Dharmesh Yelande: Dancers will have to go digital to sustain themself

The choreographer-actor says dancers will not get work for around six months to a year in the aftermath of Covid-19

Choreographer-actor Dharmesh Yelande, who went to Goa on a vacation in February, is stuck there due to the lockdown. Not fretting about him being away from his home in Mumbai, Yelande is making the most of this time by making dance videos in the beautiful backdrop of beaches.

Dharmesh Yelande says he is planning to come up with an online dance initiative through which dancers will be able to teach people online and earn from it

“Being stuck in Goa, in a way, is good for me as the place where I live in Mumbai is a hot spot and if I would’ve been there, I would’ve lived in fear. Over here, at least I can roam around at some places freely as the city has been partially opened up,” Yelande says.

However, he is worried about his friends, who are background dancers and are struggling to survive in these tough times. And to support them, he says he and his friend Shamshad from the Cine Dancers Association have started an initiative to raise funds and provide ration to them.

Looking for a more sustainable option, Yelande, 36, feels that one has to be self-reliant by looking for a better source of earning because even after the lockdown, “dancers will not get work for around six months to one year. The choreographers will limit the number of dancers and there will be hardly any shooting happening for Bollywood songs for some time.”

He says the need of the hour is that “Dancers will have to go digital. We’re planning to come up with an online dance initiative through which dancers will be able to teach people online and earn from it. Even if they get five people to teach them through live sessions, that’s good.”

Yelande is also planning to expand his creative spectrum and is busy writing a screenplay of a web series. “I love watching dark films and the kind of cinema Anurag Kashyap (filmmaker) makes and I’ve learnt a lot from Remo (DSouza) sir about filmmaking while acting in his films. Both of them have been guiding me throughout in scripting the web series and hopefully, I’ll be able to finish the draft and bring it out soon,” he says.