Kahaani is a dance showcase put up by the Kolkata GC, to raise awareness about people with disabilities. This year I will be choreographing and leading a dance for the second time. I am quite excited because I now have experience of leading 2 dances previously that will help me be a better leader to my peers this time around.

I realised that I need to be more vocal from my previous experiences, as I often stepped back and allowed my partners to do a majority of the challenging leading stuff. It might sound silly but I don’t necessarily enjoy being the ‘bad cop’, so I didn’t speak up as often. But this time around I do believe that I need to work on this skill and learn to coach in a polite yet firm manner.

After the first session, where I taught the boys the beginning part of their choreography, I realised that the best way to ensure that they enjoyed learning was not being strict the entire time and allowing laughter and fun during rehearsals. I think this allowed them to learn the dance much more quickly because they didn’t get bored or tired.

It was still hard to be in charge all the time because a group of 10 boys are often loud and very easily excitable. So in the next session I want to work on having better control, by using methods for them to realise that they need to get the choreograph done so that they can perform it well. I will do this by telling them that they can have as much fun as they want, as long as the finish what I ask them to finish.