Dance is as vast as engineering or medicine

V. Soumyasri from Aurangabad, who originally hails from Hyderabad, is very excited about bringing her dance production Vithal Tukayacha to the city on June 25 at Shilparamam. Says Soumyasri, “I did my schooling in Hyderabad and my first steps of dance were under the guidance of my aunts, well known dance gurus Dr Uma Rama Rao and Dr Rajyalakshmi Seth. After initial coaching in Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam, I went to the Nalanda Nritya Kala Mahavidyalaya under the University of Mumbai for advanced training. I then realized that dance could no longer be a hobby or a passion in life. It was a subject as vast as any course of engineering or medicine.

“This production is a biographical representation of the life of Sant Tukaram and is set to an amalgamation of Bharatanatyam and Warkari Kirtan dance style. During this time of the year, lakhs of devotees go to Pandharpur on foot – from as far as Pune, which takes nearly 15 days – singing and dancing in praise of Lord Vithal.”

Soumyasri has fond memories of her childhood. She says “I would always find time to go to Tank Bund and have the chaat and other foods. Going to the Gayatri Bhavan for snacks was a luxury,” she recalls. “My grandmother’s last words for me were ‘Don’t leave dance’. I feel very humbled and touched to have come to my hometown for a performance with my students.”

The writer is a musician, creator of the ‘Jaywant Guitar’ and a freelance photographer