NATYA
Erina Kasai
Bharatanatyam in Taiwan
“I’ve learned that there are things that you cannot control. There is so much difficulty in life, but once you enter theatre and watch a performance, that moment is so divine…Dance is just simply enjoying a moment. And that is so fragile.”
Silvana Duarte
Odissi, ballet, contemporary dance in Brazil
“Dance is a kind of channel for healing, and also for knowing yourself…when you understand that—through meditation and through yoga—you can understand how your mind works, how to be better, and how to transform yourself through the art. When you speak about dance, you’re not only speaking about movement. You are speaking about yourself.”
Hiroshi Miyamoto
Bharatanatyam in Japan
“I think, as a teacher, it’s important to have a good ability to listen to what’s going on in your body, and to share that noise with the students. To me, dance has a purpose to share whatever you feel right now—to communicate. Once the audience feels something, that means there is sharing happening between the viewers and the performer. That sharing is very important for me…That’s freedom.”
Kumari Mayshark
Bharatanatyam in New York City
“[Dance] has continued to be my link to my spirituality…In the most intense moments, it can be out of body almost. I’ve had moments on stage where, even though I’m there and I remember the choreography and I’m performing it, I really do feel like an instrument. I feel like I’m there for a purpose and I’m instrumental in connecting the audience to a greater or more spiritual consciousness…And then other times, I’m just like, ‘My feet hurt.’”
Sooraj Subramaniam
Bharatanatyam in Belgium
“If you have it in your heart that you absolutely want to dance, then you must do it. Because otherwise, you’re doing a disservice to yourself and to everyone else around you. There’s nothing worse than someone living life unhappily. If you knew that dance was the one thing that was going to make you happy, then you absolutely have to do it.”
Christopher Gurusamy
Bharatanatyam in Chennai
“When you watch good dance, it’s life-confirming, it’s an affirmation. You’re watching this person be so much more than themselves, connecting with something so much more than themselves and sharing that with other people. A brilliant performer is someone who are no longer themselves; they are just vessels to dance.”
Irina Kushelevich
Bharatanatyam in Lithuania
“Dance, for me, is a kind of personal realization. When you can explore your own thoughts and feelings, you become aware of yourself and that is connected with inner perfection. I feel that, maybe from some kind of past life, dance has came to me again…I find myself in dance.”
January Low
Odissi in Malaysia
“So I danced for myself, but I also danced for all of the moms who wished that they could continue dancing and who still want to dance, and the mothers who dream through their daughters.”
Chhavi Verg
Bharatanatyam in the USA
Chhavi Verg is a Bharatanatyam dancer and former Miss USA 2017 contestant, known for blending her Indian Classical Dance roots with her American pageant experience. Born in Kota, India, and raised in New Jersey, she was introduced to Bharatanatyam by her mother to stay connected to her culture. Despite initial reluctance, Chhavi’s passion grew as she trained for her Arangetram, which became a pivotal moment in her life.
