Cultural trip to New Delhi
Cultural trip to New Delhi
During half term, we had the chance to partake in a cultural, immersive trip to New Delhi, along with the Arunima Kumar Dance Company, filled with performances, rehearsals, masterclasses and so much more. It was a privilege to be a part of our Guru Arunima Kumar's dream, to connect with our dance roots in India. This was an opportunity of a lifetime, not only because we had the privilege of performing Kuchipudi in one of the most prestigious venues in the world, the India Habitat Centre, but also because world-renowned Gurus, legends in their form, gave us glimpses into the extraordinary dances they taught, Chhau, Bharatanatyam and Kathak. As a bonus, we were also able to celebrate Diwali in India with our family, friends, and grandparents, which is one of the many things we have always wanted to do. This trip also opened our eyes to the dance world that we had only imagined, while teaching us life lessons about the forms that we would otherwise have never experienced in London, as these ancient traditions cannot be replicated. This greatly changed our perspective, giving our pieces more life with the gurus’ words - for as amateur performers, any wise advice never goes to waste.Since the age of four, we have been learning an Indian classical dance named Kuchipudi. This dance form is an ancient tradition from Andhra Pradesh, in South India from the 15th century. It is a very graceful and fluid form, as it mimics the river, which was next to its hometown, the village of Kuchipudi – which is now a UNESCO world heritage site.
We are most fortunate to have trained under the world-renowned and globally recognised guru, Arunima Kumar, who is not only the most passionate and devoted teacher, but also an incredible dancer. She has recently been awarded the King Charles III’s Honorary British Empire Medal (BEM), making her the first Kuchipudi dancer to receive the honour. Alongside her, we had the privilege of performing at multiple different venues globally, including the V&A Museum, Westminster Abbey, Cadogan Hall, Silesian Park in Poland, and Clifford Chance’s Diwali Festival.
Hosted at the British Council, New Delhi, every day from 10am to 4pm, we would travel there for our rehearsals, donning our maroon and yellow practice saris to practice our pieces with our guru. She taught us about discipline, confidence, and work ethic, giving us more than just dance routines. She taught us not just technique and steps, but the deeper knowledge from our ancient roots. Our rehearsals were truly valuable experiences, for they were accompanied by live musicians, adding a completely new, surreal dimension to the space, submerging us in the rhythms of the mrindagam (drums) and the melodies of the bansari (flute). Afterwards, we, along with the other dancers, would devour our lunch and prepare ourselves for the masterclasses, which were part of an extremely unique aspect of this project. The masterclasses were classes taught by Padmashree gurus, legends in their field, who would immerse us in new dance forms and important spiritual and physical philosophies they had collected through the ages.
The first was Chhau, a martial and folk dance-form originating from Odisha and Jharkhand, that was taught to us by the master Guru Padmashree Shashadar Acharya, a 5th generation maestro. We learnt a routine inspired by Krishna, and we tried the iconic kicks and bold turns of the form. We also learnt the peacock and tiger walks, key elements of Chhau. The former was graceful and elegant while the second was fierce and bold. These two walks are like the differences between Chhau (fierce like war) and Kuchipudi (graceful and elegant). He taught us that it was also used to mimic battles and fights and incorporates dramatic dodges and sometimes even sword clashing!
The day after, we experienced the beautiful art of Bharatnatyam, a Tamilian form, taught to us by the prestigious Padmashree Guru Gita Chandran. Bharatnatyam is known for its sharp, precise movements, and was originally a temple dance for women. We learnt a routine about Mushika, the mouse, who is the vehicle of Lord Ganesha. At the end, she performed an excerpt of a piece about Lord Shiva, the Lord of Dance, which was an excellent taster of the form in action.
The third and final masterclass was Kathak, a North Indian dance form, held by Padmashree Guru Shovana Narayan. She taught us a short routine, with some of the basic, foundational steps of the form that seemed simple, but when moved at the speed necessary, was extremely difficult. This showed us that even the most basic steps can exert the most power. Kathak is more about being elegant yet straight and about spins (chakras), and Kuchipudi is about bends, being graceful and elegant at the same time, and flow.
Even while in the British Council, we were watched by our gurus’ gurus, Padmashree Guru Jay Rama Rao and Guru Vanashree Rao, both wise and extremely experienced teachers, who critiqued our work and helped us improve our poses.
And to culminate it all, we performed at the Indian Habitat Centre. The performance was incredible, especially since the audience was filled with Indians who know the art form, are used to it, and still came to support us. We performed four pieces, all devoted to the different deities, Lakshmi, Ganesha, Durga, and Krishna. The last was a special bhajan, a collection of different mythological stories and episodes that was acted out using dance drama. We performed a scene about Krishna and Balram mischievously stealing butter and about Yashoda putting Krishna to sleep. The event was also covered by many Indian news channels, such as Times of India and NDTV, adding a certain thrill to it all through interviewing us. There were also famous guests of honour, including author Sudha Murthy; Akshata Murthy; Rajeev Shukla, MP; Allison Barrett, Country Director British Council; and British High Commissioner Lindy Cameron, suggesting that our performance was not small but instead quite large and well received, especially since 500+ people were spectating.
Overall, this experience left a mark in our hearts to be cherished forever. Celebrating our guru’s recognition and performing alongside her, in the country of culture and dance is a dream come true, and we are highly grateful for this opportunity. This trip gifted us irreplaceable advice, experiences, and life lessons that we will remember always.
Aishwarya and Mirai (UIV)
