Preetisha and Sujata Mohapatra (Odissi)
With her grace and grandeur of stances, fluid movements and neat footwork, Preetisha is a treat to watch. The granddaughter of Odissi Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra and daughter of accomplished Odissi dancers, Sujata and Ratikanta, she grew up living and breathing Odissi. “I trained under my grandpa, saw my mom perform but my father has been instrumental in developing my interest in the dance,” says Preetisha, 16, who is based out of Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
“She is disciplined during the classes but liberal with me. I give her a clue and she picks up real fast, so that helps her. She is a flower on stage, effortless and spontaneous and often surprises me on stage,” says her mother, who danced even nine months into her pregnancy and resumed practice 21 days after her daughter was born.
“We have our conflicts, but I love to see my mom’s expressions and father’s choreography. All three of us share and discuss everything and anything under the sun,” Preetisha says. While she adds a contemporary touch to her performances, Sujata is a strict traditional performer and this difference lends a certain magic to their performances together.
Dakshina and Rama Vaidyanathan (Bharatnatyam)
Delhi-based Dakshina, 26, learned Bharatnatyam when she was hardly three. Trained by Bharatnatyam exponent Rama Vaidyanathan, who is also her mother, Dakshina also trained under her grandmother Saroja Vaidyanathan. “Once she understood the expressions of the form, she used to cry when she couldn’t dance like me and I had to do a lot of consoling. And look at her perform now with so much grace and finesse,” says Rama, a strict disciplinarian as far as mentoring Dakshina is concerned.
Dakshina feels Bharatnatyam to a large extent defines her existence. “I am told I was so fascinated by the dance that I would be sitting in the cradle watching my mom rehearse. I can’t even remember when I started dancing because it was like learning to walk, talk and eat,” she says.
A dancer by passion, Dakshina is an engineer by education. She has been performing professionally for about four years now. “There is a lot of pressure dancing with my mom because it’s a huge honour. But the pressure pushes me to run that extra mile, to outdo myself every time,” says Dakshina.
Both mother and daughter share a special bond that goes beyond just dance. “We do lots of fun things together like finding new restaurants to eat, visit new places and party together,” they say.
Prateeksha and Vyjayanthi Kashi (Kuchipudi)
Surrounded by Kuchipudi dancers 24x7, Prateeksha, 25, took to dancing at a very young age. “I hear from my parents that I started my ‘formal’ training when I was five. But if you ask me, I have been dancing from the time I can remember,” she says.
Dancing with mother Vyjayanthi gives her a sense of security. “I feel protected and at ease when I go on stage with her. For me, the best part of being with mom on stage is that the performance becomes a natural dialogue between us,” says Bengaluru-based Prateeksha who studied to be an engineer.
An empanelled artist of Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Prateeksha has toured various countries to perform and conduct workshops with her mother. “She has been following in my footsteps even before coming into this world. I remember her responding to the beat of my rhythm during dance classes when I was carrying her. I guess that’s when her journey began,” says Vyjayanti, who is trained in Bharatnatyam, Kuchipudi and Temple Ritual Dances.
“Now she has been on stage for almost 10 years dancing with my group, as a soloist and off late we do many duet performances,” she adds.
Aarhie Kaushik and Anita Sharma (Sattriya)
A DU graduate in psychology, Aarhie, 22, pursuing an M Sc in psychology from Montfort college, Bengaluru, feels blessed to be born in a cultural family. “Dance is an intregal part our life. As I grew up watching my mother Anita Sharma practise Sattriya, I grew passionate about the dance,” says Aarhie, who lives in Guwahati, Assam.
Aarhie has performed at most major dance festivals in India and accompanied her mother abroad as well. Anita is one of the finest Sattriya exponents in India today. “It feels great to be the daughter of a great dancer but it does increase the pressure and expectations. I hope I take forward her legacy,” she adds. Aarhie plans to work on the impact of dance on mental health. She has been training under Guru Jatin Goswami since she was three.
“She always tries to add her own style of presenting the item. I find her managing well with her own creativity. So I knew she would develop her own style soon and she did,” beams Anita.