Shreya Shah-Spreading her wings Well-mannered, soft-spoken, 14 year old Shreya Shah is in 9th Grade class at the Atlanta International School (AIS). In addition to English, she also studies Spanish and Latin, loves Chorus classes and enjoys performing in on-stage musical shows at the School. She has also performed in Kruti Dance Academy’s annual dance and music recital at the Atlanta Symphony Hall and Fox Theatre. Shreya loves volunteering. especially at the annual fall festival “World Fest”, which celebrates the community’s diversity through music, food and entertainment activities. She also loves participating in the Indian spring festival of ‘Holi’ at her school... Shreya’s other interests are: listening to music, reading, traveling, hiking, volleyball, golf and swimming. She has spent ten days in Costa Rica, on a Student-Exchange Program (Spanish class), living with a local family and vice versa. She has also gone to tour around Germany with her Honor Choir singing at various churches and schools. She is very cheerful, helpful and is able to lift your spirits in a heartbeat

executed as she performed her riveting dance. I felt the thrill of being on stage like her and performing the exquisite art form. From that very moment, I knew that I must pursue my passion for dancing. I expressed my interest in learning Bharat Natyam dance to my family who were fully supportive from the very beginning. I was enrolled in famed Kruti Dance Academy in Atlanta, which offers classes not only in Bharat Natyam dancing but also Bollywood and fusion dancing.


The first few years of my training involved learning the baseline for “vehicles of expression”; which are the movement of limbs, language of gestures (hastas), rhythm executed by the feet, and poetry sung by musicians and danced by dancers. It was shocking to me to learn that even the slightest flick of the wrist or movement of the eyes could change the entire meaning of the story. Bharat Natyam is intended to portray the characters and story of Mahabharat, Ramayana and the Puranas. The stories are portrayed to give a philosophical meaning to life. In order to correctly portray the characters that appear in the stories, one must not only understand the Gods and Goddesses, but life itself and the ways of human beings, and how through dance we can transcend our limits and show the purity and divinity of all mankind. Dancing is not only performed for entertainment but to uplift the viewer. The artistic expression comes from the dancer’s soul, defining the dance and portraying devotion, obedience, discipline, passion, love and respect and gratitude for the Guru, family and friends. The old ways of dancing in a temple by Devadasis are no longer around, however the dancer must be able to bring the spirit and bhakti of the temple to the stage. I hope that on the day of my arangetram I am able to bring that spirit back on the stage when I dance. I have learnt that dancing is not only about the movements incorporated in the dance however it is about learning about our culture


I have been attending Kruti Dance Academy for about six years now and wish to continue for several more years. With the guidance, encouragement and support from my Guru, Dinaben Sheth, and from my family, I am really hoping to accomplish my dream of finishing my Bharat Natyam Arangetram within the next 2-3 years,


Let me end with one of my favorite quotes on Bharat Natyam, “For those whose minds are limited and who lack creative imagination everything is limited, … people are unable to see into the deep meaning of the art and behind the mere words of the scriptures. But for those who are truly creative artists, there is the meeting place of individual experience. Its amazing to see how limitless an art Bharat Natyam is.”

Courtesy: ‘Bharat Natyam’ by Marq Publications.


Namaste!

August 18, 2009