KOCHI: Picture this: a group of teachers casually turning a college talent show into a full-on viral dance party. Sounds incredible? Well, that’s exactly what happened at St Teresa’s College in Kochi, where the faculty is proving that they can not only teach but also rock the stage.
Videos of their jamming sessions have gained a fan-following on social media, with their latest video pulling in over 11 million views on Instagram.
Leading this ubercool dance ‘movement’ is Arunima Devasish, an assistant professor in the department of Bharatanatyam of the college, who effortlessly blends tradition with a whole lot of swagger.
The group’s first ‘mass’ hit was in 2023, when one of their jamming session videos notched up over 3 million views. In the currently trending video, Arunima dances with three other teachers and students to the tune of ‘Kala Chashma’ sung by Amar Arshi, Badshah and Neha Kakkar.
“And even Badshah commented on the video,” Arunima gushes. The rapper’s shout-out has further boosted the video’s reach.
In an unassuming sari, Arunima is seen taking centre stage, shattering whatever stereotype of a teacher that exists. Her students and colleagues join the party, cheering her on, dancing and clapping along.
Arunima’s brisk footwork and the confident strides fired up social media.
“Every year, the college organises a talent show exclusively for the first-year students. The programme aims to help the students break out of their shells. It is a platform for the students to showcase their innate talents,” Arunima tells TNIE.
During one such talent show last year, Arunima and a few other teachers were spontaneously called on stage by their students for a dance-off. Little did they know that their impromptu jamming session would set the stage on fire when they busted out some cool moves to a Tamil song.
“Initially, we didn’t even realise that the students had uploaded the video on social media. Once the views skyrocketed, people started calling,” recalls Arunima, who happens to be a professional dancer.
Following the overwhelming response to the 2023 performance, students were keen to recreate the fun this year as well. “We never practised the steps. Everyone just watched each other and danced. It was all just for fun,” laughs Arunima.
The caption to the viral video says it all: “When teachers are cooler than students.” And with millions of views to back them up, who’s going to argue with that?