The dance studio at Spring Step in Medford is an artist’s dream. A center for traditional and contemporary arts, the building breathes energy and movement with its architecture and colorful interiors. A place, where dancers are inspired to creativity and innovation. As I watch a group of graceful dancers perfect their Jathis and Abhinaya ready for the dance production 'Dancing into Orbit' to be performed on August 8th at the Tufts Cohen Auditorium, I marvel at the dedication of the students coupled with the devotion of the teachers. This is a production that was created and conceived by Vasantha Vaikunth, a dance teacher from Muscat who is on a visit to Boston.

"Dance is like a prayer”, says Vasantha Vaikunth as she hands me a brochure entitled 'Health and Harmony'. "When I dance on stage, I am so immersed that I forget the audience.The idea of performing to the gallery has never attracted me. I am attracted to its spiritual aspect. Feelings are important. My whole concept of Health and Harmony is connected to the Pancha Bhootas. When I choreograph a piece in Dance, I pick up abstract themes and give them a spiritual interpretation.Then, I incorporate appropriate music and movements for the flow. This is personally very satisfying for me”.

It is obvious that Vasantha subscribes totally to this theory. Her recent talk on Karma Yoga at the UMass, Dartmouth was based on this topic and very well received.She believes that the hand gestures or Mudras have properties of healing and are directly connected to the nerve centers in the body. She then proceeds to demonstrate the Brahmaram Mudra that according to her helps in concentration. Through dance movements and postures, one can relieve stress and bring peace to the inner mind.

Vasantha Vaikunth runs the Shiv Shakti School of Dance in Muscat. Her typical dance class in Muscat starts with a group prayer and meditation. She also takes classes on Yoga and offers counseling to affected people. She has been in Muscat for more than 27 years and writes a weekly column in the Times of Oman newspaper called Life and Living. She sings, writes poetry and gives lectures on the Gita, Atma Bodha and Bhagvatam. Inspired by her Spiritual Guru Pravin Kamdar, she is of the opinion that the divinity in the dance form is her way of exploration to discovering oneself.

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