Why I Dance..

Recently I got an opportunity to be a part of a very thoughtful campaign called Why I Dance by Kalanidhi school of dance and Indian Raga.

Why I dance...

Well, I have never tried to put in words till date as dance is something related to your heart and its an experience, it’s a feeling, more you connect to the dance more deeply you root into it. I was very shy when I was 3, my mom joined me to dance so that I will open up and the shyness in me will go.

As I started trying my baby steps in dance the magical rhythms started flowing inside me not technically but emotionally. At that tender age, I was simply use to enjoy the steps and music but nothing else. This is how I started walking in the path of Dance.

As I grew older and exposed to the different aspects of dance later I realised that Dance is so deep and vast that there is no end to the leaning and exploring. Dance helped me to keep myself focused, confident and clear in mind. When I started my advance training in bharathnatyam with a renowned guru Prof.M.R.Krishnamurthy in Kalakshiti, my perspective on dance has completely changed, he was a god in disguise to me. I Started sensing the Divinity in dance, started recognizing it more technically and most importantly dance gave me a good company to deal with my Teenage adolescence. Later, The love towards odissi made me to join and quit 25 yrs of dancing in bharathntyam. This major Shift of art form and unlearn the years together of practice, start from the scratch was not at all easy for me. But again dance gave me the hope that I can do and it taught me lot of patience in the process of learning.

Studying the ancient text on dance tradition, exploring the divine hasta mudras (hand gestures) connecting them technically with your eyes and expressions, intricate footwork on magical music beats and inculcate within you takes lot of practice and dedication and this builds the connection or a communication between your soul and the mind. Portraying the characters through Sthvika abhinaya and losing yourself consciously while dancing is no less than a meditation. Dance is an embodiment of Vitality. Dance is my inner emotion and brings the best version of me every time i dance. Dance brings the joy in my heart. Dance makes me feel buoyant and That’s why I dance. I am so fortunate to have Dance in my life.