“Call it genetic lottery!” says classical dancer Amritha Jayakrishnan about her artistic inclination. Given that her mother Mayadevi Kurup, a classical dancer and medical practitioner, is the daughter of littérateur ONV Kurup, she naturally grew up in a family steeped in the arts.
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Working as a business development consultant in London, Amritha is in the city for a Kuchipudi recital, ‘Angika - A pranaamam to Kuchipudi’.
Trained in dance from the age of four, she learnt Bharatanatyam from Girija Chandran of Regatta dance school and, later, from her mother when the family moved to the UK. “And whenever we came to Kerala during the vacations, it was a routine to learn dance and music,” she says.
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Her exposure to Kuchipudi was at a dance school run by Neena Prasad. “I became her student while in high school at Trivandrum International School. Chennai-based Kuchipudi exponent Jaikishore Mosalikanti used to take classes at her place and I was fascinated by the style,” she adds. In between she learnt Mohiniyattam from her mother.
Her “intense training” in Mohiniyattam and Kuchipudi was under Sreedevi Rajan and Anupama Mohan, respectively. “They have been gurus for a decade now, along with my mother and Aswathy Nair, who runs Lakshya School of Dance and Music in the capital city,” Amritha says.
Devoted to dance
She points out that she never let go of dance even while pursuing her under-graduation in law from the University of Durham in the UK and masters in Management from Imperial College, London. “The city of London is a melting pot of art and culture. I got introduced to several dance styles and met excellent teachers. Gradually I started doing my own productions, inspired by my mother, who has choreographed many works based on my grandfather’s poems. I was also involved in the activities of Sruthi, an art and cultural organisation started by my parents and a few families in London. While my father, Vijay Jayakrishnan, also a doctor, was into theatre, my mother handled dance productions,” she explains.
Amritha now runs a “dance company”, Mayaloka, which, she says, is “a platform for like-minded artistes” to collaborate. “It’s not a dance school. All of us are freelance artistes, as many of us are either working professionals or students. We come together to work on new productions, which blend different styles, such as classical, contemporary and cinematic,” Amritha says, adding that her husband, Pranav Shailendra, a doctor, supports her in many of the productions.
Amritha mentions that her recital in the city is dedicated to all her teachers. “I have been into the creative side for sometime and needed a break from that. For me, every performance is like a learning process. Since my company allowed me to take a sabbatical I came down to Kerala to work with my teachers,” she says.
At the programme, she will perform four pieces, two each of Anupama Mohan and Vempati Chinna Satyam, Anupama’s guru. She is also looking forward to ‘Arangu’, an event for up-and-coming talents at the Soorya Festival to be held in December this year. “I will present a Kuchipudi piece based on a poem by Sugathakumari teacher in ‘Arangu’,” she adds.
Amritha asserts that she wants to balance her profession and dance, like her mother. “I give my 100 percent to both,” she says.
She performs at Ganesham, Thycaud, on August 24 at 6.45 pm.