After the completion of his SLC, Dipendra Shahi Thakuri travelled to Kathmandu with a hope of making a mark in the field of dancing. He had not informed his family about his plans when he left his hometown. Upon arriving in Kathmandu, Dipendra joined Public Youth Campus for his higher secondary education and took on many jobs to earn his living and to continue his dancing classes.

In 2058 BS he was offered to attend training in India which opened him opportunities to showcase his talents in myriad international platforms. He has dedicated 20 years of his life to this field and has founded Y-stand Dance school Pvt Ltd. He has also been contributing to promote modern and cultural dance in Nepal.

In an interview with My City’s Sonam Lama, Dipendra talked about his 20 years of experience as a choreographer.

How did the idea of establishing oneself as a dancer emerge?

Dancing was always a part of my living and growing up as an adult in Hetauda I was fascinated by the style as well as the sense of expression. I had not dreamt of anything big back then and all I wanted was to dance the best I could. The time I realized dancing was the thing that I truly enjoyed I summoned up the courage to move to Kathmandu soon after I completed my School Leaving Certificate (SLC) without letting my family know about my plans. With leaving my home town many opportunities followed initiating my journey in the field that I always wanted to dedicate myself in.

How does it feel to be a dance instructor in Nepal?

Reflecting back, I have had witnessed many highs and lows in my journey till here but the idea that always kept me motivated was the fact that I was doing what I loved and learning better in every step. At the time of my struggle, I spent three years in India where I got the opportunity to attend trainings and workshops and learned the basic elements and technicalities of every form of dance. With the skills and knowledge that I had gained from I established Y-Stand Dance School Pvt Ltd on my return from India in 2009. 

Nepali cultural dances have been losing popularity among Nepali audiences, how do you think can we promote them?

Today’s youths have been highly affected by westernization which makes them highly absorb and keen to what they see on a daily basis. Modern dance has its own charm and unique styles which has been gaining priority because they have an expanded network of trainings across the globe however it is not the case with Nepali cultural dance forms. It is primarily important to make people aware of richness of folk dances via increasing access to resources and training or promoting via social media. Other than performing on some occasion, there are hardly some institutions that provide trainings on Nepali cultural dance forms which shall be acknowledged well and worked for in order to promote these styles.

What changes have you witnessed in this field so far and what are your plans to promote them?

Dancing has become a tradition now.

Be it modern or any forms of dance people have grown a friendly and positive viewpoint towards its multiple benefits.

There are training centers being opened in a full swing inviting opportunities for dance enthusiasts and people seeking career in it. Having invited such positive changes in many respects the sector will probably grow in a larger definition. To my part of contribution, I have been trying to provide trainings to dancing enthusiast and I am glad to admit that some have succeeded to compete in the international platforms like Dance India Dance (DID). Moreover, I have been looking forward to establishing a dance school which could run classes in modern and cultural dance forms.

Any word of advice you would like to convey to our readers?

Dance for me has always been a source of learning and a better way of expressing myself. The best way to ace in what you do is by giving the best you can. The chain of events that occur in one’s life opens up numerous opportunities, grabbing them and getting yourself ready to face the challenges will make you fight the fear within you and perform with the best confidence that you have.