Pravin Phalkes Dance Institute

Pravin Phalkes Dance Institute is over in Chembur, specifically in Senapati Bapat Nagar at 301/106. The building is one of those standard ones in the neighborhood. When you come up, you can usually hear the music before you even open the door. We have a big open floor where the dancing happens. It is not a shiny studio like you see on TV shows. We have mirrors on the walls and the floor is a bit scuffed from all the feet moving around every day. It gets quite hot in the afternoons, so we keep the fans going at full speed. People come here from all over Chembur to learn different steps. We have some bags piled up in the corner and a water cooler that gets used a lot. It is a very active place. Sometimes the music is loud and the neighbors might complain a little, but we try to keep it reasonable. There is no big fancy waiting room for parents, so they usually just stand around or sit on the few stools we have. We spend our days teaching counts and fixing people's posture. It is a lot of work and it gets sweaty, but it is what we do. The space feels lived in because so many people have practiced their routines here over the years.