For Chaithra BK, dance is not just about expression and movement. It is life – and adds immense joy and peace to life. Chaithra recalls her dancing journey which started when she was eight because her mother wanted her to learn the art form of Bharatnatyam, now her forte. Twenty years on, she is still going strong and learning more dance forms. She almost quit at one point, recalls Chaithra, in conversation with Medianews4u.com.
“My mother Sundari BM was a school teacher and I was the only child. She enrolled me in a dance class when I was eight years old. I really didn’t enjoy it as a kid and felt like a torture because your feet and body hurt after the dance class. One day I ran away from the dance class which created a panicky situation. After that incident my mother explained to me about the art form and the benefits of learning it. She made sure that she stayed back till my dance classes got over. Slowly, I started falling in love with dance, especially Bharatnatyam. In order to get the ‘tala’ (rhythm) intact while dancing, I joined music class as well. The major motivation behind Bharatnatyam lies in its ancient culture and the practice of it calms my mind. So, it is always peaceful to perform and practice it.”
Taking a leap forward in her dance journey, Chaithra has recently started learning Kathak.
“It is another art form I felt attracted to and wanted to learn the nuances of. A year back I joined Kathak classes and it is going along with my Bharatnatyam classes. Given a chance, I want to learn Yakshagana – theatrical dance-art form performed in coastal Karnataka. I am searching for a good guru. Balancing career and passion is difficult. I try to attend dance classes at least twice a week. If the schedule becomes too hectic, then I practice at home. I am currently getting trained under guru Manasa Kanti. I am inspired by many gurus, like Shobana Chandrakumar Pillai, Manasa Chaudhary and Sarojva Byadanathan,” she explains.
As a student Chaithra used to perform at school art fests and other competitions. She started performing as part of temple fests and celebrations and has now completed over 450 stage shows. She is set to make her international stage debut.
“As a kid it is very encouraging and enticing to perform at various places and stages. The motivation you draw while you see the positive response from the audience is something unique. I have been getting offers to perform in foreign countries, but with a full time job and dance practice, it is a tad difficult. I am contemplating on the same. If the situation and time permits, then yes, I will definitely do my international debut this year,” says Chaithra.
The Account Manager at Genesis BCW is also a former hockey player who has represented Karnataka in national tournaments. After working with prominent news channels in Kannada as anchor and journalist, she made a career shift from the world of journalism to the world of PR. At Genesis, Chaithra handles entertainment and sports clients.
One dance to remember…
Recalling a memorable stage performance, Chaithra says, “For me, every dance performance is special, but to mention one incident… I still remember the performance done on the song ‘Oru Murai Vanthu Paarthaya’ from the movie Manichitrathazhu (Malayalam). The mood and theme of the song is totally on another level. In the film, renowned actress and dancer Shobana Chandrakumar Pillai has performed to the song. During the performance of this song the connection with the character felt so deep that it became hard to step out of it for a few days. I performed it in my home town Coorg and the amount of appreciation I got for that performance was immense.”
Chaithra, who was a hockey player in her school days, represented her school and Karnataka state in various tournaments. She could not pursue that as a career and only after working as a journalist and news anchor, did she understand that the entertainment industry was her calling.
“I restarted my career from square one. Life is all about taking risks and learning new things,” she adds.
Her plans include a career related to the entertainment industry. She is also working on scripts for web series.
“But no matter what and how these proceed, I’ll always continue to practice classical dance and add on to it,” surmises Chaithra.
