“We went to a dance school, but they asked for monthly fees which we could not afford so we started learning on our own. And I thought if one day I become a good dancer, and I start teaching kids, I will never ask for any money.” says Lakhan, a Labourer by day and Dance teacher by night.

About Lakhan

Lakhan is 25yrs old. He has been living in Kajora, a small town in the Indian state of West Bengal known for its coal mines, for 15 years. He dropped out of school in the fifth grade because of financial problems and started working in a small Dhaba (restaurant). Now he works as a labourer in a steel factory in the region, helping to load and unload goods from transport vehicles. He earns a meagre Rs. 5000 (less than $60) per month to support a family of five, brother, mother, wife and two children – a son and a daughter.

Lakhan’s Crew

A self-taught dancer, Lakhan has been spotting kids in the neighborhood, inviting them to his team and training them for free for many years now. Over the past six years, Lakhan has taught about 40 to 50 children, training them in Hiphop, Contemporary and Bollywood dance. The children practise daily, have performed at various events, on regional TV shows, and have participated and won in several local, district and state level dance competitions. Incredibly, they win at least 10 to 15 prizes per year. Currently, he has a group of 15 kids aged between 8 and 14.
Not only has he achieved all this without charging a single rupee, but also without any sort of facilities whatsoever. The dancers have no space to call their own. They practice in a staff room of a High School in their neighbourhood: they have to move all the furniture in order to rehearse, and move it all back at the end of each rehearsal. There they have no padded floors, no mats: they practise all the acrobatics and power-moves in a sandpit. They have no laptop or internet facilities or a good sound system. They don’t even have proper dance shoes. But Lakhan has something money cannot buy. He has a dream,
“We want to establish our identity through our dance… We want to take dance to the next level.”

We share Lakhan’s dream.
 

Project Aims

Through this crowdfunding project we aim to raise enough money to provide Lakhan’s crew with some of the facilities they deserve and gift them a 3-month dance course with renowned faculties in India. With your generosity, we believe we can raise enough to buy dance shoes for the children, a laptop with internet connection and a reasonable sound system. The short course will be designed to introduce them to proper technique in various dance styles, which will enable them to be more efficient and use their bodies in a correct and safe manner, and most importantly, broaden their horizons. The details of the price breakdown of the commodities and the dance course is explained below.If we can achieve just these few things, we will begin to provide the children with something else that will also really help them: Visibility. From this initiative, they will achieve more visibility on a national and international platform. And with your support, they could be noticed by an individual or organization who would help them further and might be interested in inviting some of the dancers as part of a show, a studio or even a dance company. They might even be fortunate enough to receive a scholarship and a conducive environment for a formal dance education.
Lakhan and his crew have real talent, real commitment and real energy. They deserve a real chance.

Share the dream too!

Price breakdown

 
Total Expenditure :  Rs 210,000 ($3,100)
 
Commodities Expenditure : Rs. 50,000 ($775)

• Laptop with Internet dongle  :  Rs. 20,000 ($310)
• Dance Shoes (16 Pairs)            :  Rs. 25,000 ($387)
• Sound System                            :   Rs 5000 ($77)

 
3 Month Dance Course 
Expenditure :   Rs 150,000 ($2,323)

• Period     : January 2018 – March 2018
• Schedule : 5 days * 2 hours per day : 10 hours per week

                 Total Number of weeks  : 13
                 Total number of classes :  65
                 Total number of hours   :  130

• Remuneration for Teachers (Rs 1000 per class)     :  Rs. 65,000 ($1,007)
• Travel, accommodation and food  (for 3 months) :  Rs. 85,000 ($1,317)

NOTE :

• Teachers from all over India shall be invited for workshops (10hours per week) for Lakhan and his crew.  If we could manage a separate sponsorship, we will invite international faculties as well.
• A new teacher shall be invited every week.
• The entire course shall be Vlogged( Video blog) on YouTube to provide a closer look at their continuous progress through the 13 weeks of training.
• The course would culminate with multiple choreographies – primarily Bollywood, Hiphop and Contemporary dance utilizing the technique and movement vocabulary acquired throughout the course. The videos shall be uploaded on the YouTube Channel.