En route to being a dancer

With no professional training, Niti Taylor discusses the challenges of competing with professional dancers on the 10th season of Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa

She is confident that she doesn’t have two left feet, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t reprimanded by her choreographer Akash Thapa on a regular basis. Niti Taylor, who is juggling the shoot of Kaisi Yeh Yaariaan and the rehearsals of Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 10, is thrilled to realise her dream of being on the dance reality show. “I remember going to the BBC office for Kaisi Yeh Yaariaan and seeing the Jhalak room. I always hoped to be a part of the show someday,” says the actor. While she has manifested her wish, being pitted against trained dancers was definitely not part of her dream.

“I do feel it is unfair at times to be in a competition with dancers like Gunjan [Sinha] or Gashmeer [Mahajani], especially for non-dancers including me,” says Taylor, adding, “While my parents did enroll me in dance classes as a kid, I never mastered any dance form. I thought I could dance a little bit, but after being on the show, I realised I know nothing.” She always believed that Jhalak was to be the journey of a non-dancer becoming a dancer. “But here, we have dancers who are becoming great, and we are just [sitting on the side-lines] admiring them. The first few days, I had bruises all over my body and continue to have injuries. I have fallen so many times that I have lost [count]. In fact, my family has been coming to take care of me since I was sick,” adds Taylor, who was running a high fever just last week.

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So far on the show, Taylor has tried her hand at several dance forms, including contemporary, freestyle, jive, and cha cha cha and hopes to soon experiment with others. “I know the basics of salsa and rock n roll. I tried hip-hop, but I am bad at it. Next, I want to try lyrical hip-hop.” Ask her about her family’s reaction, Taylor gushes with gratitude for the love her husband, parents, friends, the team of Kaisi Yeh Yaariaan, and fans have been showering on her. “My husband [Parikshit Bawa] has been sending my video on his army WhatsApp group, while my family is busy collecting votes. On a live chat with fans, Parth [Samthaan] told me that he also caught up on my performance. I am blessed [for all the] love,” she concludes.

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