It’s a reel to real journey of eight youth from Himachal Pradesh who had started learning dance in five years.

The Himachali youth are going to participate in the World Hip Hop Dance Competition in Phoenix city in Arizona, US and are looking to emulate the struggle of emulating the success of Bollywood stars in Anybody Can Dance (ABCD) movie.

The youth had participated in Indian Hip Hop Dance Competition in Mumbai and had secured second place which had earned them a place in the World Hip Hop Dance Competition, scheduled to be held from 7 to 12 August in United States(US).

The eight youths, Kanishk Verma, Paras Omta, Pratibha Ranta, Khushi Thakur, Natasha Sharma, Nvriti Shyam, Nalini Jhagta and Siya Singh had performed in Pahari dresses in Mumbai that had earned them second place in the competition.

But now financial constraints are coming in the way of their participation in the dance competition and they are now seeking help from the HP government as well as private sponsors.

“We have sought financial help from Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh so that these youth could participate and showcase their talent at international level,” Lalit Dhaulta, the Director of Shimla Dance Club told The Statesman.

Dhaulta said that the team of youth had stood second in under-18 group competition across the country, but financial constraints are now coming in their way. The cost of participating in the competition per person is estimated at Rs 3-4 lakh and their parents are unable to bear these expenses.

“We are also seeking private sponsorship from the industrialist of the state so that these children could perform in the competition,” he said.

He said it was a big achievement for these youths as it is the one of the biggest dance competition at international level. “Even the movies ABCD-1 and 2 are based on the same competition and it is like a dream come true for them,” he said.

At the time of starting their practice, even these youngsters wouldn’t have thought that they would be able to showcase their talent at international level. But the financial constraints have now put them in a tight spot and they are now looking for help from the government as well as big industrialists.