Of all the blessings she feels gratitude for, the one she’s most thankful for is the one that got her closer to dance. Nilakshi Khandkar Saxena, who is looking forward to her upcoming performance at India Habitat Centre, remembers the day when it happened. “It was at the age of five when I started learning with my very talented elder sister. Because of her and my parents, I plunged deep into the field and the world of dance soon opened itself to me,” says Saxena. She then began her training with Dr Smt. Sadhana Naphde for 12 years. Post that, at the age of 18, she came to Delhi for advanced training under Guru Pandit Rajendra Ganganiji of Jaipur Gharana at Kathak kendra. Today, a Masters in Kathak from Khairagarh University, the dancer feels fortunate to have been introduced to a field that’s today become her identity.
For her upcoming solo performance, Saxena will be performing with musicians. “It will be in the traditional format of Kathak, which will include invocation followed by the technical repertoire of the dance form involving abhinaya showcasing nayika,” says Saxena, who has conducted many lecture-demonstrations and workshops for Spicmacay across the country. Life has changed drastically for her, from rehearsing over the weekend to becoming a full-time dancer. She says dance led her to the larger field of art that she looks upon as God’s gift. “I was fortunate enough to have both my gurus who not only gave me lessons in dance but also taught me to live, think and express. My students have also played a great role in making me a patient human. Before the age of five, dance, which was something I never liked, became my passion,” she says.
Saxena often wonders about how the almighty has planned our lives. How sometimes things are just destined to happen like dance was in her destiny. She is a keen observer of society—its people, languages, culture, and lifestyles, which have been presented through her dance.
Her life has changed of late, after she got married. But, one thing has remained the same. Her morning riyaaz. Evenings are spent at her dance academy, Kala Sadhana. “A life of an artist is different from that of a normal person. We don’t have fixed hours or defined job roles. All our time is spent preparing, practising and performing,” she says.