Pulkit Chauhan, a hip-hop dancer, loves to dance in his free time for himself, rather than for what looks best on paper

With the stress of school, the busy schedules of sports, most teenagers don’t make time for activities just for them; the ones that are about personal expression and interest, instead of motivated by what looks best on paper. Pulkit Chauhan, sophomore, can be seen dancing in his free time, whether that be before or after school, on the weekends, or in any other spare moment.

“Sure, I’m on a cricket team where I’m pretty good, but I love to dance because when I master a song, I get this great feeling and I can finally see how the hard work has paid off,” Chauhan said.

Chauhan started dancing in fourth grade, with hip-hop his main genre. Although he danced six years at DLD Dance Center, a studio in Downers Grove, currently he has taken a break from there and is teaching himself. The advantage he finds to being mostly self taught is that he can easily balance school and dance since he makes his own schedule. Improvisation is something he practices, often too.

“Anything hip-hop, if it has a beat, I can definitely dance to,” Chauhan said.

His friends agree with this statement, and recognize his ability to adapt in dancing to other styles and songs.

“He tries his hardest when he dances. If it’s something new to him, he’ll accept it and try to implement it in his dancing style,” said Kunal Jobanputra, junior and close dance friend of Chauhan.

He also loves the social aspect of dancing. He can meet new people at recitals and often times new people come to learn a routine he already has. Chauhan’s close friendship with Jobanputra was made at DLD.

“Pulkit and I have performed together a ton, we became great friends through dance. Probably the best memory I have is our last performance together when I was in eighth grade,” Jobanputra said.

Jobanputra has danced small and large groups and duets with Chauhan.

“He’s one of my go-to people when I need a partner in dance. I feel connected with him,” Jobanputra said.

Since Chauhan no longer dances at DLD, he is looking for a group to join at Central. Midnight Rave is a club that has caught his eye.

“It’s a hip-hop dance club. They have their own events like Ethnic Fair and all the other events the school is involved in. I think the music they dance to is really fun,” Chauhan said.

Besides possibly joining Midnight Rave, Chauhan expects no major changes in his future for dance. He is content continuing to pursue it for himself.

“Pulkit just really enjoys himself when he dances. You can see it in his moves. It’s always fun to dance with Pulkit,” Jobanputra said.