“Doesn’t sound like a great ROI. Why not just teach a few dance moves and call it a day?”
A small business coach said this to me at a networking event. I had been gushing about my multidisciplinary approach to teaching Indian culture through dance, folk art, language, stories, and hands-on experiences when that ROI comment landed.
Here is the truth: teaching “a few dance moves” has never been my mission. What I’m trying to build goes far beyond choreography.
Let’s be realistic. How many of my students will grow up to be professional Indian dancers whose full-time career relies on Bharatanatyam, Garba, or Bhangra? The honest answer is probably none.
But do you know what they will grow up to be?
1. If they are South Asian, they will always remain South Asian.
2. If they are not South Asian, they will always remain part of a beautifully diverse world.
This is why I teach the way I teach. My goal is not just to create dancers. My goal is to help nurture humans who are curious, culturally aware, and connected to the world around them.
A powerful integrated arts approach brings this to life. Some kids enjoy movement. Others connect through visual art. Others through stories, language, or sensory play. Every child has a different entry point. Why would I ever reduce cultural education to a single doorway when culture itself is a vibrant and multicolored landscape?
If dance became the only path into learning, I would be shutting out countless kids who might absorb culture more deeply through another medium. That would be a disservice to them and to the mission itself.
So no, I don’t measure ROI in dollars per hour or lowest-effort output. I measure ROI in the number of children I can reach. That will always be my north star.
And I’ll never “just teach a few dance moves”.
