It took Dharmesh Yelande 18 years of struggle to make a name for himself as a dancer. He shares with Shrabasti Mallik how he used to sell misal pav to fund his dance classes
Few would recognise Dharmesh Yelande as the contestant of Dance India Dance season 2 and others will recognise him as D from the Any Body Can Dance movies. But under that ever smiling face, clear cut moves and a humble demeanour, lies years of struggle and hard work. It took him 18 years to make a name for himself.
Recounting his humble background in Vadodara he said that his father ran a small tea stall in the locality and that they barely had money to to fund his dance classes. “My father still runs that stall,” he said, reminding us of his modest upbringing.
Not many would know that he used to run a misal pav stall because he was more inclined to dancing than studies. Before that he used to work as peon but left the job because his shift used to end at 9pm. “My dance classes used to start at six. So, I told my family that I would be able to get money to the household only when I get a job which would let me leave before six,” he reminisced.
Such was his dedication towards the art that his mentor excused his fees and sometimes let him tutor students on his behalf. It not only honed his skills but also helped him perfect them and learn new ones. “You never stop learning. There is something to take in from everybody. Not everybody can pull off every step, so when I was teaching my students I had to improvise.
That was where I learnt many new moves,’ he said. However, his big break when he participated in the second season ofDID along with three of his students. He might have won the first runner up title but that show opened up numerous avenues for him. Post that he was signed by Remo D’Souza for ABCD. Dharmesh still calls it a dream come true. “All I wanted to do was dance. But that movie gave me a chance to do that and also put me in the spotlight,” he said at a promotional event for Star Plus’ new dance show Dance +.
From a dancer to a choreographer for Farah Khan and Remo, to finally becoming a judge, this 31 year old dancer has indeed come a long way. “I’ve struggled to be a dancer for 18 years. But Dance India Dance completely changed my life. It gave me a platform to enter the industry. Soon I turned into a choreographer in Bollywood and now a judge on Dance +. It’s been an extraordinary journey from a contestant to a judge,” he summed up his journey.
Talking about the show, which will be hosted by Raghav Juyal, Dharmesh said, “We have full freedom of judging in Dance +. Apart from its different concept, where contestants will have a choice to perform in group or solo, the theme of the show is really nice. The contestant will perform on his favourite style from the star till the end. Nobody will ask him to do other styles.
“The show is namedDance + as apart from your dancing skills, you need to have a plus point. There is a contestant in my team named Hardik from Jaipur. He can split his legs even beyond 180 degrees with ease,” he rounded up.