CHENNAI: Bhairavi Venkatesan began dancing from a young age itself, and that’s no surprise, given the fact that both her mother and aunt are dancers too. From essaying the role of baby Krishna at the age of two to the beginning of her formal training when she was five and performing on several stages ever since, the 19-year-old has come a long way. “I learnt dance under my aunt, Sheela Unnikrishnan, and still continue to do so,” says Bhairavi.
Although Bhairavi did learn Kuchipudi for a few years under her mother, she was keen on pursuing Bharatanatyam only. “I have learnt the basics of Kuchipudi, but I haven’t performed on stage,” she adds.
Ask her about the similarities and differences between the two dance forms, and she says: “I feel Bharatanatyam is more grounded and firm, and therefore easier to learn. Kuchipudi, on the other hand, is more fluid and has a lot more leaps and turns.”
Bhairavi, as part of her solo recital in the city today, will be performing a basic margam which will include an invocatory piece, an alaripu, a varnam, a keerthanam, a padam and a thillana. Having performed both as a soloist and also with her dance group, Bhairavi points out, “While performing in a group, it is more about building rapport with fellow dancers and also being confident. Going solo is more challenging because the expressions have to be a bit more focused. But it’s also immensely satisfying to do a solo performance.”
The dancer practices for four to five hours every day and wants to learn Kathak, because she finds it graceful and beautiful. Would she like to fuse different dance forms? “Experimenting is welcome and also refreshing. However, it is always good to stick to the basics and the roots of a style as that should not get lost in the experiment,” she shares.
The young dancer is pursuing her first year Sociology in the city, juggles between her practices and classes, and wants to become a writer. A Chennaiite by “heart and soul”, Bhairavi has had fond memories of the Marghazhi season and has been performing over the last couple of years. “Marghazhi season is so Chennai-specific and it is something that is only ours. It is fun to go sabha hopping, watch some great artists perform, eat good food and of course, perform too,” she chuckles.
Bhairavi Venkatesan will perform today (Jan 9) from 6.30 pm onwards at Vani Mahal, T Nagar. For details, call: 28152166