D’cruze Dance Studio

D’cruze Dance Studio is a Bangalore based startup founded by Richard Sabstin D’cruze in 2009.

“I started D’cruze Dance Studio when I was still a young college student and in fact I funded my Master’s Degree through my dance classes. So dancing is not just a passion but is a way of life for me”, says Richard.

We got an opportunity to talk with Richardi. And I am sure; his story will inspire you. Let’s look at the journey.

Give a brief info about your startup?

D’cruze Dance Studio was started in the year 2009 by Richard Sabstin D’cruze, with an idea of helping young aspiring & passionate dancers reach their dream of refining their art. As a young dancer he had faced a lot of struggle to get recognition & opportunities, this was the driving force behind setting up D’cruze Dance Studio. D’cruze Dance Studio has grown from an initial 10 students & 1 client to having now taught over 5000 students & over 100 clients. D’cruze Dance Studio teaches over 15 styles of Western Dance Forms and has also been felicitated with Prestigious awards like Bangalore’s Best Western Dance Academy by India Education Awards for the year 2017 & National Choice Awards 2018 for the Most Creative Dance Academy in South India. D’cruze also believes in giving back to the society and has organised a Charity run called “Let’s Run” marathon for the cause of providing education for the underprivileged masses of Children in Bangalore and has given the proceeds raised by the run to the cause. Apart from this D’cruze Dance Studio also takes great pride in being tied up with different educational institutions across Bangalore for teaching differently abled and special kids.

 

 What made you start your startup and what problem does it solve?

As a young dancer I had faced a lot of struggle to get recognition & opportunities in the entertainment industry, this was the driving force behind setting up D’cruze Dance Studio. Apart for training students in dance forms, we also help dancers by providing them a platform to perform as a part of many reputed events.

 

Tell us about yourself, your previous jobs/ventures? What were you doing before this startup?

I started D’cruze Dance Studio when I was still a young college student and in fact I funded my Master’s Degree through my dance classes. So dancing is not just a passion but is a way of life for me.

 

Where is your startup based out of? Why do you think that is the best place for you?

D’cruze Dance Studio is based out of Indira Nagar, Bangalore. Indira Nagar is a Central Business District and attracts a lot of young crowd due to it’s varied options of shopping and hangouts.

 

As a startup founder, what are you paranoid about? What keeps you awake at night?

That’s simple! I’m paranoid about Dancing. Thinking of how to perfect a dance routine, keeps me up all night.

 

Who are your competitions and how are you better than them?

Well, I don’t consider other dance institutions as competition but I always strive to be the best at what I do and ensure that dancers enjoy their learning experience.

 

How hard is it to have a work life balance as a startup founder and how do you manage it?

It is definitely not easy as is the cases with any startup. You have to constantly be on your toes and keep an eye out for innovation and introduce offers that attract and motivate people towards dancing.

 

Have you raised funding? If yes, then we would like to know the details. If no then please tell us if you are looking to raise.

No, I haven’t. As we expand the idea of raising funds definitely looks like a strong possibility.

 

What’s the biggest misconception people have about you? Why do they have that? What’s the reality?

The biggest misconception that people have about me is that, I have achieved a good name in the industry through influence. They probably feel this way because I have shared the stage in events with celebrities(South Industry).This is actually far from the truth, in fact I have made friends with celebrities in the industry, because of the hard-work, discipline and dedication I have put into my performances that they’ve witnessed.

 

What gets you excited about this company?

The fact that it’s grown so much and still has so much potential and opportunities to grow.

 

Tell us how a day in your life looks like? Your schedule for a day right from the time you get up till you hit the bed at night.

I wake up at 8:00 am and get ready to head out to conduct Corporate & Educational institutional classes between 10 am until 2:30 pm on weekdays. Then go back home and practice my choreography for the next class. I then head out to conduct dance classes between 4:30- 9 pm.  Sometimes, I meet clients post that and don’t go home until 10 pm. Rest again for a while, prepare for the next day’s routine and attend to few emails and send presentations, quotes etc to client enquiries and hit the bed around 2:00 am. On weekends, it is a little relaxed I conduct classes at the studio between 6-7 pm on Saturdays & then between 1-2 pm on Sundays.

 

Tell us about your team and how did you meet each other?

My team basically comprises of my ex-students and a few close friends who I’ve met at other dance events and from then on we’ve practically become family.

 

 

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