Dancing as an extracurricular activity or a hobby and pursuing it as a career is different because it’s not a form of entertainment. It’s a lifestyle. People might think that it’s easy because we love to do what we love the most. It’s true that we love dancing but that does not eliminate the struggle and hardships we went through every day to continue it.
From my early childhood I knew that I’m going to be a dancer and I only focused on learning rather than participating in fancy competitions or running after shows. My mother did half of the job basically. Being a working woman and having a dancer daughter at the same time is may be the hardest combination for a woman.
After my basic schooling in Chayanautt I started performing professionally at a very early age. I was very lucky to get a chance to work with such a big brand like Shadhona but initially I also worked for some other choreographers as well. The professional field was way different. The competition was higher in every perspective. Had to deal with dancers from different backgrounds and mentality but for me the most difficult part was understanding the famous ‘Dancer’s Politics’.
After completing my HSC, the reality hit me really hard. I had to choose my life direction. I got the international student Scholarship from ICCR. At that time there were very few students who studied dance unlike now. “If I study dance I will not get any other job!”, “What if I break my leg and stay jobless whole life?”, “What if I find myself not good enough for this and lose interest over the years?” – Thoughts like these crossed my mind and I was panicking to go abroad alone.
But eventually I went for it and it turned out to be the best decision of my life. I completed my graduation and masters successfully and did a one year teacher’s training diploma on dance education because I felt the responsibility in me to teach the next generation the right things. As dancing is not a very common subject, many people in Bangladesh had no idea about what I was doing in India. Sometimes I even faced questions like, “Is that even a real subject?”, but yet finished my mission.
If you study Dance you can work as a choreographer, Start a dance school, and work in schools and Universities as a teacher, be a full time performer, research, works as an administration in cultural institutions, work in a creative agency and many more.
Today I’m a full time dancer, a choreographer, an instructor and a dance activist. I’m a part time lecturer in a private university and I manage Shadhona’s administrations. Most importantly I pay my bills through Dancing. In Bangladesh taking dancing as a career is extremely risky. Uncertain income graph, constant emotional breakdowns and lack of social validation will be regular parts of your life. You might as well consider alternative career options sometimes. But you should know that it’s hard but it’s not impossible. All you have to do is learn properly, keep patience and believe in yourself.
Arthy Ahmed 