Paras Varshney, a dance choreographer, runs a successful dance academy and emphasizes the importance of discipline, dedication, and versatility in dance. Inspired by his sister, Paras has dedicated his life to dancing, overcoming numerous challenges, including those brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. Paras values quality over quantity in his students and maintains a strong focus on character and discipline. His advice for aspiring dancers is to make dancing their passion.

Paras Varshney, a resident of Aligarh, is a dance choreographer who runs a dance academy and takes dance workshops. According to him, the field of dance holds a bright future for all aspiring dancers.

Reflecting on his childhood, Paras recalls a joyful upbringing in Aligarh. His sister, a decorated dancer with numerous awards, inspired him to pursue dance. She encouraged him to dance and earn accolades of his own. Paras began performing at various school events on different occasions. Despite receiving several awards, he often felt unsatisfied, as his sister's achievements surpassed his. His sister advised him to work harder to earn more prestigious awards.

Paras was never satisfied with his awards because he constantly compared them to his sister's greater achievements. He regards his sister as his first mentor and credits her for all his success.

Paras shares that he has been teaching dance for the last 15 years and started instructing at the age of 14. His entire childhood was dedicated to dance, as he struggled academically.

Upon meeting a mentor who entrusted him with teaching responsibilities, Paras improved his teaching methods and also learnt dance from him. Paras is deeply grateful to his sister and attributes his success to her guidance.

Getting valuable advice from connections he made in Mumbai, Paras opened his dance classes even though he initially had no students. He was encouraged to continue practicing and improving his dance style while covering rent on his own. Paras focused only on learning and teaching dance in schools, where he gained a reputable name over time. When he finally inaugurated his dance class, he received a positive response, despite concerns from parents about his young age. Paras distinguished himself through hard work, and his students have been selected for various TV dance competitions.

His dedication paid off as people started recognising him for his resemblance to Lord Shankar, and he embraced this as a positive sign.

Paras explains that aspirants often lack patience and switch dance academies frequently, expecting quick success. He emphasizes that learning dance is a long-term commitment and requires time to master. Parents should be patient if they want their children to excel in dance, as it is unrealistic to expect significant success within a year. He criticizes other academies for making false promises that their training will guarantee participation in competitions like DID (Dance India Dance). This often leads to children quitting dance after a few months, misguided by their goals.

Paras shares that after 15 years of dedication, he finally appeared on a famous TV show, earning the respect of students and dance aspirants. His students consistently achieve first or second positions in competitions, never falling below second place.

He observes that children who spend six months in some academies often show minimal progress, unable to perform basic moves like cartwheels or proper dance routines.

Paras teaches both boys and girls together, but he is particularly strict about discipline. He believes in working with a smaller number of quality students who can achieve recognition in society. He once even gave up 10-15 students due to discipline issues, underscoring the importance of character and focus in his teaching philosophy.

Paras emphasizes the importance of training one quality student over having many less dedicated students. He shares that he promised himself to cut his long hair once he appeared on TV. Although he made it to the top 30 on a show, the event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He has yet to receive another call but vows to cut his hair when he or one of his students gets on TV again.

His friends and family have always supported him, especially Sonu Kumar from Goa and his sister, who promised financial support when he started his own dance class. During his free time, Paras enjoys spending time with his best students, practicing for hours and creating new choreography, unlike those who just copy dance moves from reels.

Paras is deeply concerned about the fear parents have regarding their children's activities. He observes children wasting time on mobile devices or taking up bad habits like smoking. He speaks from his personal experience, emphasizing that his parents showed him unconditional love and never resorted to harsh treatment. He believes that treating children with love can bring about positive change.

Paras maintains discipline among his students through his presence without being harsh. He always asks for valid reasons if children request holidays. He mentions two exemplary students, Jivika and Meghav, who he believes will soon make it to TV competitions.

Paras advises against overconfidence after appearing on TV. He stresses the importance of mentors teaching classical forms like Kathak, in addition to all other dance forms, to improve their students’ versatility. Learning multiple dance styles is crucial for adapting to themed dance requirements in a reality show.

Paras has been learning Kathak for the last three years. He advises children to pursue other fields, such as sports, in addition to Kathak dance, especially if they seek government jobs. He emphasizes the importance of following one's passion and talent.

In addition to being a dancer, Paras is also a model and has won two or three modelling competitions, along with various awards in both modelling and dance. He believes in having a backup option aligned with dance because once a dance career ends, having another option provides hope. His hobby is modelling, but his career is dancing.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Paras faced significant challenges as the dance academy was his only source of income. He was uncertain whether to close it down. After a few days, he asked all students to buy masks and premium hand sanitisers and implemented social distancing by selecting 4 to 5 children in each batch. He invited only those students whose parents gave permission and who were passionate about learning. As the pandemic progressed, student numbers declined, with some losing their parents. His teaching hours reduced, eventually leaving him with only 10 students in 2 batches. Among them were financially struggling students who had attended his classes for three years and whom he considered his shadows when they performed together. He worked diligently with these students.

Paras received advice from a close friend to never teach for free, as students might take it casually and not respect him as paying students would. This proved true when a long-time student claimed to have learned everything independently and even hacked his phone. From that day on, he began charging a small fee to ensure students valued their dance education. For some, he started organizing free dance workshops once a week.

Paras advises new dance instructors to open classes only when they are capable of teaching others. Paras does not want anyone to defame his name and suggests having at least one year of practice in different dance styles. He asserts that every dancer can be a stuntman, but not every stuntman can be a dancer. He advises not to see dance as a struggle but as a commitment.

Paras emphasizes the importance of being sharp and knowledgeable to survive in the dance industry. He credits his success to his two teachers and believes that while perfection can be improved with formal dance training, basic knowledge can be acquired through YouTube videos. He encourages the youth to make dance their passion, not just a hobby, and to work on their qualities to teach dance. This way, they can make their parents proud and establish their name despite the struggles.