The Business of Cheer

When we meet her,she is casually dressed and make-up-free and is seated on a sofa in the staff room of Zenith Dance Studio in Delhi’s Mayur Vihar. Special chai is sent in and other junior dancers wait outside till she is done. “I joined Zenith in 2007 to learn dance and being a quick learner,I was made an instructor. Now,I teach dance,participate in corporate events,am also a cheerleader,” she says. Her first cheerleading stint was in 2008 and since then,she hasn’t looked back.

Incidentally,all nine cheerleaders from the DD team this year are from Zenith. The number of cheerleaders for each team is fixed,but the girls may vary each year. Zenith has been hired by Showtimes,an event management company. Malla,a senior instructor and assistant choreographer is trained in jazz,hip-hop,belly dancing and Bollywood latka-jhatkas,and is paid a monthly salary of Rs 45,000 from Zenith. She also gets to travel the world —Greece,China,Dubai,Thailand,Pakistan and Nepal— on dance tours.

Just when you think she is besotted by her mini-celeb status,she reveals she is pursuing a Masters in Social Work from Jamila Milia Islamia University. “I have always been interested in learning about women’s issues and have worked with NGOs since my school days,” she says adding that she knows she doesn’t look like an NGO worker.

May 21 will be her big day again. She will cheer for Delhi Daredevils as they battle with the Pune Warriors at Delhi’s Ferozeshah Kotla Stadium. “We have fixed dance blocks we rehearse everyday but a few days before the match,we rehearse for hours,sometimes through the night,” she says. On match day,Malla must reach her institute by 10.30 am,rehearse,finish instructing other batches and head to the stadium. There the girls do their own make-up and hair and by 8 pm are jumping in the field. “It’s such an adrenaline rush,” she says. Malla is a slim girl,almost anorexic but she clarifies that she has no dietary plan. “A lot of people think cheerleaders must starve themselves. That’s not true. In fact,I am a foodie,” she adds.

Malla talks about being focussed at work. For every catch,every wicket and every four or six runs,the girls must be ready to dance. “We never know what songs the DJ will play — he can switch from Hips Don’t Lie Munni Badnaam Hui we have to do an impromptu jig,” she says. Cheerleading is no party for Malla. “We don’t attend any IPL parties or IPL nights. I haven’t met any cricketers,” she asserts. Mention the controversy around the clothes that cheerleaders wear during the IPL and she snaps,“Cricket is a sport and cheerleaders have to look sporty. How can we look sporty in a salwar-kameez?”

Ask her if she will make a career out of cheerleading and her face droops a little. “In India,there is no such scope. When I put up my cheerleading pictures on Facebook,all my cousins abroad encourage me because they understand the value. But here,no one understands,” says a disappointed Malla.