Sonal & Nicole of Team Naach and the Galentine story!

Social Ketchup Ed, Mrinil Mathur Rajwani sits down with content creator–dance trainer duo Nicole Concessao and Sonal Devraj of Team Naach to talk about choosing friendship, protecting craft, navigating business as best friends, and why dancing together still feels like home.

Why self-love in men still needs nor there are friendships that exist in photographs, and then there are friendships that survive rehearsals, rejections, exhaustion, and algorithms. For years, Nicole Concessao and Sonal Devraj have chosen each other, not just as friends, but as business partners. Long before Galentine’s Day became mainstream, they built and survived female friendships that were not limited to being each other’s cheerleaders but also to collaborating to build a career together. What started as a mutual passion for dance and trust in each other has now become India’s most recognisable dance platforms.

But beyond the choreography, beyond the viral hits and packed workshops, lies something quieter and more powerful: an unspoken understanding. A partnership built not on strategy decks, but on showing up for each other. The fear of vulnerability vs the cost of conforming.

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Galentine’s Day celebrates chosen relationships. What made you choose each other, and keep choosing each other, year after year, as friends and as business partners?

Team Naach have been friends for almost 20 years now. According to Nicole Concessao, Sonal Devraj has taught her a lot through the years. "It was always easy to be friends with Sonal. She’s a very simple human being; there’s no extra frill, no drama." To her, Sonalj is kind, grounded and steady. What drew Nicole to her in the first place and has kept them together till now is the fact that she is "genuinely sweet and genuinely thoughtful."

Sonal also notes how she can always count on Nicole. "It’s not just about being together during the good times. It’s about who shows up when things aren’t easy. There have been difficult situations, personally and professionally, and she’s always the first person I call. And not just call, she’s the first one who arrives."

They've shared incredible trips, many milestones, and built a business together. But true friendship reveals itself in tough moments. Very recently, during one of their workshops, Sonal was extremely exhausted. There were around 120 people in front of them. A three-hour class of back-to-back teaching, and midway, she started feeling sick and drained. "Imagine standing there, with everyone looking at you, expecting energy, focus, motivation. I looked at her from the stage, just one look, to say, 'I’m not okay.' She immediately said, 'I’ll take over.'" It wasn’t even Nicole's choreography to teach, but she stepped in without hesitation. That’s what choosing each other looks like. They've known each other so long that they don’t even need words anymore. One look is enough.

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Which strengths and dynamics made you feel it was right to build and plan things together?

They never sat down and strategised like, “You’re good at this, I’m good at that.” It wasn’t calculated. It was simply, “Do you want to start teaching dance together?” And the answer was yes. That’s how Team Naach began. " We both genuinely love dance. That was the foundation. Business came later, something we learned along the way." Initially, it was always about art, about creating, about teaching. The business side evolved as they grew.

Whenever situations came up, they naturally slipped into different roles. There wasn’t a formal division. It just happened seamlessly. Over time, they understood each other’s strengths — not just as friends, but as professionals within the company.

How similar and different are you both at Team Naach and outside of it?

Nicole believes they’re the same. "Honestly, exactly the same. I don’t think there’s any façade. How long can you keep that up anyway? We’ve been teaching for over a decade." Some people have a very clear professional face, and then a different, relaxed personality socially; that's the case with Sonal. "I think I would like to have a professional face sometimes, but I have a hard time creating one."

Do you feed off each other’s energy?

Sonal and Nicole definitely feed off each other because they’re friends. "Obviously, we have our own inside jokes. But personality-wise, we’re pretty much the same wherever you meet us."

Among being creators, dance trainers, and business professionals — where do you find yourselves most comfortable?

"In class, teaching. That’s where it all started." Teaching is when they're the happiest.

People talk a lot about “work wives” and “best friends in business.” What’s the truth no one tells you?

Nicole believes in two things that are slightly different. "First, and touchwood, I don’t believe in that stereotype that women don’t work well together because of ego or clashes. I don’t think that’s true at all." To her, if you’re working with one of your closest friends, it takes work. "Like any relationship, it takes effort. It’s not effortless." There has to be trust, respect, and most importantly, respect for each other’s space. That’s the only reason they’ve been able to function the way they have so far.

Team Naach has existed across multiple internet eras, from YouTube tutorials to pandemic online classes, to reel culture, to worldwide tours. What has staying relevant actually required from both of you?

Consistency. "We try to consistently create good choreography. No matter the format, vertical or horizontal, the camera may shift, and the platform may change. But our focus has always been on dancing well and creating something meaningful every time." Trends will come and go, but Team Naach will be there.

Do you think audiences understand how much off-camera labour goes into being a long-term creator duo?

Sonal thinks there are two categories of people. "There’s the OG Team Naach gang, the ones who’ve followed us for years. They understand the growth."  These people have seen their efforts and are aware that being relevant 11 years later doesn’t just happen. "It comes from consistent work. That’s why they’re still here."

"Then there are newer audiences who may just see hair, glam, makeup, costumes, and a performance. They might not fully understand the amount of work that goes into it." Those who’ve seen the journey know that they started with zero-budget videos. And today, they’re doing high-production shoots. Their classes have grown from five or ten students to 100 or even 200 in a room. "So yes, there’s a bifurcation. Some people see the polish. Others see the process."

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Nicole and Sonal are the soul of Team Naach, not only because they invented it but also because they have fought through years of change and grown together with understanding, determination and consistency. As they said, "Trends will come and go, but Team Naach will be there."

This article was first published in the Social Ketchup Magazine's February 2026 edition.

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