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In episode 31 ADOR LOVESHOTS, rejoice at this conversation between Udit Shah - CEO of ADOR Dating, and Vidya Warrier - Kathak Dancer and Film-Maker based in Los Angeles.
Check out more conversations, facts, and blogs.
Please share a brief about you and your journey as a professional dancer and your life experience as a part of the same.
As an Indian living outside India, Indian Classical Dance has been a connection not only to my culture but also to many other sciences of India. After I started practicing Yoga, I began to see many common grounds between both yoga and dance. Even today, I approach to dance as sort of a form of yoga, a way to improve myself on many levels:- Body, mind, emotion, and spirit.
Dancing requires a lot of dedication, persistence, and, patience; how do you manage to follow your hobby along with your daily routine?
Once we see the various ways in which dance practice can help us, it becomes natural to incorporate riyaaz into our life. Dance practice brings alignment, it demands that a dancer becomes one-pointed as he or she dances. As the basics of dance begin to flow into the rest of our lives, it helps us to be more focused on our work and be more sensitive in our relationships. So, now it has become a part of my day, just like sleeping, eating, or brushing my teeth. Moreover, dance practice itself need not be just the time one spends inside a studio (which is a large part of building stamina and strength). Subtle aspects of dance include being silent and listening, observing people, shapes, colors, and sounds. In that way, slowly dance practice can become a way of life. Instead of just being a one-two hour thing every day.
If you had a chance to spend 1 hour with one professional dancer, who he/she will be?
Kelucharan Mohapatra.
Why traditional dance forms like Kathak and Bharatanatyam are utmost importance for youth to learn in their initial years?
In this day and age where children are maturing much faster than they were in the past, it is even more important that they have a solid, stable base to grow on. That is why children need to start learning dance as early as they can. Dance gives a child a sense of focus, an expression of emotion, and a way of communicating without words. It nurtures their already bursting imagination.
What are the easiest ways for youth to learn the basics of dancing from the comfort of their home i.e. online?
There are multiple quality platforms offering classes online, including Natyasutra, Project Samskriti, and others. Umpteen YouTube channels as well - but many of these are very poor quality. Over the pandemic, we have found zoom classes are working to a large extent if the teacher is highly qualified.
Fun and Rapid Fire Round on Ador Loveshots
Udit Shah: One teacher who changed your life
Vidya Warrier: Guru Kumudini Lakhia.
Udit Shah: Your favorite dancer in your favorite dance form
Vidya Warrier: “Favorite” is a big word but perhaps Bijayini Satpathy - Odissi.
Udit Shah: Your topmost favorite:-
1) Indian Actor - Konkona Sen Sharma.
2) Global Actor - Audrey Hepburn.
Udit Shah: You cannot imagine your single day without?
Vidya Warrier: Yoga.
Udit Shah: If you were given a chance to choose one global dance celeb to share the stage with, whom would you choose?
Vidya Warrier: If I had the chance to be with a wonderful and accomplished dancer, I’d probably prefer to sit backstage - watch and learn.
Thank you for a wonderful time!