As part of our endeavour to identify and share some of the unique and compelling stories from India and around the world, we invited Ridhima Limaye for an interview with us to understand more about her inspiring entrepreneurial journey so far. She is a Passionate Dancer, Dance Teacher, Entrepreneur, and Founder of NDA School. Ridhima is a Bharatnatyam & Kathak Visharad (Double Graduate) from the prestigious Akhil Bharatiya Gandharva Mahavidyalay Mandal. She founded NDA School to leverage her passion and love for Kathak and Bharatnatyam. Let’s learn more about her inspiring journey, her background and her advice for our growing community!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Ridhima:
We are aware of your contribution to the ecosystem, talk us through your background and your journey, please;
I started my dance journey when I was 6 years old with classical Kathak training. As a kid, I was always fascinated with songs playing on a TV & would shake my leg as soon as they started playing. These hints were good enough for my mother to realise my liking & got me enrolled on my first class.
Also, another substantial reason was my mother not being able to fulfil her desire to learn dance due to an orthodox upbringing so naturally, she thought of fulfilling her dream via me which I’m super glad & thankful to her for.”
Due to certain circumstances, we had to shift base but my training never stopped. Even though I started with Kathak, post my shift I enrolled for Bharatnatyam & then there was no looking back.
I also associated myself with Kathak as well after many years. I’m 32 today & have been associated with classical dance since 25+ years now. I’m a Bharatnatyam & Kathak Visharad (Double Graduate) from the prestigious Akhil Bharatiya Gandharva Mahavidyalay Mandal, Miraj which is an all over India. The institute has a global reach too with branches spread across the US & other parts of the world.
I’m proud to say very few people have such a degree since both these classical dance styles are poles apart. My western dance training kept happening on & off since I wanted to explore diverse styles but I’m extremely happy to have such classical roots. Bharatnatyam graduation happened in 2010 after which I immediately started with my Kathak graduation education in 2011 since I wanted to complete one style before starting with another.”
I did my Arangetram (stage performance ) in Nov 2012 & started my own dance Academy in 2014 while simultaneously continuing with my Kathak. I always wanted to teach because during my Bharatnatyam days my guru always encouraged me to take up this route in future as she saw my skills back then. While being a student I also was a teacher back then being a sharp student who picked up things quickly & would patiently explain to the younger students of the class too. So I have been a teacher ever since I can remember.
In 2018 I completed my Kathak graduation too. I’m affiliated with Chabildas CBSE school in the capacity of a dance teacher. Also, I’m a licensed B1 level Zumba instructor.
I take sangeet projects & do corporate events as well. I have a family of 30+ girls in my dance academy as of today.”
What made you passionate about dancing?
This passion got rooted since childhood itself. Like I mentioned I used to shake a leg every time the songs played when I was very small. But gradually as I got matured & realised the sense of the rhythm I managed to copy the exact same steps as the actor on screen & slowly during vacations when relatives & social circles used to pay a visit, one program by default used to be me showcasing my dancing skills to one & all.
The appreciation & accolades which I used to get would pump up my spirits & I realised this is something that makes me extremely happy & also as mentioned due to teaching in class the passion for teaching also simultaneously grew stronger by the year.”
So I can say as much as I’m passionate about dancing I’m equally passionate about teaching. Also just to let you know I love my name Ridhima because it means rhythm which is my core identity today & has been since a long time.
‘NDA school’ is such a unique name; talk us through more about it, please. Our audience would also love to know what kind of problem you are solving with the help of your startup?
NDA is Nrityanand Dance Academy. Nrityanand means happiness through dance. As much as I enjoy the process of dancing I want people coming to me to feel the same. I have seen many teachers where students are stressed about going to class fearing the teacher & the whole process but for me I always wanted people to look at this art in a positive way.
I always make sure that my girls are not scared of me & are willing to discuss anything under the sun & they look forward to coming to class because that is their time when they are learning & also having fun at the same time. I want them to respect me as a guru but also want to be their friend as well.
How do you manage to keep going despite the challenges? What drives you?
Pre pandemic challenge was to sustain as you can find multiple dance classes in every nook & corner of your area so to build that reputation in the initial phase & make a mark was difficult but by god’s grace, the few students that came to me initially were so happy with my teaching methods that they kept recommending me to others.
Parents’ feedback that their child is very happy to have me as their teacher is my biggest achievement I feel. There is too much competition in this field of teaching dance that only your sincerity & patience will take you places. Post pandemic the major challenge was how to conduct online class because never had we imagined or experienced learning or teaching dance in front of a screen.
The biggest challenge with classical training is that girls tend to lose interest very easily and that was my biggest concern that if I stopped the class completely waiting for things to settle there was no guarantee if the girls would want to enrol back after such a big break.
So with constant research, trial & errors I started with my online classes since April 2020 & till date have been comfortably teaching online with no qualms. I’m very thankful to my NDA family for their support in such testing times while trying out different applications in the beginning like zoom, Cisco webex, google duo, say namaste etc figuring out what suits our requirements the best to finally using google meets since a long time now we have come a long way.”
I had never imagined that I would be teaching online classical to students from Pune since I’m based in Mumbai because unlike Bollywood & other western forms classical training is altogether a different ball game & it requires a personal touch. But I’m so proud of my teaching skills that the girls are doing extremely well in terms of understanding because directly teaching a classical dance form online without any personal touch is an extremely difficult task equally for the teacher as well as the student.
At some point, I will be resuming back my offline class but still, the outstation parents were keen on starting the training & helped me do away with my hesitation.”
Who do you believe has been the biggest source of motivation in your daily life?
My mother has been my strongest pillar who gave me this passion for dance by being their emotionally taking me to classes, my father for financial supporting me in my training throughout, my guru who imbibed these skills in me & always encouraged me to become a teacher as she saw that in me & constantly motivated me to be a part of such a noble profession.
Also, my NDA is my biggest motivation because I’m what I’m today because of them & all market value that I enjoy is their credit. Of Course, my efforts I don’t deny but just being an excellent teacher would not have helped me in any way if these parents would not have believed in me & supported me in my initial start-up days so it’s definitely a two-way street.
Today I have my own studio space ready to be used once things settle down & I’m able to resume back my offline classes. That’s currently my biggest happiness.. Having rented places all this while as a teacher I always dreamt of having my own space & my father made it possible for me so extremely grateful & thankful to him.”
Please share with us, how do you motivate your clients?
I make sure to have a good conversation with them by getting to the roots of their reasons for hesitation, fear, anxiety & try to talk them out of it. Social media is an important factor and who doesn’t enjoy appreciation so I make sure to give them that much-needed push & keep telling them they can do it & help them to come out of their shell gradually.
I always tell them that every dance move looks different for different people. It’s one common step but when different people do it we feel it’s a different step but it’s not. There are always ways to alter the step & make it more comfortable or provide alternate options but the end goal is making them happy & spreading joy so I make sure that I make them understand all these factors & it helps me achieve my goals.
What are some of the strategies that you believe have helped you grow as a person?
There are a few:
The biggest strategy that has always helped me is the thirst to keep learning & always think of myself as a student even though I am a teacher. No one can ever be perfect & say I know it all so being in the student frame of mind always helps me stay grounded. I always tell this to my girls as well that even though I’m your teacher I can still make mistakes so please bear with that. I equally enjoy learning from my girls because u never know who will teach you what in your life journey.
Secondly, being patient is very important & my CA journey has got that in my blood. So this has helped me have a never say die attitude & the urge to consistently keep doing my bit & leaving no stones unturned as far as whatever is in my capacity & things that I can control (internal factors)
You are always positive and motivated, what keeps you going?
Honestly not always. I do have my bad days when I doubt my potential & think myself unworthy or feel it’s taking too long to make a name or grow on social media because social media has set certain benchmarks which we target & look up to & when others from your field are doing exceptionally well u tend to feel that where do I stand & start looking at the glass half empty.
But in spite of all this a pep talk with your own self is what I do & keep telling myself that every individual has their own journey so no point comparing & sulking. Just keep putting in honest efforts they shall pay off someday.
In your opinion, what are the keys to success?
As I said earlier, being in the role of a student is always the urge to keep learning & always putting yourself in the opposite person’s shoes. For instance, when I do sangeet projects the most common feedback that I get is people enjoy my choreography, I simplify it & teach them.
Most people have stage fright & are hesitant to perform & on top of that if I get too technical with my steps they are sure to back out but rather I want them to enjoy the process & willingly & happily face the audience & I’m proud to say that I’m able to achieve that. Teaching non-dancers is the biggest challenge physically & also mentally to bring them out of that block that they can’t do.
So dealing with various age groups & successfully making them dance through my patient ways is I think the key to success. Making them comfortable is my utmost priority.
What advice would you give to someone who is in the same line of career?
I want to build a community of such people who are eager to dance but fear to do so & are not ready to come out of their shell. I want to reach out to such people & make them experience the joy that this art can give them. I have the patience to deal with such people so my target audience is people who think they have 2 left feet or even more.
That doesn’t mean I don’t wish to work with dancers but there are so many brilliant dancers already so that area is taken care of. Also being a performer & a teacher are mutually exclusive. So one needs to decide what he/she enjoys more. I enjoy dancing but I think I enjoy teaching more. So you have to be very clear in your head as to your path because being a good performer does not mean you shall be a good teacher & vice versa.
People can be both. It’s not that but I personally feel there is definitely one aspect stronger than the other & your conscience knows it well. It’s not an easy career with tremendous competition so being patient & sincere is extremely important because just focusing on money can’t be your ultimate goal. This field helps you to connect with so many people from different walks of life so being a people’s person for me is my ultimate happy place.
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