Bengaluru seems swept up in a dance storm unleashed by viral choreographies on social media. So much so that dance lovers, even the untrained ones, are signing up to perfect their steps. Walk into a dance studio over a weekend, or sometimes even a weekday, for a workshop, and you’d see a crowd packed in the space, all dressed up with makeup on, patiently waiting for the choreographer to walk in.People across age groups—those as young as three to sexagenarians—travel from afar with friends and family, grabbing spots on the dance floor to learn the hook steps of the latest or popular track they’ve seen multiple times on social media. These workshops, two- to three-hours long and usually priced over Rs 800, sell out as soon as they’re listed.They are transforming the city’s dance scene, best known for its classical as well as fusion performances and Christmas waltzes, to pivot to hyper-short, reel-focused content.Recent months have seen some of India’s most-followed dance creators —including Noel Alexander, Team Naach, Abhi Badarshahi, Mohan Pandey, Shazeb Sheikh, Heet Samani and Eshna Kutty—bring sold-out workshops to Bengaluru’s dance studios.Why dance workshops are a hit
Snigdha Rawat
Bengaluru studios organise five to eight workshops each day on the weekend and see participation of over 40 people per class, which doubles if the choreographer is a prominent figure.Snigdha Rawat, a 27-year-old campus recruiter from Jabalpur, says the city’s weekend workshops are the reason why she is still in Bengaluru. Rawat, who started with a semi-classical dance workshop by Kumar Iyer in 2022, is now a regular at Bhangra, hip-hop and contemporary workshops too. “After a whole week of working 9 to 6, dance is like a stress buster,” she says.These workshops are a hybrid of classroom, fan meet and content studio. Learning is organised around one-minute viral routines rather than months of structured training, reflecting how social media algorithms, creator culture and the desire for offline experiences are reshaping dance training.Janhvi Sharma, founder of Good Move Studio space, Koramangala, attributes the trend of workshops to people wanting offline activities to break the monotony of their lives after Covid-19. “People wanted to learn and experience choreographies in person with the instructor. They truly enjoy the offline classes,” she says.Choreographer Abhi Badarshahi says dance workshops are always sold-out because working professionals who danced during their college or school days are finding it more convenient to attend sessions for short periods of time after work, learn a particular piece, and enjoy it.During his first visit to Bengaluru, Abhi says he was so moved when a student asked for an autograph and not a selfie. “I have a photo of it saved in my gallery. That’s a special memory.”Viral steps, star choreographers
Choreographer Abhi Badarshahi
Dance Inn Studios manager Christina Angam, 22, admits that since there’s too much to learn, many enrol for workshops to enjoy, meet and dance with the choreographer. “But yes, a lot of people come to make reels. Also, in a workshop of two to three hours, it’s not easy to learn the whole choreography.”Janhvi says a lot of the participants, who follow the choreographers, learn the steps beforehand and come because they really want to shoot a video with the instructors. “That’s a separate focus area.”Sometimes, they even cry if they don’t get a good video, says Abhi, known for choreographies of songs like Piyu Bole, Saudebaazi and Shauq. “We push our best to make people realise that it’s about enjoying the process, and the video is just a part of it. They can of course record and upload on their profile for their satisfaction, but the focus should be on the vibe, enjoying music, dancing and each other’s company.”Snigdha is a regular at Twist Turn, DNA, Playpen and Dhuri studios. She regularly posts videos on social media and says she feels happy when her friends appreciate her for learning the viral choreographies. She also regularly checks for engagement on her posts. “When Noel, who rarely reposts, reshared one of my reels on his story, it was definitely one of the happiest moments in my dance journey. A part of my dance also showed up in the compilation video posted by Team Naach for their Japan tour, which felt like a big achievement,” says Snigdha.The trend is impacting the artists’ work in a different way—they need to keep the frame in mind for the vertical mobile screens while choreographing a song. “Format and frame are on my mind as we have to keep up with the trend and market. But I also add my own elements into my choreography. I give a little consideration to the people. It is not strictly for the reels, but to ensure that people learn and pick up the choreography in two hours,” says Abhi.Non-dancers sign up
Khushbu Gupta
The workshops are designed in such a way that it can cater to dancers and non-dancers alike. Khushbu Gupta, a 43-year-old teacher-trainer, started attending workshops after the pandemic, in 2023. She says though her ultimate motive is not to attend workshops for recording reels, she does post videos she has recorded at the workshops on Instagram for her sheer love for dancing. She finds them fulfilling. She has attended the workshop for Kaantha by Noel and others. “Sometimes, when you see these dances on Instagram, you feel you need somebody to teach you those steps. I also wanted to dance and be around like-minded people. So when I find something interesting, I go. Currently, the Bhangra workshop is something which I am attending mostly every alternate week.”The unkind algorithms
Devanshi Biswal
Ipsita Parida, mother of 9-year-old Devanshi Biswal, says she started handling her child’s social media account even more seriously after some of her dance reels went viral. Ipsita actively tries to promote Devanshi’s posts and reels, and there’s a reason for that — the world takes algorithms quite seriously. “Even for participation in reality shows, the organisers see the social media following,” she says.“I post, I comment and add a caption. I check the engagement on the posts. But unfortunately, the algorithm has changed. Despite her videos being reposted by some prominent choreographers, they don’t get much reach compared to the content of kids in Mumbai or Delhi dancing to Bollywood songs.”
Hitanshi Sheth and her mother Shraddha Shah
Mumbai-based Hitanshi Sheth, 15, has attended the Kaantha workshop in Pune. “Once I posted the reel, I got great engagement—21.2k views on that reel alone. I don’t even have 10k followers, so I have a lesser reach compared to other influencers. But for a particular song, if it’s trending and famous to the point that every other person knows it, putting those keywords and hashtags and tagging those people gets more engagement compared to other songs.”Hitanshi attends workshops in other cities too. She has attended workshops in Pune, Delhi and Hyderabad while on holiday. “I did Vikas Sawant’s Sapno ki Rani in Delhi. I love dancing, and if I have gotten attached to a choreography or loved a choreography and haven’t been able to attend it in Mumbai, I will look forward to attending that workshop elsewhere,” says Hitanshi, who is trained in Kathak. She attends them sometimes with her 44-year-old mother Shraddha Shah, a school teacher trained in Bharatanatyam, and the duo upload content together.Dance vibes match style quotientTechie Shashank, 26, wanted a break from his corporate life and started attending dance workshops about two years ago. For him, styling up a little and standing out at these workshops are as important as the dance moves. “I think of what I have to wear, and I’ll try to mix and match with whatever I have. Sometimes, I buy things, say shoes, for the next workshop,” he says.“I’ve learned a lot of good fashion trends from these dancers; they are really inspiring. I never knew I would have ever danced with a lungi or panche on,” says Shashank, a trained classical dancer.Mahalakshmi Shanmugam, a 38-year-old software professional, recalls how everyone had dressed up in sarees and gowns for the Chitta Kukkad workshop by Team Naach. “It was a whole vibe. It’s nice to see people dress up for such events,” says Mahalakshmi, who prefers regular classes to workshops.She does attend workshops by Team Naach, Eshna Kutty and other choreographers she follows, as they give a break from her routine, but she feels a three-hour workshop to learn one minute of the song can be an information overload and physically taxing. “But also, sometimes that’s the only way you get to learn from the big shots,” she quips.
