My mom is an artist. So, when I was a kid, she tried her luck by sending me to various “hobby classes” – singing, painting, instruments, sculpting and what not! Little did she know, I will be kicked out of all of them other than one – my awesome dance classes! Oh how I loved it. Running back from school, getting ready and going with a bunch of girls to a neighborhood dance school became an everyday occurrence for me and something that I looked forward to with much joy and anticipation. Well, I really thought I had found my calling (remember I was just a 2nd grader and everything was still invisible to me!!) and so I persevered my Bharatanatyam dance classes for many more years….

For the western world, Indian classical dances are exotic, enchanting and seductive. Yes, the 7 Classical dances of India are all of that and much more…. It is tied to the history, culture and heritage of this beautiful country. All the 7 dance forms reflect stories and episodes of various cultural and religious texts and every dance sequence has a message for the audience. It really depends on the dancer how he / she moves and emotes different feelings. In simpler terms, imagine Rose and Jack of Titanic, on a stage, dancing (not speaking) and telling the audience their feelings, their emotions, their true story – wouldn’t it be epic? Guess what, In my dance class, we learnt how to emote and move to different feelings and rhythms!

Historically what started as dancers performing in temples (Place of worship for Hindus), now became an everyday occurrence in my family living room. Being a “daddy`s girl”, I would love to show him my new moves and steps and oh! He was the best audience and my truest fan – little did he know that his little girl will continue her learning for nearly ten years and he will be shelling out big bucks in the process!!!

For more facts, experiences, pictures, tips – keep reading this space!