Chung Chung waltzes from reality TV debut to new ambitions

SIKKIM’S “FOOTLOOSE” CONTESTANT ON THE EXPERIENCE AND FUTURE PLANS

TSHERING EDEN

GANGTOK, 29 Aug: The telly is flooded with reality shows of all kinds, with every channel featuring at least one or more such show. Often criticised and ridiculed for propagating voyeurism, it is still a popular format with the masses. A non-celebrity is catapulted into the so-called world of fame. The instant fame, however, is very often a short-lived one. Chung Chung Bhutia, perhaps the only Sikkimese after football star Bhaichung, to appear on such a show, however, presents a different side of the reality TV phenomenon.

Chung Chung, recently participated in the dance show ‘Footloose’ on Channel [V], making it to the third round of the show. Speaking to NOW!, she shares her experience of being on the show and life after. Dancing since her kindergarten days, Chung Chung had always been passionate about dance which she continued while pursuing her BA in English at Bhavanipore Gujarati Educational Society in Kolkata. She was performing and teaching dance while still in college.

Television happened when Amrita Maitra, a student in the same college, participated and later turned choreographer at the “Dance India Dance” show of Zee TV.
When Maitra was in the “Little Masters” show as choreographer, she asked Chung Chung to assist her. Chung Chung later also contested in the “DID Doubles” in which she made it till the mega auditions.
Right around this time, “Footloose” was being launched and she got selected on the basis of a video she had sent for the show. Calling it a ‘lifetime experience’, she talks of the initial few days on the show as the most trying and difficult period. The lack of professional training as compared to other contestants who had the advantage of training at dance schools under names like Ashley Lobo and Shiamak Davar posed some problems.
“Since, we don’t have such dancing schools in Sikkim, it took me time and a lot of hard work to keep up with the others on the technical aspects,” says Chung Chung.
Without any contact with the outside world, family and friends, the intense pressure and lack of privacy, she did have second thoughts. “My parents want me to make something out of my life and this thought kept me going,” she adds.
At home now, with family and friends, she is giving herself a break for a while.
“The long and intense practice sessions, the shooting, everything has got me very tired so for now I just want to relax,” she says. That will not be for long though, since Chung Chung is now all set on opening a dance school in Sikkim.
“I learnt a lot on the show and think I can now teach people,” she says on her future plans and is already on the look out for a place to set up her school. She also gives dancing lessons in Kolkata along with her partner, Anuj Parekh. Interested in hip-hop and Bollywood, she says, she would like to teach western dance forms when she opens her school here, adding, “Traditional dance forms are very important, and I have done numerous such performances in the past but I also think it is important to learn other kinds of forms as well”.
On dancing as a career option, Chung Chung says, “I had not really thought of it as a career option but now it is different. Earlier, there was some pressure on settling for a government job but now even my parents are supportive after seeing me on TV! I cannot give up dancing for anything now!”
When the show got aired, it was her mother whose phone just didn’t stop ringing while her Facebook account was flooded with messages and friend requests. “The other day I was asked for an autograph which was an embarrassing and happy moment at the same time,” she shares all excited. 
Chung Chung’s mother, Passang Choden, is proud and happy for her daughter and expressed that “Parents should encourage their children in what they are good at and where their interest lies”.
Reality TV maybe a TRP-driven sham for the producers, just pure entertainment for the viewers but for one participant, it has given new life to a passion. Although Chung Chung did not win on the show, she has found confidence and encouragement to follow her heart. Her message to others who share a similar passion – “It will take time, keep moving and you will reach there some day”.