Krishna Bharatham: The Alumni Experience

While walking up the SIFAS steps to our first Alumni meeting with Sheejith Sir and the dance teachers, a range of emotions floated through my mind: I was thankful for the opportunity, but didn’t know what to expect at the same time. All the participating dancers had a common, long-standing relationship with SIFAS that tied us together – yet every production is a new experience with its own challenges, hence an inevitable sense of anxiousness dawned upon me. 

This anxiety turned into excitement minutes into the meeting. Sheejith Sir explained the essence of the storyline and what we were expected to portray, and I became all too energized to be part of this journey. I knew from then on that learning under such an esteemed choreographer and dancer was certainly going to be a valuable experience for us all. 

Training for this show has nonetheless had its fair share of challenges. Our first couple of days were a little daunting, as we were still trying to figure out the steps and formations. I for one had the extra challenge of regaining my stamina for the nritta sequences after a long break from dance....the struggle on that front still continues! ;)

But through the sore backs and legs, I have certainly learnt some great lessons from this venture. At each rehearsal under Sheejith Sir, there has been at least one moment that left me in awe. Whether it was a correction to the angle of our body, or our character portrayal, or even watching him jumble the beats to choreograph a new sequence – I was left admiring his talent and experience. Watching fellow dancers and how they have progressed in their individual parts has also been great. We have all been able to learn from each other and collectively become better dancers together. Sharing the stage with Sanjith Sir, Shyam Sir, and Sheejith Sir is both intimidating and inspiring at the same time. The symmetry of their aramandis and sharpness of their movements has boosted my energy to work harder to improve my standard of dance to the best of my abilities.

At this moment, we are working towards making the best production we can make for the audience to enjoy the essence of Krishna through the Mahabharatam. But the lessons I have learnt through this process will certainly be with me even after the evening of April 8th 2012. 

~ Sruti Rao