Arun Rathinams Dance Studio

This studio is located in Malleshwaram 47, which is a part of town that still has that old Bangalore feel to it. I found this space a while back and decided it was the right spot to start teaching dance. It’s not one of those massive, shiny studios with mirrors on every single wall. It’s a bit more basic than that, but the floor is good and there’s enough room for a decent-sized group. We have classes mostly in the evenings and on weekends because that is when everyone is free from school or their jobs. I’m usually there an hour early to sweep the floor and get the music player ready. Sometimes the neighbors complain if the music is a bit too loud, so we try to keep the windows shut during the high-energy sessions. We teach a mix of styles depending on who shows up and what they want to learn. It’s a lot of hard work, sweating through the routines, but it feels good when a student finally gets the steps right. We have a small area for people to leave their shoes and bags near the door. It gets quite crowded when one class is leaving and the next one is arriving. I do all the scheduling myself, usually just over WhatsApp or when people drop by the studio. It’s just a local place where people can come and move around a bit.