If you thought ‘young professionals’ applies only to entrepreneurs, think again. The field of classical dance has been an inspiration for youngsters in the city to go that extra mile and turn their hobby into a way of life. We take a look at the promising artists who hope to go beyond performances and the usual mode of instruction and imbibe a sense of pride and a dash of creativity to make the art appealing to generations of students.
Yamini Reddy
Considering her lineage, it is not surprising that Yamini Reddy chose dance over any other career. The daughter of stalwarts Padmabhushan Raja and Radha Reddy, Yamini also excelled in academics before her foray into the world of Kuchipudi. After completing her bachelor’s degree at Lady Shri Ram College in Delhi, she went on to do an MBA in Finance.
Growing up with the art form,Yamini began learning Kuchipudi at a young age and perfected her dancing skills at her parent’s academy. She has now come a full circle as she runs her own dance academy in the city at Jubilee Hills.
She agrees that teachers play an important role in honing skills but the effort from students is necessary as well. “I encourage my students to put in a lot of time and effort in learning the dance form. I want them to learn Kuchipudi with passion and even pursue the dance form professionally,” says Yamini.
Every dancer’s dream is to contribute to the dance form. “I would like to be one of the top dancers of the country and continue teaching and performing. I would like to be an inspiration to all the young dancers who want to pursue it professionally.”
Talking about what makes her classes different from others, the 30 year-old dancer says, “I conduct the classes personally for a limited number of students and I make sure my students understand and appreciate the art form. I strongly believe that understanding the story, ‘hastas’ and other fine points get the student interested in the dance form. I encourage them to come up with something new and experiment instead of just following what has been taught.” She adds, “I encourage students to add some of their own jattis in jati svaram. It is important that parents are patient and give their children the right amount of support to keep them interested.”
Yamini takes dance classes at Natya Tarangini, Jubliee Hills.
She conducts weekend classes on Saturday from 4:30 pm onwards and Sunday at 10:00 am.
Contact: 040 2355 8901
Chelna Galada
At the young age of 21, Chelna is a Bharatanatyam student herself and also teaches at her guru’s dance class. A graduate from St Francis College for Women in B.Sc Microbiology, she started young at the age of 15 with the renowned dancer Ananda Shankar Jayant, and is currently pursuing a diploma in dance.
“Dance has gave me the necessary confidence initially. My parents encouraged me to attend dance classes but when I started comprehending the meaning of the composition, I became interested in learning the dance form,” observes Chelna. Talking about the USP of her dance classes, Chelna says, “We teach Kalashetra form of Bharatanatyam. This form is undiluted and we set a right pace for the students to learn the art. To make the classes interesting for the students, we have activity classes where they are encouraged to showcase a small story through their dance. This allows them to experiment with the mudras and gets them interested in the dance form.”
Chelna conducts classes at the Shankarananda Kalakshetra in Film Nagar, Jubilee Hills. Her classes are twice every week at 6:30 pm. She charges `1000 per month for beginners
Contact: 040 2354 2378 or 2354 8384
Sneha Magapu
This 26 year-old Bharatanatyam dancer balances work and dance perfectly. Sneha completed her graduation in computer engineering from Anna University, Chennai and works for Microsoft as a programme manager.
“Focus is very important to do anything and flexibility of work also makes it easier. I have a good understanding with my colleagues and I need to work hard to maintain the balance,” observes Sneha.
Trained in the art form for over 20 years now, Sneha has been teaching for the past two years. A student of Ananda Shankar Jayant, she makes time for her profession and passion. “Dance is a personal experience. Dance is meditation for me. I am completely focused on dance and it relieves me of all the tension,” says Sneha. Though relatively young in the feild, the artist has big dreams for Bharatanatyam. “I would like to bring out the positivity of the dance form and want the audience to appreciate the power dance has.”
Her method of teaching varies slightly as she expects her students to become keen observers. “There is truth in every dance form. I cannot push everybody to learn. But I make it a point to encourage my students to go to watch performances and learn from the performances they see.”
Sneha also teaches at the Shankarananda Kalakshetra at Madhapur. She conducts classes every Tuesday and Wednesday from 5:30 to 7:00 pm and charges `1300 per month.
Contact: 040 2354 2378 or 2354 8384
Vyshnavie Sainath
A versatile dancer trained in Bharatanatyam, Odissi and in the process of learning contemporary dance, Vyshnavie Sainath is a versatile performer. Vyshanavie has been training with her mother, and noted Bharatnatyam astist and choreographer, Rajeshwari Sainath for the last 18 years.
The 22 year-old has completed her MA in Bharatanatyam from Madras Academy and is a post-graduate in HR from St. Francis College for Women. However, dance is what keeps her going, admits Vyshnavie.
“Dance is my life, without dance I don’t think I can function. I am good at it and it gives me a great amount of happiness,” she simply expresses.
Vyshnavie learnt Odissi at Bhubaneswar from Durga Charan Ranbir, known for his repertoire in teaching. “I love teaching dance and I am blessed with students who are interested in it. I believe that the way we package and present dance is important in gaining attention from students. Hence we should make it as interesting as possible.”
The young dancer hopes to inspire more people to take up the art form.
“I am learning, teaching and performing, all at the same time. It's not hard and would like to motivate others to take up dance as well. One day, I would also like to choreograph a combination of classical and western dance forms,” hopes the youngster.
The artist teaches Bharatanatyam and Odissi at the Vyshnavie Natya Center, Road No. 7, Banjara Hills from 4:30 to 7:30 pm.
Contact: 9246 109946