Kathak dancer sets Guinness world record

Kathak dancer sets Guinness world record

VARANASI: Soni Chaurasia, a 30 year-old Kathak dancer, has broken the world record of the "longest dance marathon" with a non-stop performance lasting 124 hours on Saturday, 9^th April 2016.. The previous record was set by Kalamandalam Hemalatha of Kerala in 2011.

Soni, who entered the 123rd hour of her performance at 9pm, was encouraged by the crowd who kept cheering for her until she broke the record of Hemalatha. Having danced for more than five days straight, Soni looked fresh and continued dancing with a smile glued on her face.

Her eyes glittered with the sense of satisfaction and achievement exactly at 9:21 pm when she successfully broke the five year old world record in dance category.

Soni had started her dance performance at the auditorium of a school in city outskirts on April 4 evening. On being apprised about her attempt at world record, Prime minister Narendra Modi had conveyed his best wishes to her in his letter where he addressed her as "bitiya" (daughter).

Notably, Soni had took to the stage on November 14, 2015 to break the record of the Keralaite who set the record by her dance performance in Mohiniattam. But, she was unsuccessful at her attempt as she fell unconscious on the stage due to fatigue and could only perform for 87 hours and 18 minutes.