Corporate de-stressing just got a whole new meaning, with human resource department officials of private companies across the city organising dance workshops to help their employees rejuvenate. HR policies have been known to include yoga and other informal activities, but the plan to have employees dance away their blues is something new. And what’s more, the companies are also hiring professional choreographers and dance instructors to do teach their staff the moves and the groove.
Choreographer Sandip Soparrkar says he teaches dance to a number of multi-national firms including HUL, Jet Airways, ICICI, and Citibank among others. “Dancing is not only a great stress buster, but it’s also a lot of fun. It’s an informal way of de-stressing after a hard day’s work compared to yoga or going to the gym, which are more uni-dimensional. And many times, we have the employees so refreshed that they decide to go back to their cubicle and work some more,” Soparrkar laughs.
And it’s not just for learning the dance or to de-stress themselves that the employees are taking to this activity. Many of them are also looking forward to meeting colleagues from different departments whom they perhaps weren’t even aware of. Soparrkar says he often comes across many of these who come to his dance sessions to meet up with colleagues at an informal setting, or break the ice with someone new.
Tijo Rolls of Tijo’s Dance Academy, who says that he has also been training employees of several companies like McCann Erickson, TCS and Delloitte among others, also agrees with Soparrkar. “As an activity, it is very enjoyable, and the employees learn a new form of dance. But it also allows for employees from different departments and levels to come together and dance. This helps break the ice and encourages team spirit,” said Tijo.
Dance instructor Longinus Fernandes says he is also into the corporate dancing phenomenon, holding fortnight-long workshops for many companies including Ceat, Cadbury, HDFC and the Sahara Group among others. Fernandes says that the desire to shake a leg is one of the most basic human traits, and tapping into this is what makes them enjoy it and look forward to it. “Music appreciation comes naturally to everybody. Dancing to the rhythm is something we’ve done since the time we were in school, or even before. At a highly formalised environment like the office, when one suddenly gets an opportunity to dance, it’s a great way to unwind,” he says, explaining his dance workshops’ popularity. “And also, it’s one place where even the trainee feels an equal to the CEO,” he adds.