Desi moves reach Florida

As a baby,Kathak danseuse Adittee Bhagwat would move her body according to the rhythm to which her mother would practise her riyaz every morning.

As a baby,Kathak danseuse Adittee Bhagwat would move her body according to the rhythm to which her mother would practise her riyaz every morning. This made Ragini Bhagwat,her mother,realize that her daughter had a dancing gene. She took three-year-old Bhagwat to Roshan Kumari,a renowned guru from Jaipur Gharana kathak. Overwhelmed with her new surroundingsthe dance class little Adittee would just stand in the corner and look at the older girls perform. After a year of keen observation,she began picking up the footwork and mudras. Once I picked up the basics,the world became my stage, recalls Adittee,who has been conferred with the One Bit Fellowship,approved by the Educational and Cultural Activities Department of the United States of America for a one and a half month long program of culture and performing arts being held in Florida and New York City from September 8. Bhagwat is the sole representative from India.

The fellowship program features 30 artists from different countries who will give lecture-demonstrations on the cultural art form that they specialise in,to the students from various colleges in the US.

When she was just 16 years old,she gave a performance at a felicitation ceremony of P C Alexander,Governer of Maharashtra. After studying psychology from Mumbai University,she did masters in dance from Akhil Bharatiya Gandharva Mahavidyalaya,Vashi. Her danceography includes some interesting work like a jazz-kathak fusion with Louiz Banks,dance therapy workshops for sex-workers and playing the lead role in Marathi film ‘Chalu Nvara Boli Bayko (2008)’.

Even though I am classical dancer,when I dance with the ghungroos tied on my feet,I also play the role of a music composer. The gungroos make music according to my dance moves,and this is called ‘Tatkar’, says the 29 year old Kathak exponent. The fellowship,says Bhagwat,happened by chance.

During one of her performances in US last year,few people from the audience came up to her after the show and informed her about the fellowship and convinced her to apply. She did,in February this year. There were endless questionnaires that I had to fill and send back. After long chains of emails that demanded information about my family,their involvement with traditional performing arts and detailed discussions on the highlights of my career, beams Bhagwat.

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Roshan Kumari