Archive · 16 Aug 2026
Delhi-NCR Dancepreneurs Turn Passion into Thriving Dance Businesses
Some people in Delhi and nearby cities love to dance so much that they turned it into their job.
They are called 'dancepreneurs' — dancer-entrepreneurs.
Kamna Arora left a good career and joined a famous dance school in Mumbai before starting her own dance company.
Her company, Yellow Stripes, now has a 20-member team and teaches wedding dances to clients in India and abroad.
She and her partner even worked on big celebrity weddings, including Radhika Merchant and Anant Ambani's.
Nidhi Bhatia quit her office job to open a studio in Greater Kailash that teaches dance and art.
Mansi Garg, who is 22, saved money from teaching to open her own Kathak dance studio in Gurgaon.
Ishita Bhatnagar built a dance studio in Gurgaon and added a cafe where people can relax.
These dancepreneurs say building a strong team, using social media and technology, and working hard keeps their businesses going.
They also say dance is a serious career, not just a hobby.
Kamna Arora and Utsav Malhotra co-founded Yellow Stripes Dance Company (YSDC) in 2017 in South Delhi, focusing on wedding choreography.
YSDC now has a 20-member team, a Saket studio, clients in India and abroad, and over 2,33,000 Instagram followers.
The duo has choreographed for celebrity weddings including Radhika Merchant-Anant Ambani and Sidharth Malhotra-Kiara Advani.
Nidhi Bhatia quit a 10-year corporate career to launch Creative Detox in Greater Kailash 1, which marked its first anniversary in June.
Mansi Garg, 22, founded Gurgaon's Soul Dance Studio last May, and Ishita Bhatnagar's Qala House of Creators is two years old.
- Who
- Dancepreneurs Kamna Arora, Utsav Malhotra, Nidhi Bhatia, Mansi Garg and Ishita Bhatnagar — founders of dance studios across Delhi-NCR.
- What
- Turning a passion for dance into sustainable businesses, including dance classes, workshops, cafes and a thriving wedding choreography service.
- When
- Spanning several years: YSDC was co-founded in 2017, Kamna and Utsav married in 2022, Soul Dance Studio opened last May, and Creative Detox celebrated its first anniversary in June.
- Where
- Delhi-NCR — including Saket and Greater Kailash in South Delhi and Gurgaon in Haryana — with professional training roots in Mumbai.
- Why
- To turn a lifelong love of dance into a career and build community spaces that inspire others to create and connect.
Passion advocates
Pragmatists
Dance as a profession
Passion advocates
Founders say dance is a serious, challenging career like any other, worth leaving corporate jobs or taking financial risks for.
Pragmatists
Traditional advice (and family views, such as Mansi's chartered-accountant father and brother) treat dance as a hobby or a calling best trained for from childhood, not a reliable profession.
Artistry vs. running the business
Passion advocates
Prioritizing the creative side keeps dancepreneurs inspired — Mansi says less practice makes her a 'dull artist' and Ishita always makes time to teach and create.
Pragmatists
As businesses grow, backend work such as documentation, accounting, planning and marketing takes over, and the artistic side can take a backseat.
- Featured businesses
- Yellow Stripes Dance Company, Creative Detox, Soul Dance Studio, Qala House of Creators
- YSDC founded
- 2017 by Kamna Arora and Utsav Malhotra
- YSDC team size
- 20 members
- YSDC studio
- Saket, South Delhi
- Instagram followers (YSDC)
- Over 2,33,000
- Celebrity weddings
- Radhika Merchant-Anant Ambani; Sidharth Malhotra-Kiara Advani
- Creative Detox milestone
- First anniversary in June; debut stage show CD Productions on September 12
- Soul Dance Studio
- Founded by Mansi Garg in Gurgaon last May