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No alloys for joy

Padmini Sirish

It no longer causes raised eyebrows when a classical dancer spends as much time peering into a microscope as into the mirror to correct her movements. Joining the ranks of such brainy beauties is Padmini Sirish, currently pursuing her Ph.D in Molecular Biology from California State University, Davis. A disciple of Guru Narmada of Bangalore, Padmini, who was in Delhi to perform the other day, feels the Bharatanatyam repertoire laid down by the Tanjore Quartette in the 19th Century offers her endless variety. But marriage and a move to the U.S. four years ago has made her see her dance in a more detached manner. She realises whenever she performs, the responsibility of having to explain every nuance to an uninitiated audience. Things she took for granted require more research. "Because I don't want to say I don't know," she smiles candidly.

Also, the exposure to other arts, particularly Modern Dance, has helped her analyse her own movement vocabulary. On the one hand she is drawn to learn Modern Dance, though not with the idea of mixing forms. Interestingly, on every visit to India, Padmini finds approaches to Bharatanatyam changing. Her guru too experiments with movements beyond the pale of Bharatanatyam, but the disciple steers clear of them. She is lucky to have a guru who honours her preferences. But perhaps the bond is only natural, considering Padmini began dance classes at four and has continued with her guru ever since. Padmini doesn't remember much of the early training. What she does remember is that somewhere along the way dance became the joy of her life. Today, when she performs, it is out of "sheer happiness." No two opinions there!

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