Ansars Academy Of Western Dance

Working near the Prabhadevi Iron Market means there is always a bit of a metallic clanging sound in the background, but inside Ansars Academy Of Western Dance, the music usually covers it up. We are tucked away near the Ravindra Natya Mandir, which is a place most people around here know well. Our floors are a bit worn down from all the feet jumping and sliding around, but that just shows how much use they get. It gets really humid in Mumbai, so by the end of a session, everyone is pretty much soaked, but nobody seems to care once the beat starts. We have some big mirrors that we have to clean constantly because people are always leaning on them. It’s not a fancy studio with velvet curtains or anything like that. It’s a practical space where people come to sweat and learn a few moves. Sometimes the music system is a bit temperamental and we have to wiggle the wires to get the sound right. We spend our afternoons teaching steps and trying to get everyone to stay in time with the rhythm. It’s loud, it’s a bit messy with bags and shoes thrown everywhere, and it’s a lot of work to keep the energy up. But seeing someone finally get a difficult step right makes the long days in this corner of Prabhadevi worth it.