She has been away from her new Singaporean home for over a month now. The Margazhi frenzy in Chennai may have died down, but Sathvikaa Shankar’s season is just beginning. She has spent the last few weeks in guru Anita Guha’s home, preparing for her upcoming solos, even while participating in the group productions that her guru is known for. She says that it feels exactly like it always has over the last 19 years, ever since she began training under Anita Guha.
“I jumped at the first chance of learning from her,” Sathvikaa reminisces. All of six years old, she found a second family in her classmates, a group of young dancers who continue to perform together till date.
Discovering the art
She spent the next six years discovering the art form, often juggling school with rehearsals for nritya natakams. Essaying diverse roles, the experience held Sathvikaa in good stead, preparing her not only for her arangetram at age 12, but also receiving the Bala Shri award through PSBB Nungambakkam at age 13. It was the first time the award was conferred upon a dancer from Chennai.
“I began to take my art seriously; improving my technique by imbibing the finer aspects,” she says. While solos enhanced Sathvikaa’s margam skills, the dance dramas had her portraying masculine roles, exploring a new array of body language that gave Sathvikaa a peek into her guru’s vision as a dramatist.
As Sathvikaa continued to perform, she pursued commerce and eventually, completed chartered accountancy.
“The balance was enjoyable. Rehearsals would break the monotony of studying and re-energise when exams came,” she recalls.
It’s a balance that Sathvikaa no longer needs to strike. Now a full-time company dancer with Singapore’s Apsaras Arts, she is a part of a group of dancers that works to merge different styles in large-scale productions, performed almost every weekend.
“It’s amazing to see that each dancer’s style has its own beauty. We just respond to each other on stage. Often, the result is magical,” she smiles.
The shift, Sathvikaa says, has been a smooth one, attributing it completely to the training methodology of her guru. “She has trained us to be versatile by making us perform different roles over the years.”
Now, Sathvikaa’s style has become a blend of her guru’s Kalakshetra pattern and her understanding of bhava. And Apsaras has added another dimension to her art.
“It’s such a joy to be in Chennai. This is where it all began and this is where I realised art is my calling,” she says before rushing to another session of rehearsal.
