Saturday

16


July , 2016
SANGVI – A STORY OF PASSION AND DREAMS FULFILLED
00:00 am

Varsha Singh


 

Dancing was always their passion. They followed their heart and made it their profession. Two friends, Sangeeta and Vineeta who met in dance school, started their dance academy SangVi in January 2000. It has gradually evolved into one of the finest dance academies in Kolkata.

The academy that started with only five students has now around 1800 active students and approximately 700-800 students enrolling each year. “People used to tell us that we should  start teaching. I used to live in a building where there were many  kids. We were approached to teach the children and we decided that we should start there. We started with five neighbourhood students at my place where there was a room and we charged ` 50 rupees per month. Today, we have six studios in Kolkata,” said Vineeta.

The journey was not easy for the two friends. They didn’t have any infrastructure or capital to fall back upon. All they had was a small tape recorder, which they carried wherever they went. “It was not difficult because we never thought that it will grow this big. We just danced well and it was a part time thing for us. It was destiny that got us together and we expanded in a big way,” said Sangeeta.

Both of them started getting acknowledged after people noticed their work. They started teaching in school premises in Liluah where they got about 50 students. They got a classroom where they had to remove the benches to make space every day and then arrange the benches back after their class. Vineeta informed BE, “We never had any investors. We are the dan-cers, we are the performers, we are the teachers, and we are the proprietors. We are everything.”

The academy has 25 instructors including Sangeeta and Vineeta. All the instructors are students of SangVi and have been taught by the duo. Once in a week all the dance instructors meet to practise and ensure that they deliver the same quality in their different dance centres. There is no age bar in SangVi. There are different slots for different age groups. The duo told BE, “We have working professionals too- like doctors, lawyers who love to dance- so we manage time according to their schedule mostly on Saturdays and Sundays.”

After every two years, SangVi organizes a concert where all the students perform together. All kind of dance forms are high-lighted with each batch performing in a particular style. They also organize interactive sessions with parents. Vineeta informed, “There’s no competition but we do award consistent students.” Apart from this they also organize SangVi Dandia Dhamaal every alternate year. They also focus on fitness programmes like Zumba and are  planning to initiate Yoga sessions.

SangVi was the first to do flash mob dance in Kolkata. This was done in Park Street. The duo wants to consolidate their presence in Kolkata and have no plans of expanding to other cities. The academy is also involved in social activities like Project Khwaishein, a social project through which they train  underprivileged children and organize events for them.

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