Entertainment

Dancing Dancing

Dancing used to be an art. Then people began taking it up as a hobby. Today, dancing is a profession and source of livelihood for many, writes Ananta Wagle

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The art of dancing has taken the young brigades by storm. Taken up more as a hobby until only a few years back, dancing is today a profession for many. Recent times have seen flood of people, most of them youngsters, entering the field - people who understand that dancing can now be taken up as an occupation and a means of earning livelihood.

An important aspect of the art is that it can supplement and act as alternative for other art forms like singing. Dancing skill is today an integral part of a cinema artiste’s armory. So much so that an artiste who is also a good dancer, besides being a good-looker, tends to put himself/herself in the more saleable bracket. Why, there are few actors and actresses who have actually made it big times in the silver screen thanks to their being fabulous dancers. Names like Dilip Jung Rayamajhi, Shree Krishna Shrestha and Saranga Shrestha head the list of dancers-turned-actors/actresses.

The growing business of dancing is seeing crowds through training centers. Bhuvan Shrestha, who has been involved in conducting dance classes for a decade, expresses surprise at the turn of events taking place since a year ago. An incredible five dozen training centers are in operation within the Kathmandu valley. These schools, which impart lessons according to the student’s intention of joining the classes, charge monthly fee of between Rs. 200 and Rs. 500. Training schools are also found aplenty in other prominent towns like Biratnagar, Dharan, Pokhara, Narayangarh and Nepalgunj. Owners of these institutes say that they are running on profits. Says Milan Moktan of Sadhana Kala Kendra, "We have not been able to take in everyone who comes to us for dance classes. Our selection policy is based on the ability and aim of the student to take the classes."

Normally, a student acquires the desired dancing skills within three to six months. But it is the trainer’s decision on how long the student should continue classes. An individual to be involved in the field of dance continually is seen in training centers almost everyday. Actors and actresses also make it a point to visit dancing schools of their respective choreographer’s whenever possible. Most dance directors of Kollywood have established their own dance institutes, among which dance director Basant Shrestha’s institute has gained the name of a get-together center for cine artistes. If Shrestha’s wife, Laxmi, is a regular trainer at the institute, Shrestha’s assistants are also known to take classes on and off. Dance schools run by Raju Shah, Kamal Rai and Purnam Rai are also known to be doing well.

Dance institutes that have been opened in connection with the cinema industry also produce dancers we see skipping around heroes and heroines in movies. The side dancer’s remuneration amounts to between Rs. 700 and Rs. 1000 for each song sequence. With the growth in number of centers making available dancing groups, the centers now have to compete one another. The commission they derive from providing dancing groups is also quite lucrative. A trend is also being tried in Nepali films where an individual or a couple are used to perform dance-songs in place of the know-how-to-do-all hero and heroine. These dancers are paid between Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 15,000. Sita Gurung, Jyoti Budhathoki and Shruti Thapa have established themselves as prominent players in such roles. These dancers also do stage shows from time to time. Their remuneration in this case depends upon the sponsorship amount and also on the organizer’s ability to pay. While stage group dancers charge between Rs. 3,000 and Rs. 10,000 (for the entire group), individual dancers are paid between Rs. 500 and Rs. 7,000 per performance. As for stage programmes outside the country, cine stars are the more prominent players. In this respect, Shree Krishna Shrestha, Bipana Thapa, Saranga Shrestha and Sita Gurung are recognized names. Their fees amount to between Rs. 20,000 and Rs. 1,00,000.

What the growth of the dance business has also done is given rise to the number of dance restaurants. For youngsters who have obtained a couple of months of dance training and have no jobs, dance restaurants have opened themselves as source of employment. The income of these dancers depends upon the standards of the restaurants as well as that of the dancers themselves. What is also commonly found is dancing groups working on contract basis. A 5 to 7 member dancing group could make around Rs. 30,000 to Rs. 40,000 a month. Even though dancing in restaurants is not recognized as a very good profession in society, it is a source of quite handsome earning.

The growing number of dancing institutes and also of stage shows both within an outside the country, the growing importance of dance in cinema (which has also compelled cine artistes to take the art seriously) seem to indicate that dance is not just a passing phenomenon. It is going to be a tradition, one that is here to stay.

(Translated by Navin)