‘Pachtaoge’ choreographer Rajit Dev: Dancers deserve better recognition, pay scale

Mumbai : Choreographer Rajit Dev, known for his work on the songs “Pachtaoge” and “Tehas nehas”, says that dancers deserve to be valued more. “I became a choreographer because I worked as a dancer for a good 10 years and assisted for 5 years. I’m proud to be a dancer,” he said. Since the age 18, he has travelled to many countries due to his profession. “There are a lot of good things that you get by being a dancer in Bollywood,” he said. But there are a few things that should change for dancers. “Starting from the hygiene on the sets, dressing room. This is in a very bad condition during stage events. I believe dancers are as talented as any actor so they should not be looked down upon. In fact, the next time, after an award show, you should thank the dancers on the podium. They are the ones running the show. From rehearsals, technicals and no sleep, back-to-back work, they put in so much effort. They deserve better recognition and a better pay scale,” he said. Being a dancer is not easy, emphasises Rajit. “The most amount of hard work put in in an award show is by the dancers. The number of acts they have to remember is a lot. These dancers have to perform with actors, do quick costume changes and manage the props,” he said. Talking about the trend of having international dancers here, he said: “These dancers are very well-trained dancers from all parts of the world. So, there’s always a cultural exchange of arts, which is great.”