No Dance Classes ! How is a dance academy facing this Pandemic || Shuffle Street Story

"Dance is the hidden language of the soul" . But due to the recent nationwide lockdown , several dance academies had to put a pause to their classes. As the Govt. decided to extend the lockdown further till 3rd May , several small scale businesses are now finding it more difficult to pay their bills.To understand the ground level reality, with a handful of questions, we tried to reach Imon Kalyan , co founder of Shuffle Street, one of the well known dance academies in Saltlake, Kolkata.  

• What is the story and inspiration behind starting Shuffle Street ?

Imon : Since I started working as a professional dancer , teaching was the thing that I loved the most. I always loved sharing my art and knowledge with everyone. It feels great to see a student grow in front of your eyes and become an amazing dancer. That is the main reason I always wanted to have my own academy where I can train the next generation of dancers. 

• What is the vision of Shuffle Street?

Imon: I started Shuffle Street with a primary goal in mind and that is to teach the authentic and proper western dance styles in a fun and positive environment. Western dance styles are still new to India. Most of the people don't exactly have the  proper knowledge about these dance forms.

And that’s why we ,here at Shuffle  Street, always make sure that we stay true to the art form that we are teaching. Our goal is to train students into amazing dancers by offering a diverse dance training curriculum of the highest caliber. 

• What were the biggest challenges you faced while starting up?

Imon: There were lot of challenges in the beginning. First challenge was to find a proper place to start the academy. It took us almost two months to find a proper location. The second challenge was to get people to know about our Academy. First day of our class we started with just one student. But soon that one became 10 and then hundred, and now we are proud to say in these last 3 years , we have been able to serve hundreds of clients who came through our door.

• What makes Shuffle Street special from the present competition?

Imon : It’s the positive atmosphere and the dedication of each member and instructor. We treat our students and members like family. And also every single instructor here is highly trained in the dance forms they teach.

We at Shuffle Street put our heart and soul into our job and make sure that people always enjoy their classes and also get the proper training. 

• How has the Covid-19/Corona Lockdown impacted your business and day to day operations?

Imon : Well the Covid-19 lockdown is a very unexpected thing to happen to our world. And like everyone else we have closed down the academy. And from the business point of view it's a very difficult situation as  academies like us run on the fees and admissions of students.

• What's your plan and expectations post lock down period ?

Imon : Now the lockdown has extended, we are just hoping that it doesn’t extend any further. Once this pandemic is over we plan to get back with more energy  and a positive attitude. All the students are also eagerly waiting for the classes to resume.

• Words you would like to share for entrepreneurs who are willing to venture into your domain?

Imon: The most important thing is the knowledge.  Whenever   people  come into artistic fields generally they always think about getting fame  through reality show or social media. Because of that very reason most  people  don’t make it. First focus should be to gather knowledge about the field and get trained in the art form you wish to follow. You have to take it seriously like you would take any other academic field. You have to have a plan. Make sure to create an income source so that you can support the passion you are following. And most important, do not make this a career if you are looking for fame and money. The only reason to follow this path should be your love for the Art.

Although PM Modi has requested to have people on their payroll but several industry experts have serious doubt over it as loss of business makes it very difficult to pay salaries to their employees.Small and medium scale enterprises are expected have the worst hit of this economic shutdown. But several experts has also emphasised that the recovery will be much faster.As number of active cases crosses 10k , we urge you all to stay at home and help government flatten the curve. 

If you are looking for some amazing dance lessons then do check out: www.shufflestreet.in