Archana’s journey started with a desire to become a doctor and ended as a passionate  Dance, Fitness and Zumba Instructor.

Archana Singh is a Zumba, Dance and Fitness Instructor. It has been six years of her pursuing this profession.

Archana hails from Hyderabad but since marriage she is living in Mumbai. She did all her studies from Hyderabad itself. She has done MPhil in Quality Management. She started her career as a Learning and Development Professional in different areas like banking, auditing, financial firms and IT companies in Hyderabad.

Recalling her childhood days, Archana says that at the age of four, she developed her interest in dance. But she could never think of making a career in it because back in those days, dance was never considered more than a hobby. In view of this, she decided to choose a profession accepted by society and moved ahead in medicine. Even after clearing the entrance exam of medicine, she could not get a seat due to the reservation quota. She did not find it appropriate to get a donation seat. Without thinking much, she shrugged off medicine and got into the banking sector.

Archana graduated in commerce stream through correspondence alongside training at a computer class at the age of sixteen. Later, she worked as a Trainer in the Credit Card Department of ICICI Bank. After taking three years of experience, she served Deloitte Consultancy for two-and-a-half years. From there, she hopped into the IT field and became a Team Lead of Training and Management Department of CSC, Hyderabad. Just then she got married and ended up becoming a homemaker. This led her to put on a lot of weight. In the pursuit of finding her fitness regime, she joined Zumba classes, developed her interest into this field and started her career anew. In no time, she herself became a Zumba instructor and never looked back.

Regarding her role models, Archana says she considers her father as her biggest inspiration as he had struggled a lot and his life’s journey inspires her to march forward in life.

When asked about her struggles, Archana says that her life has never been a smooth ride. She says that leaving medicine and making a career in some other field was the most struggling phase of her life. Because she had worked very hard to get into medicine. Later on, her troubles got bigger and there came a time when she had to survive with her son for just five-hundred bucks a month. Amidst all the hardships, she found her husband and has been leading a very happy life since then.

Talking about her achievements, Archana says that there have been many achievements in her life, but the biggest achievement for her was when she handed over her first salary to her father. It was the proudest moment ever for her. Prior to that, she had been a Gold Medalist in Folk Dance at National Level. She was also awarded the ‘Rashtrapati Scout/Guide Award’ by the then President of India. In her corporate career too, she got many awards like Best Trainer, Best Employee, Best Performer, etc. Not lagging behind in her dance career, she presented her dance format on big international platforms and made her mark worldwide, which is the biggest achievement for her.

In her free time, Archana enjoys learning different dance forms. Apart from this, she also has interest in art, so sketching, doodling and making mandala art also entices her.

Archana advises that if one wants to become a Zumba Instructor, it is not necessary for you to be a dancer. But you have to develop dancing skills because after all Zumba is a part of dancing. Also, to become a Licensed Instructor, you have to do certification courses.

Archana advises everyone to follow their dreams and fulfill them. She says that in today’s era, many career options have opened. So, according to your talent, skills and interest, choose your field and give your best to make your career in it.