Avanti Arya, Founder of Avanti School of Performing Arts, has been teaching dance for almost half a decade now. Her story started in 2015, after she left her well-paying MNC job, started teaching dance to a bunch of young girls who were children of domestic workers. From there to opening her own dance school, Avanti has come a long way.
During her school and college days, she started training in music. She believes that it is because of her mother that she developed a liking for performing arts. “She was a singer and used to participate in several events during her college days. We used to sing together in our free time,” she says.
MBA over Kathak
While growing up, in addition to music, she also learnt Kathak. That is when her journey in dance started. A reminiscent Avanti says, “When I was in the final year of graduation, I was awarded the best singer, actress, and dancer of the year. I used to participate in every function in my early days. I mastered the art of Kathak from Bhatkhande Vidhyalaya, Lucknow in nearly two years. However, I did not get my degree as I was busy with the last semester exams.”
Her parents advised her to focus on academics, instead of the performing arts, as they believed that dancing would not help her in paying bills. “I have graduated in economics as well as music, and keeping in mind the importance of education, I pursued an MBA in human resource. It has played a major role in my life. Due to skills and knowledge that I learnt during my MBA, I could gather the courage and confidence to come up with such an initiative.”
Many underprivileged children do not get a chance to join performing arts schools or training centres due to high fees. Considering this, Avanti started her school to teach dance to these kids and help them live their dream. “A lot of patience and time is needed when you are with kids. The outcome is what motivates me everyday to go and work.”
Along with her team, Avanti makes sure that every child gets personal attention and gains the required skills. She ensures that they get their doubts clarified and get the confidence to excel.
“A lady once brought her daughter to me and told me that she was a classical dancer but never won competitions. She requested us to choreograph a dance for her. Her old teacher used to constantly scream at her, and that made her reluctant to perform. But when my team and I trained her, she stood first in the completion. I taught her the accuracy in dancing, because that is what she lacked. Since that day, she has been leading her troop and continues to win competitions,” adds Avanti.
Empowering women
Avanti School of Performing Arts has been set up with the aim of creating a hub for cultural activities under one roof, with the main focus on art and craft, and instrumental music. “We want to emphasise the importance of performing arts in India, and for people to understand the Indian culture through performing arts,” explains Avanti.
Through this school, Avanti also wants to empower girls and women. “Different forms of culture and performing arts are spreading awareness about social issues, such as ending violence against women, women’s economic empowerment, women’s leadership, and so on.” She believes that within contemporary as well as traditional realms of culture, many women in India, regardless of their economic background, remain unrepresented and often ignored.
“Commercial aspects of culture, art, music and related fields show gender bias and carry socially-entrenched stereotypes, which seem to perpetuate, generation after generation. Through performing arts, women can be empowered, as they have a chance for fair representation and help them become better decision makers,” says Avanti.
