Vyshnavie Sainath is a name to reckon with in today’s dance arena. She has carved a niche of her own with her multi-faceted expertise. Yes, this bundle of talent is not just a Bharatanatyam danseuse, she is also well-versed in Odissi, a qualified kalaripayattu artiste (an ancient martial art form), a trekker who had successfully completed the Himalayan peak recently all by herself, a teacher of dance who is pursuing her doctorate.
Vyshnavie had recently bagged the prestigious ‘Nadanamamani’ award from Chennai-based Karthik Fine Arts for being the best performing artiste in the present generation, a teacher who is imparting her art to the next in line and “a crowd-puller who has her audience eating out of her hands as she performs on stage.
These are our criteria for selection of an artiste from dance field for presenting the award which comprises a cash gift of 1, 25,000 and a citation. Vyshnavie Sainath is the second young dancer in the history of this Sabha to get this award which lays down an age limit for the dancer, viz. 25-40,” says Karthik Fine Arts chairman L. Sabaretnam.
A visibly excited Vyshnavie says, “I’m overjoyed but at the same time, was tense before receiving it. It is a crowning glory because it is usually bestowed upon a senior artiste in the prime of her performances. It is a way of telling me my worth and I will live up to it.”
Reflecting her dance journey across these years wherein she saw her mother Rajeswari Sainath perform and teach scores of children who have now become dancers of their own, Vyshnavie says, “I literally grew up in dance though it took time to soak in. Even in my 10th standard, I had this fascination to become an engineer and took math-related subjects which saw me through Intermediate also.
I love exploring and that is what took me to Odissi and Kalari which made me more flexible and agile as a dancer. Like one thing leading to another as it always does in life, with Kalari I felt I understood myself, my physical potential and capability; the fear of injury in doing certain movements has been wiped out with Kalari. I have become confident and this led me to further explore the Himalayas.” This lithe dancer is an inspiration for aspiring artistes — live by your terms and love what you are performing — all things will then fall into place!
