One of the biggest names in our country's dance world and Ekushey Padak awardee, Shamim Ara Nipa, shares what motivated her throughout the years to become the ultimate dance warrior.
Motivation on dancing:I was inspired by our seniors. We started our journey holding their hands. Moreover, when my dance voyage sailed its course, I got the opportunity to see the whole world. I used to go abroad as a representative of a government cultural team. So, when I used to see how the other countries were doing in dance, I always wondered - Why can't we do it? Where do we lack? We only need unity, dedication and spirit.
Therefore, gradually, I started motivating and preparing myself. I never let thoughts like what am I going to get from this field, how much reception I will get etc to come to my head. I only had pure love for dance and I wanted to give something to this particular world instead of receiving anything from it. It just came from my consciousness.
Strengths behind your successI believe my greatest strength is that I love my work. If I had only worked for money, opportunity or fame, it wouldn't have been possible to come this far. I just love to dance and I enjoy it. So, naturally, people love it too apparently.
In today's age, is it tough to reach the heights you have achieved?No. Now, there are more opportunities and benefits. Plenty of work is happening around. There are many schools, colleges and universities focusing on dance. There is a huge demand for dance teachers. So, if you are willing, you will be able to do a lot. On the other hand, in our time, there was no chance of taking this work as a career. Only a handful of us got to make a career out of it. It was very rare at the time. No one could even imagine to make it a career. Today, it is not like that anymore. If you're a good dancer and choreographer, you'll be able to get plenty of works. At least, now, there are plenty of youngsters who are willing to learn. Even if someone teaches dance lessons at home to students, he/she will be able to make a lot.
Message to the young dancersSince there are more opportunities and benefits now, there is more competition as well. I believe if one wants to compete, he/she has to build up quality and prepare himself/herself. In order to do that, I think one has to be modern. If you don't keep yourself updated with time, you will get stuck in a certain place. Having a modern mentality, thoughts, and presentation is a must. At the same time, you need to keep your feet on the ground and know your roots.
