She belongs to that breed of professionals
who are flexible about pushing the boundaries of dance and
eager to tread new grounds. Meet Priya Venkataraman…
Pooja Madhok I Gurgaon When critics
define her beauty as exceptional and dance performances
exemplary, we have no choice but to agree. One meeting with
her and one is certain to be taken aback by her extraordinary
fusion of brain and beauty.
Stepping into the dancing
dome at the age of seven, famed classical dancer Priya
recalls, "I commenced my Bharatanatyam training in Delhi under
the guidance of Malathi Gupta."
"After being awarded a
diploma by Ganesa Natyalaya, I continued training under gurus
including Saroja Vaidyanathan and Kanaka Srinivasan," adds
Priya.
Dance and Priya are inseparable. Even after her
marriage that took her to the United States, there was no
discontinuation. Priya spent 12 years in the United States
performing and teaching Bharatanatyam through her dance school
’Kalakriti’.
Priya believes crossing the boundaries
helped her to share India’s rich culture across the borders.
She also reaped the opportunity to perform at some major
venues in the mid-western region including the Chicago
Historical Society, Milwaukee Public Museum, Asian Moon
Festival and the Hindu Temple of St. Louis.
"Today, I
feel proud to say that I have trained over 75 students abroad
including foreign students," said the recipient of two
prestigious fellowships awarded by the Illinois Arts Council
in 1996 and 2002.
Pretty Priya loves the graceful and
feminine dance form and believes dance communicates the
unsaid. Visualising the future, Priya adds, "I want to
continue to perform and teach this 3000 year old art form and
spread its awareness amongst people all over the world.
"
In her heart and mind, she still rears the conviction
that if dance scene in India is commercialised, it will filter
out the serious practitioners from those who are in it for
other reasons that would actually make this art form
thrive.
Back home in the Millennium City, the lady is
enjoying every bit. " The city is not short of shopping or
entertainment attractions. There is plenty to do around
without driving into Delhi," she chips in.
As a
resident and an artist, Priya wants to set up an institute
that can offer professional training in Indian art forms in
Gurgaon area. "I am working towards this goal and hope to see
it in fruition soon," she says.
Her success mantra? "My
family is my biggest support system,” says mother of Jaahnavee
and Aditya. | 
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