This evening, three sets of performers related to each other by blood will showcase their talent while honouring family tradition of classical dance. While Bharatanatyam dancer Dakshina Vaidyanathan and Kuchipudi dancer Prateeksha Kashi have trained under their respective mothers, Odissi dancer Arushi Mudgal received formal training from her aunt. We spoke to the three shishyas to know more…
Bharatanatyam: Rama Vaidyanathan and Dakshina Vaidyanathan
Dakshina recalls imploring her mother to teach her to dance, while at school. “I performed on stage in school once and I remember being so excited about it. Dance was, and still is, a huge deal for me,” says the danseuse. Although Dakshina started training under her mother and performing alongside, it wasn’t until she completed her engineering that dance became the focus. Explaining how the lines were clearly demarcated, Dakshina explains, “In class, we were guru-shishya but at home, she was my mother. There was no question of overstepping these lines and I feel, this is what works best,” she says.
Dakshina feels that the standards expected from her are justified. “If I have got the opportunity and guidance because my mother is my guru, then I should also be judged on that account. People should be expected to expect more out of me. I liked the challenge and I like to live up to it, even if it is to run that extra mile to prove that destiny made the right choice,” she adds with a smile.
Kuchipudi: Vyajanthi Kashi and Prateeksha Kashi
Prateeksha is often told that, she ran on to the stage when her mother was performing ‘Amba’ with her team as a precocious five year old. “So, in a way, I started performing even before my training,” she laughs. While informal training was a part of Prateeksha’s growing up years, it’s when she decided she needed the discipline to take up dancing professionally, that formal training ensued.
She believes that people who have a legacy to follow often face challenges – familial or societal pressure to take up the discipline and be as good as your parent or guru. Thankfully, she has been spared both. “I have been very lucky to have a family who never pressurised me into becoming a dancer. They also believe that it’s okay to fail sometimes,” she says. When she performs with her mother on stage, Prateeksha says there is an added element of ease. “She is my guru, but she is also my mother. When the word ‘mother’ makes an appearance, there is automatically a sense of comfort,” she adds with a smile.
Odissi: Madhavi Mudgal and Arushi Mudgal
For Arushi, the biggest advantage of having her aunt as her guru, has been the artistic atmosphere she has grown up in. “My parents, sister and grandparents are musicians and my aunt is a dancer, so I was immersed in the arts right from my childhood. Lunch and dinnertime discussions would often be about dance and music, so I unknowingly picked up a lot of things from there,” she recalls. Even before she started taking formal lessons from her aunt, Arushi would often be seen observing Madhavi during her rehearsals.
While her aunt has never been very expressive with her words, Arushi says just a slight appreciative nod from her means more to her than any direct compliment. “I remember I had choreographed a sequence and she had not seen it earlier. She saw it only during my performance and she was so excited and happy. It was a very special moment for me,” she shares.
Guru-Shishya Parampara within Family Tradition will take place today at Experimental Theatre, NCPA at 6.30 p.m.
