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Footprints of a Young Dancer


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Publishing-in-support-of,

EDUCREATION PUBLISHING

RZ 94, Sector - 6, Dwarka, New Delhi - 110075 Shubham Vihar, Mangla, Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh - 495001

Website: www.educreation.in __________________________________________________

© Copyright, Author

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, magnetic, optical, chemical, manual, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written consent of its writer.

ISBN: 978-1-61813-360-1

Price: ` 180.00

The opinions/ contents expressed in this book are solely of the author and do not represent the opinions/ standings/ thoughts of Educreation.

Printed in India


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Footprints of a Young Dancer

Journey & Experience

By

Aburva Govindarajan

EDUCREATION PUBLISHING (Since 2011)

www.educreation.in


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Dedication This small book shares my experience of pursuing dance

and is dedicated to my parents Govindarajan and

Sangeetha for their consistent efforts and support in

helping me focus on this divine art. Without the timely

troubles and welcome distractions of my brother

Abhinavkrishna, my journey would have been long and

tedious. I am also dedicating this book to all parents who

are helping their kids realize and excel in their artistic

pursuits and to all gurus for sharing their knowledge and

imparting their wisdom in making this world more

beautiful.

P


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Acknowledgments I acknowledge my parents Govindarajan and Sangeetha,

brother Abhinavkrishna, grandmas Padmavathy and

Vijayalakshmi for their unconditional love and affection.

My special thanks to Guru Smt. Githaa Ravishannkhar

for her inspiration and patience in making me to learn

the art. Also, I would like to recall the encouragement

and guidance received from my grandpa Krishnamurthy,

uncle Anandthirth and my dad’s friends Chandrasekaran

and Vishnu in helping me shape this book. My gratitude

also goes to Educreation Publishing for their role in

converting my experiences in the form of a book.

P


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About The Author

Aburva Govindarajan is a student of

Indian School Sohar, Sultanate of

Oman. Observing her passion for

dance, her parents put her under the

tutelage of Smt. Githaa

Ravishannkhar. She has been

learning the Bharatnatyam for seven

years. Aburva has participated in

various dance events organized by Sohar Institute of

Music and Arts, Sohar Malayalaae Sangam, Indian

Social Club, Sohar and Indian Schools, Sohar and

Muscat.

Her interest and enthusiasm to learn the art of

Bharatnatyam and vigorous practice under the Guru,

Smt. Githaa Ravishannkhar have culminated in to the

level of performing Arangetram.

Her interests are multifaceted and not only limited

to dance. She participated in Living Value Education

Programme of UNESCO, SKY yoga practices of World

Community Service Centre and its demonstration on

International Yoga Day at Sohar. She has forayed into

martial arts with a blue belt. She has won prizes and

distinctions in sloka chanting, declamation and

elocution. In her spare times, she is into paintings, stone

art and craft works.

P


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About The Book

This book titled “Footprints of a Young Dancer Journey

& Experience” is a maiden attempt by Aburva

Govindarajan. This book is about the experience of a

young dancer who got trained in Indian classical dance.

It records the passion, struggle, distraction and prudence

of the author in learning and practicing Bharatnatyam.

The book outlines her journey from the first dance

performance to Arangetram. This book is helpful for

aspiring dancers and also motives, those who are

interested in pursuing any art based on their passion.

P


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Contents

S.No Chapters Page

No.

1. Family Wrestle 01

2. My Odyssey in Dance 05

3. Moving to an Even Bigger Stage 09

4. Beauty Has an Address - Oman 13

5. My Villain 19

6. Shaping Through Stage Performances 24

7. Art and Arangetram 28

8. Arangetram – Mightier than my

perception 32

9. My Roots are with Dance 37

10. How have I geared up? 41

11. What have I learnt from Guru? 46

12. My Inspirations 50

13. Balancing Acts 54

14. What after Arangetram? 58

15. My Way of Looking at Things 61

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Footprints of a Young Dancer - Journey & Experience

~ 1 ~

Family Wrestle

W “It is in your moments of decision that your

destiny is shaped”

- Tony Robbins

I was witnessing one of those rarest events,

watching my parents displaying their differences through

a verbal spat. This is something unusual at my home.

My mom is usually a cool person and is blessed

with the ability to handle difficult situations and wins

over people with her big, broad and lovely smile.

However, my dad is just the opposite; at times he is

stubborn and displays emotions like fireworks that scare

people away.

Honestly, I was perplexed upon seeing them

ferociously defend their opinions. Neither of them was

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Aburva Govindarajan

~ 2 ~

willing to give up and was obstinate with their views.

They stood their grounds with all their talent and ability.

Was it for a national cause or were they defending

their social or political views ferociously? Neither. It

was about my - artistic journey. They were against me

giving up my training in vocal music to take up

Bharatnatyam, traditional dance from Tamil Nadu more

seriously.

Before I continue to ramble, let me confide

something to you. I am not blessed with a sweet and

soothing voice like my mom and I wasn’t inclined into

learning vocal music. But then I took up music like

many young kids, to make my parents happy.

Alongside music and dance, I was also taking

classes in martial arts and living values that left me with

no time and motivation. I was under tremendous

pressure to excel in all my activities both at school and

outside.

It might be funny for elders hear a young girl of my

age feeling stressed out from managing her routine, but

kids of my age will be able to relate to my experience of

handling expectations of my over ambitious parents. Had

there been a class on how to handle and convince

parents, I would have definitely signed up for it.

Many at times, parents want to see their kids fulfill

their dreams and pursuits that were inaccessible to them

and fill them with pride.

Among the two, mom is easier to convince, while

my dad is a hard nut to crack and extends his arguments

cleverly constructed with a social outlook that defies my

simple logic.



~ 3 ~

My mom grew up in Madhya Pradesh and it was

difficult to find teachers who could teach her classical

South Indian music aka Carnatic music. Blessed with a

naturally soothing voice, she learnt some songs and won

appreciations. Had she lived in Chennai, the cultural

capital of Southern India, she would have been a

professional singer. Understanding the challenges of

being outside and having the scarcity of resources she

supported me thoroughly in picking up dancing because

of my passion towards it.

My dad’s argument was quite interesting. He is

convinced that learning vocal music and displaying them

socially will earn my respect and make him proud.

Dance involves gestures, expressions, feelings, and

it is dynamic and multi-dimensional as opposed to

music. I had been attracted to classical dance from a very

young age. I watched dance shows on televisions

without batting my eyelids and stood in front of the

mirror imitating the hand, head and shoulder

movements.

The emotional and psychological wrestle lasted for

weeks and I finally decided to exhibit my emotions to

break the impasse and win over them. I let Raudram

(anger) and Bheebadsam (disgust) dance on my face,

which successfully got their attention.

While dad strongly felt that it is unwise to give up

something half-way, and he tried to convince me on how

vocal music and dance are inseparable. Finally, when I

let them in on the truth that I don’t have the passion to

pursue vocal music, he realized it wasn’t worth forcing

me anymore.

Passion differs from person to person. It involves

intensive emotions and great enthusiasm. It varies


Aburva Govindarajan

~ 4 ~

according one’s perception, abilities, ideas and interests.

Dance is my passion and the language of my soul. Dance

has added value to my personality in terms of improving

confidence, better time and stage management and

adapting to demanding situations. I just loved it.

Even today, my dad regrets my decision to drop out

of the music class.

Learning an art is an independent decision and

perseverance is purely based on one’s passion and

sustained interest.

"Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes

from focusing on what excites you."

- Oprah Winfrey

P



~ 5 ~

My Odyssey In Dance

W “The real voyage of discovery consists not in

seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes”

- Marcel Proust

Though I had successfully made a choice between

music and dance, but I was now confounded with

another conflict. Bharatnatyam or Ballet? Making that choice wasn’t that difficult as my

family is deeply rooted in tradition. Once I made up my

mind to go with Bharatnatyam, my parents drove me to

a dance institute run by Smt. Githaa Ravishannkhar. I arrived at her institute like freshly earthed clay

waiting to be kneaded, put on a potter’s wheel and

shaped into something beautiful. I was both excited and

nervous and my first lesson taught me how to offer

salutations to my guru.

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Aburva Govindarajan

~ 6 ~

Over the next few months, not only did I learn basic

movements, but also made friends and got acquainted

with my seniors. I have always been regular to dance classes as

promised to my parents. Also, I didn’t have the excuse

for being over burdened by both singing and dancig class

schedules. I made many friends equally passionate for

this form of dance, during this journey. During one of our classes, my guru made an

announcement for young dancers come forward to

participate in a mega program. Instead of picking and

choosing, she gave us the freedom to make a choice. Without knowing the magnitude of the effort one

needed to put in, I registered myself for the event. While

many of my mates felt shy and stayed away from getting

into deeper waters. Sometimes, it is good to take brave decisions

without thinking too much about the outcome. But then

the night before the performance my mind and heart was

clouded with anxiety.

Though I was playing only a small role and dancing

to a song that narrates the lotus feet of Lord Krishna, his

pranks as a toddler, but still I didn’t want my

performance to take away the divinity in the character. Any artist will tell you that makeup consumes the

most time prior to a show. We start with makeup, then

moving on to getting dressed in traditional costume and

finally deck it up with jewels contrasting the costume. Since my childhood, I’ve been fascinated by

makeup. Though my mom kept dissuading me from



~ 7 ~

trying it out, now art was giving me an opportunity to

play with it. The three makeup artists took two hours in getting

us ready for the show. It is laborious job - from applying

the foundation, defining the contours of eyes,

accentuating its beauty, and giving the finishing touches.

But then, makeup embellishes the dancer and the dance. When I peered into the mirror, I failed to recognize

myself. I’ve heard of objects appearing closer and farther

on mirrors, but do mirrors lie? I was searching myself

beneath the makeup and between the exaggerated

contours of my eyes, eyebrows and eyelashes. The big lights were ready to throw focus on us and

live music was ready to get us into action. I peeped

through the curtain to get a glimpse of the packed

auditorium. As a part of the audience, I spotted my

family anxiously waiting to see me on stage. Along with

them a thousand eyes were ready to capture and process

our images faster than a camera. Finally, arrived our turn to go on stage and display

our collective talent. The live music increased my

nervousness and anxiety, but once we began to dance my

emotions vanished. Did the butterflies in my stomach

take over the stage and entertain the audience? The thunderous applause brought me back to reality

and soon I was taken over by question fueled by my

emotions. Did I dance well? Did I execute my portions

flawlessly? Did my performance justify the argument

that I put forward to give up my training in vocal music? I waited anxiously in the green room for my family.

My mom displayed her usual smile, my naughty brother

winked at me, while my dad patted on my back. Their


Aburva Govindarajan

~ 8 ~

body language answered my questions. Soon, my

teacher and other senior students appreciated our

performance. Though I have performed at bigger venues and

given solo recitals, my first performance remains etched

in my mind forever. It is with the support of my parents,

guidance of my guru and appreciations from my well-

wishers, my confidence to pursue dance has grown more

seriously. Over the years, I have gained a lot of experience

and performing on stage became a routine. This has built

my confidence and strong belief on my own abilities.

“The most beautiful thing you can wear is confidence”

- Blake Lively

P



~ 9 ~

Moving To An

Even Bigger Stage

W “Persistence, Perfection, Patience, Power.

Prioritize your passion. It keeps you sane.”

- Criss Jami

My guru often says, “Opportunity to learn an art is

a result of good karma in previous birth”. I don’t know

much about karma as it is beyond my comprehension,

but I firmly believe one has to have a natural flair to be

able to pursue art.

Today, every parent wants their child to be involved

in an artistic pursuit and excel in it. While some of them

are over ambitious and want their kids to excel in

multiple pursuits. Seldom parents spend time to discover

the innate abilities of their child and most times their

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Aburva Govindarajan

~ 10 ~

pick is dictated by popular choice, affordability,

availability of instructors, etc.

As a result, childhood becomes a rat race and many

of us grow old without discovering our innate talent.

I strongly believe each of us is gifted with

something unique and that defines our individuality. For

me it is dance, you can be a better chess player,

cricketer, painter or singer. May be you excel in more

than one also.

Pursuing art is either because of compulsion or

passion. The main difference that lies in between them is

the nature of origin. If it emanates from within, it is

passion.

Surprisingly, some pursue art due to compulsion

from parents or peer pressure. One of my friends who

joined the dance class dropped out after a few months

due to lack of passion. The time and effort invested by

our teacher on her was a waste. Being consistent is still

easier than sustaining over time which is a challenging

task. Isn’t it?

Every teacher not only looks for commitment in

their students, but also looks out for “x” factor in you.

This factor comes from committed practice and

dedication. As a result, proficiency slowly surfaces

turning a student into a teacher.

I practiced regularly at home and I could slowly see

the “x” factor show up in me. As my commitment levels

increased, I was motivated to enroll for the certificate

course in Bharatnatyam to gain further insights into the

theoretical aspects of dance. From merely performing

dance, it shifted me towards an organized way of

learning. It helped me to understand the basics of art



~ 11 ~

along with details which will complete my knowledge in

this field. Though it was hectic, I enjoyed it as it

balanced both theory and practice.

And one fine day, my guru summoned my parents.

Was it because she caught me talking loudly to my

friends or was it due to my late entry to class?

During their meeting, she proposed the idea of

getting me to do my Arangetram.

Arangetram is the graduation equivalent in the

school of dance. It can take anywhere between six to

eight years of dancing to get to the Arangetram level of

proficiency, where a dancer performs a solo recital

lasting from two to three hours.

Though I had been dancing for over seven years

and learnt the necessary aspects of theory, but I was not

sure if it was enough for me to sit for graduation. In the

meantime, my parents were also mulling over the idea

seeded by my guru.

I was waiting for someone in family to open

Pandora’s Box for my guru’s idea. A few days later,

during our dinner chat, my dad asked me if I was

comfortable with the idea of going through the

Arangetram. Before I could speak my mind, my mom

affirmed on the proposal and asked me to work harder

towards achieving it.

I felt a strange lump in my throat and I quickly took

a sip of water before stacking my options. My

commitment over the last seven years and my ambition

was put on one side and weighed against the cost of

giving up on my ambition.


Aburva Govindarajan

~ 12 ~

Though I realized that I needed to learn, practice

and perfect various aspects of the art, but I was in no

mood to give up. I quickly confirmed my ambition with

my parents and took up the challenge to prove my

passion for the art.

The driving force for my decision is “go for the

options which helps you to stay positive and let you

sharpen the skills” I believe, the idea of performing

Arangetram is one of the best decisions I have made in

the right direction.

P



~ 13 ~

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