Punjabi actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh has been making headlines for his Dil-Luminati tour. He has been winning the hearts of millions of his fans across the globe with his power-packed concerts and performances. However, in a shocking turn of events, a Los Angeles-based choreographer and owner of RRB Dance Company, Rajat Rocky Batta, has claimed that all the ‘desi dancers’ in Diljit’s tour were not paid.
Rajat took to his official Instagram account and penned a lengthy note to make the revelation. He stated that the dancers’ community is happy for Diljit’s success and praised him for his sold-out tours across North America.
Sharing his ordeal, Rajat wrote, “While we as a Desi Dance Community are really proud of a Desi Artist breaking glass ceilings and doing sold out tours across North America… I still feel deeply disappointed that Desi Dancers are still undervalued as an industry. All of the Desi Dancers in Diljit’s Diluminati Tour were not paid, and just expected to perform for free.”
He added, “Desi Dance as an industry has become a lifeblood for artists and do a significant part in the entire ecosystem of the industry… while its choreography, stage performances, music videos, reels, to even promoting songs… It’s an essential part of production and it’s really disappointing to see an artist of this caliber cut corners by stepping on throats of Desi Dancer industry and continue to attribute to that culture. Diljit, we are very happy for your success, but your dancers should have been paid and been a part of the production budget.”
Hours after Rajat shared the post, a few dancers who performed with Diljit during Dil-Luminati tour, penned an emotional note for the singer and stated that they are ‘united’ and added that they “do not wish to be represented by the voices who don’t understand our relationship, our motivations, sacrifices, and the immense value we place on such experiences.”
“We are proud of our participation and the new avenues it has opened for the Punjabi community. Do not try to break our bond. We stand united,” they wrote.
(The article is published under a mutual content partnership arrangement between The Free Press Journal and Connected to India)
