot more people apart from your target audience. It also helps inspire a lot of people by sharing the end product, the choreography or the behind the scenes of what goes on in classes, and encourages them to dance more often!” 

Social media has  made it easier for anyone to put on their dancing shoes and learn professional choreography by not having to actually attend the classes offline.