Srushti Sudhir Jagtap, a 16-year-old girl in western India's Maharashtra set a world record for the longest dance marathon by an individual when she danced for 127 hours. With her achievement, Srushti broke the world record of 126 hours, previously held by a Nepalese dancer named Bandana Nepal in 2016.


The teenager's attempt began in the morning of May 29 and it continued till the afternoon of June 3.

As per the requirements of this unique record, a performer's feet must be moving to the music at all times and Srushti performed the Kathak dance, one of the eight major forms of Indian classical dance. Her sole aim through this record was to promote Indian culture.


Young Srushti performed in the Dayanand Hall in Dayanand College, Latur, which was full of people who showed her support as she etched her name into the history books. As she danced for five days straight, a digital clock was kept in front of the stage which recorded the time of her performance. She expectedly got tired at times but her parents Sudhir and Sanjivani were a constant source of motivation, spraying water at her face to keep her fresh.

The guidelines of this record also permit the performer five-minute breaks after every hour. They can be taken as they come or can be accumulated and taken later. These were the only breaks which young Srushti got to use the bathroom, take a nap and also talk to her parents. She didn't also use any other stimulants to stay awake barring coffee, coconut water and chocolate.


Speaking to Newslions, Srushti said that her body parts felt frozen and she was in pain. But her focus towards achieving this goal was what kept her going despite the difficulties. “Due to strong practice, I was familiar with all the changes in my mind and body, so I was calm and composed until the end," she said.

After scripting such an unbelievable record, Srushti slept for an entire day. Performing a dance marathon for as long as she did is no easy task. To achieve this world record, young Srushti had to train for 15 months under her grandfather Baban Mane, who taught her a form of guided meditation as 'yogic sleep' or 'Yoga Nidra' which gave her control over sleep.

Six hours of practicing dance, four hours of guided meditation and exercising for three hours is what Srushti's daily schedule looked like. She had five hours of sleep every night, going to bed at 10 pm and waking up at 3 am. Not just this but Srushti attuned herself to experiencing such a marathon by performing two such marathons, of 126 hours each.