Riddhi Gupta's House Of Wow: Dancing with a Twist

Riddhi Gupta decided to leave behind a career in Economics and Statistics to pursue her passion for dance. Trained professionally in the Tanjore style of Bharatnatyam as a child, she has travelled across the globe and within the country meeting master trainers and experts.

Her venture the House of Wow fuses different verticals of dance and curates different forms of art. It's an experience that keeps bringing you back for more and she is very happy to introduce this space to the Mumbai city.

We met Riddhi to know about her passion and House Of Wow.

What interested you in becoming an Entrepreneur?

House Of Wow, was a vision seen years ago, but I was waiting for the right space and the right energy before we opened a creative and a performing arts space. The reason it is called the House Of Wow, is because we believe people are most comfortable when they are at home in their own space. We wanted to teach fitness, dance and art at a comfortable space and not something which is rigorous or tiring.

I feel women emerged as entrepreneurs' way before the digital boom happened in India. Digitisation has only increased awareness of the kind of work women are doing in their own space.

The Dancer Riddhi Gupta

What's the concept of 'House Of Wow' and what is your vision behind it?

House Of Wow, is an amalgamating of different verticals of the arts, namely performing arts, fine arts, theatre and literature and offering them under one umbrella. I have worked towards introducing the WOW element in Art and it is something I shall continue to strive towards.

Also Read: Remembering the Mistress, Professional Dancer and Spy, Mata Hari

Tell us about your future plans with 'House Of Wow'?

For an Entrepreneur in the performing arts, it is uncertain how the path towards the development will unfold. A vision seen a couple of years ago is something we are able to achieve and execute a year into House Of Wow. However, I would like to build a parallel community-based brand all over the country with several concepts based spaces and allow people not only to learn, but also to lead and opt for these as career options.

I began dancing at the age of 4 and slowly it became not only a passion, but also a medium of release. At the age of 16, I received a full scholarship from the Terence Lewis Contemporary Dance Company for a training program in dance arts.

The only way one believes is when one sees and we would like to show the world that this could not only be a serious profession, but could also be as integral as any other industry.

Team House Of Wow

What is the market gap you are trying to address by bringing your venture into the society?

I think the arts are increasingly gaining popularity in our society. I would love to build this community of art lovers and help them stay connected.

What makes you different from your competitors?

What sets us apart is that we have something new happening, like we will be introducing international workouts that have never been done in India before. Even while designing the space, we wanted to keep it classy.

A Digital presence has become extremely important today for increasing the visibility of a brand.

How did you manage the funding for the base operations initially?

We haven't taken funding from any investors. It's all our hard work.

READ: Comeback Career: The journey of a dancer

What were the initial days like - what kind of challenges you've faced and still facing as an entrepreneur?

One of the initial hurdles was our branding. As an individual, I believe that brand perceptions are extremely crucial all through the existence of a brand. It builds an image in the minds of our students. From the logo to the colours deciding everything was a challenge.

However, once we got that in place, another big hurdle was to construct the physical space itself. From finding teak wood springboard, foam flooring to finding the right kind of insulation was nothing less than a Herculean task. The space took about four-and-half months to build. Sound proofing the space to ensuring the right wallpapers and florals and pastels took a lot long.

One needs to be fearless, bold and have the ability to take risks in life to be a successful entrepreneur.

What advice would you give to fellow entrepreneurs?

I think we all are doing great work and should continue doing the same.

READ: A dancer who is also great at football: Meet Atisha Pratap Rudy

Also Read: Entrepreneurship Is Exciting Because It Is Challenging, Says Bhavya Aggarwal Of ZipBoard

READ: Bringing healthcare to the consumer’s fingertips: Ritu Singh, co-founder of CareOnGo

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