HYDERABAD: Renowned television anchor and actress Shilpa Chakraborty performed a kathak dance recital at Shilparamam on Saturday for ‘Nrityarchana’, a festival celebrating various classical dance forms of India. The actor shared the stage with her guru Sanjay Kumar Joshi, founder of Parampara Dance and Music Forum, Hyderabad.
Talking about the experience, Shilpa says “It was special for me to get back on the stage with my Guru ji after 19 years. Not everybody gets this opportunity. I am looking forward for more such experiences. The pleasant evening weather, enthusiastic crowd and ambience at Shilparamam made the experience even more memorable”.
The popular TV anchor had pursued her dancing passion for ten years under Joshi, from age 8 to 18, after which she took a break to start a career in the film and television industry. She has a diploma in Kathak and is currently back to learning, practising and performing the dance. “Dance is an integral part of my life. I was already dancing ever since I was a toddler. Now my daughter is also into it. Kathak is the only thing I know about dancing and it’s my passion to be dancing till my last breath. I don’t know how much of it is possible though, as the knee condition doesn’t always permit,” chuckles Shilpa.
She and her guru had practiced for four days at the Parampara forum for the show. “Shilpa is a promising dancer. And if she decides do to something she will do it with all her heart. Although she got into a different profession altogether, she kept the art in her alive. She had joined my classes when she was eight years old, now she has joined in again along with her eight-year-old daughter,” says Joshi. Shilpa is simultaneously pursuing a kathak course from Akhil Bharatiya Gandharva Mahavidyalaya Mandal, an institution for the promotion and propagation of Indian classical music and dance. At other times, she is emceeing TV and live shows.