Nashik’s Tarun Nihalani is a reality show finalist

Nashik’s Tarun Nihalani has been selected in the final 18 of national-level

dance

show

So you think you can dance

: Ab India ki Bari. The former student of St Patric School, BYK and Bytco College shares his journey from

Nashik

to Mumbai with Nashik Times. Excerpts...

How did your journey as a dancer begin?
Dance has always held a special place in my heart. I remember being crazy about dance since childhood. No one in my family has the remotest of connection to dance. So, no one ever thought I would take up dance as a career. Everyone in my family is into business, I am the only one who has chosen a different path.

So, how did you learn the art?
It was mostly self-learning. I used to watch videos of different dance styles and try to learn them. I had no formal training in the initial years. I started with three students and in two years, 300 people were training with me. I could have settled on that as my dancing school was doing well and I was getting a good response. However, my passion pushed me to achieve more. I felt the need to do something extra. I joined choreographer Terrence Lewis to learn new styles.

How did you manage teaching and learning dance at the same time?
It was quite a rollercoaster ride! I would spend half of my time travelling. It was tiring but the moment I hit the dance floor I would feel fresh again.

How does it feel to be in the final 18 of this dance show?
It feels amazing. I am overwhelmed by the response from people. When the show
announced its debut season in India, I gave the audition and was selected in the top 150. Since then, it has been a very challenging journey. I have gone through five rounds and with each round I have had to perform something I had never done before. You can’t even imagine the difficulty level of the show. All the participants here are trained dancers; no one is here just because they ‘like’ to dance.

How difficult is it to get into reality shows?
It is not easy. It takes a lot of effort. Whatever you have learned so far, you have to put it together and then perform. Whenever my shooting is scheduled, I have to practice till 2.30am, get up at 5am, get ready with makeup and start shooting by 8am. The shoot goes on till 6 pm. At times, I don’t get to sleep for three days in a row. Reality shows take a toll on your mental and physical strength. Therefore, you have to be prepared and confident enough. You should enter with a strategy. For example, if I do five back flips in the practice session, but get injured during the practice, I lose out on the opportunity to perform. Then, there is no point of practising so hard.

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