There are short-cuts to happiness, and dancing is one of them – Vicki Baum

Dancing was always the easiest way to make me smile, and it always will be. Just thinking about my Nritya Nipuna, and the dances that I would get to perform got me shaking with excitement at the privilege of sharing my love of dance with my family and friends.  

A Nritya Nipuna or “Expert in Dance” marks for the student and the guru, a graduation from learning Indian classical and folk dancing. For family and friends, it ends a year or more of devotion, encouragement and preparation.

My Nritya Nipuna gave me the amazing opportunity to share what I learned from my guru Smt. Jasmine Shah in the past 10 years that I have been lucky enough to be her student. Jasmine Auntie has the gift to challenge her student’s dancing ability and make her a confident, graceful, and overall passionate dancer.

I started dancing when I was three: Tap, Jazz and Ballet. I loved every minute of it. When I met Jasmine Auntie, and the dance class I would spend every Monday evening with for the next 10 years I had no idea the extremely special place that the class, and dancing with them would find in my heart. Now 10 years later, I have treasured every moment learning and loving Indian dance.

The work that went behind my Nritya Nipuna is thanks to my guru Jasmine Auntie, and of course my mom. Without either of them, my Nritya Nipuna would not have been as successful or fun. While Jasmine Auntie gave me subtle critiques about my poses and body language, my mom advised me on my facial expressions and eyes. Both knew that in the end, all of their support and extremely hard work would help to put on a show that I would never forget. Their love never failed and it is because of these two, along with so many others, that I felt able and ready to perform.

There are many lessons that I learned while preparing for my Nritya Nipuna. Whether it is holding a stage on your own, carrying out a dance in a heavy and restriciting costume, or dancing for three hours with only costume changes to break the excitement, my most treasured lesson learned is something that I will never forget. Thanks to Jasmine Auntie and all my beloved family and friends who had the confidence in me and my dancing career, I was able to dance with feelings, instead of just mindlessly following choreography. I was the dance, instead of just a contributing aspect. Dancing became more than just an afterschool activity. At some points during my training I felt as if I were on a mission to tell the beautiful stories of Radha and Krishna, or Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati.

On the day of, I was itching to get on stage and start my Nritya Nipuna, even risking starting a few mintues early just so I could get to the part I was waiting for for over a year. Each dance allowed me to enjoy just a few more minutes on stage, feeding off my family and friends, and the encouragement and love that I could feel in the room. Some of my fellow dancers talk about being relieved after finishing their Arangetrams or Nritya Nipunas, but in all honesty, I felt bittersweet. I was sad because I knew that now I needed to find a new excuse to spend the majority of my day doing something I love, dancing. My Nritya Nipuna was more than proving what I learned to the audience, or achieving a status of dance that I had only dreamed about, but it was also about having the best time in my life on the stage dancing, my favorite way to pass time.

I cherish every single second of my Nritya Nipuna, getting ready, walking on stage, doing namaskar, and of course, dancing. I will never forget my Nritya Nipuna, all the hard work and passion that went into creating it, and of course, all the help, support, and love I received while training and performing. It is because of my guru, parents, friends and family that the event was as fun and memorable as it was, and for that I am ever thankful. I would especially like to thank Jasmine Aunty, my Mom, my Dad and my brother, who created so many elements for the event, and everyone who donated with us to the Ekal Vidayala Foundation. Your generous contribution is much appreciated.

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