The energy in Nicy Joseph Dance and Fitness studio was electric. Harsh Kumar, the man behind the Dum Dum viral dance reel and unforgettable choreography was in the city once again, and his workshop was packed with students eager to learn. “Hyderabad is one of those cities that gives a lot of love whenever I come here,” he said, looking around at the enthusiastic crowd. “The people here show up for classes with full of love and so open to learning and gaining knowledge from me. Hyderabad is very open in that way — people love to socialise, have conversations, and share their opinions, which makes the dance experience so fulfilling,” he added.
For Harsh, dance has always been about inspiration. “I function on inspiration, I need it every day to create, to move. It all started with Hrithik Roshan in Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai — watching Ek Pal Ka Jeena to You Are My Sonia made me want to dance. But I didn’t think of it as a career back then,” he admitted. That moment came later when he discovered Michael Jackson. “When Michael Jackson passed away, one of my cousins gave me a CD of his dance videos. And that was the first time I really saw him closely. It shocked me — how can someone move like that? He was the first dancer I actually copied, and that’s what made me take dance seriously,” the choreographer explained.
But despite all these inspirations, Harsh believes his biggest motivation is himself. “If I actually talk about what inspired me the most in my journey, it’s me, myself. My own journey inspires me everyday, gives me motivation to keep going. I look back at my past, at how I used to hustle, how excited I used to be about dance — and that feeling will always stay with me,” Harsh expresses.
His career has been filled with incredible highs, but Dum Dum remains special. “That phase showed me what success and fame feels and looks like. But more than that, it gave me financial strength. I low-key helped a lot of people around me — my family, my close friends — so they could keep going. That phase changed a lot for me,” he shared looking proud of the journey he has had till now.
Despite all the success, he never stops pushing himself, he said, “I always know I’m not enough — not in a negative way, but in a positive way. Wherever I am, I always want to reach higher. I appreciate where I’ve reached, but my goal is way higher than this, and that keeps me going.”
If not dance, Harsh knows he would still be creating he explains, “I would have been a singer or maybe a painter. But definitely something related to art. I can’t imagine myself in academics or a corporate job — it would have made me dull. Art made me who I am today and I’m very grateful for that.”
Singing and dancing is a deadly combination and Harsh has aced it very well in both fields, right from owning the Dum Dum challenge to officially releasing his song on YouTube, he has done it all, he talks about his inspiration for music and singing, he said, “I always ask myself — what next? And this time I got an answer from my inner self that I should sing, since I’m a good singer and this thought just boosted my energy also because I play guitar very well. A reason why I kept my music name Hrush is because H stands for Harsh and Rush because it starts with an edge.”
And, of course, no visit to Hyderabad is complete without talking about the food. “Every time I come here, I know I’m going to have a great time with some great meals. My favourite is Mandi and Haleem. Plus, I’ve realised Hyderabad has some great cafés with really authentic coffee, and that’s something I really enjoy,” he concluded.