My journey
Anandita Narayanan has been learning Bharatanatyam under Geeta Chandran’s tutelage at Natya Vriksha since the age of 8. As a child she always enjoyed dancing and wanted to explore more, and her journey began…. For Anandita, Natya Vriksha has been her second home since 2010.
Anandita is a B-grade artist with Doordarshan. Anandita has been a recipient of national scholarship under the Centre for Cultural Resources and Training, Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India, since 2014. This gave her opportunities to perform at various prestigious events across the country over the past eight years. Anandita has been home schooled for major part of her education. This gave her ample time to prioritize her interests including being more involved at Natya Vriksha. She has started assisting in taking classes at NV, in handling sound and light during performances, and finds immense joy doing this. She also found her way into Carnatic music, Yoga, Sketching, Writing, and exploring more about her dream of studying design. She is currently pursuing her bachelor’s degree in Bachelor of Design (B. Des) at the World University of Design, Sonipat. Her dream is to bring her two passions together in a synthesis: Dance and Design. Anandita completed her Arangetram on April 10th 2022. Doordarshan Bharati (National Channel of GOI) telecast the Arangetram performance as a 60-min capsule on a nationwide scale in India, May 2022. Anandita has been receiving a national scholarship under Centre for Cultural Resources and Training, Govt. of India, since 2014. This gave her opportunities to perform at various stages over the past 8 years. To name a few, she was part of the celebration to commemorate the 150th Birth Anniversary Celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi, CCRT & Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti (GSDS); selected for the National Cultural Festival cum Workshop titled Developing Youth Leadership for making Ek Bharat- Shreshtha Bharat” organized by the CCRT and South Zone Cultural Centre, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu; 41st National Cultural Festival cum Workshop titled “Satyagaraha Se SwacchagrahaTak” CCRT, New Delhi; was a part of the musical dance drama organised on the occasion of Kumbh Meal in Prayagraj and performed in 4 different locations in 2019. She has also won awards in competitions organized by Bala Kala Utsav, Nrityanjali, Krititva over the years.
"Dancing, to me, is a doorway to a world of my creative expression. Every aspect of dance, from its rhythm and symmetry, to its melody and movement, brings immense joy to me. Dance rejuvenates me. There are days when I walk into my dance class at NV completely exhausted with zero energy, but after the class, I feel refreshed and ecstatic. Those are the moments when I feel dance is my safe space, where I can stand alone in complete fulfilment. After learning the basic lessons of Bharatanatyam under the guidance of Geeta Akka for 13 years, I presented my Arangetram in April 2022. A year and half later, I feel my dance journey has been renewed to a fresh start. One of my notable achievements after my Arangetram was being included in the Natya Vriksha Dance Collective in May 2022. Since then, I have had the privilege of traveling with Akka and other members of the collective, performing on multiple stages across the country. As a young dancer, I have always dreamt of dancing alongside Akka and the senior NV dancers, wearing the stunning costumes they wore, and mastering the dance pieces I have seen the group perform. Now that I am finally able to do all of this, it feels like a dream come true and I am grateful for every performance I have been a part of. Being a group dancer in NVDC has taught me invaluable lessons, wherein I am learning to adapt my body to fit within the group, and refining my movements to match the group's composition, rhythm and finesse. Additionally, since every NVDC performance is unique, I am constantly learning to experiment with choreography. This helps me grow as a dancer and as a good team player. During our travels with Akka and NVDC, I also get opportunities to experience India's rich and varied heritage and culture through architecture, food, interactions with artisans, exploring local textiles, strolling in local markets, and much more. At Natya Vriksha, Akka always nurtured us to give equal importance to Bhava, Raga, and Tala. Hence, every class at NV had something new to learn. It could be something as complex as a jati or weaving a sanchari, learning the Talam and the math, or something as simple as changing the look or a different way of eye movement. It could also be a refreshed hand gesture, a small personalized change in the adavu, or a new way to hold the spine. These lessons are countless at NV, and I have been learning these for many years now. However, only after my Arangetram when I started revisiting the old pieces and reworked them for my solo performances during Marghazi 2022-23, did I understand how these small changes add grace and create a significant dance impact.
I am slowly learning to connect with the dance’s musicality, and I realize that this adds a new dimension to my abhinaya. There are many such discoveries. Every rehearsal unravels many new discoveries, and each of these moments is a 'wow' or ‘aha’ moment for me. I experience a new sense of awe when my own old Varnam performances get improvised and imbued with a deeper understanding. I feel there is so much to learn and add to my dance journey. I do know my struggles and want to do so much more. I still struggle to hold an expression for too long, find it difficult to get a complex Talam in my first attempt, and sometimes struggle with the language and script of a new piece. I have started reading and writing about various aspects of varnams and padams to deepen my personal understanding of them. Practicing for solo and group performances, at the same time learning newer pieces has increased the intensity of my learning and has also changed my approach to learning pieces. I have just embarked on this new journey and am enjoying the process. I am also a student of design, and my coursework at WUD is quite demanding. After my arangetram, there was a phase when I had to catch up with my curricular work. It was quite challenging and for a short period I started investing very little time in dance beyond my classes at NV. However, I had to return to a rigorous practice schedule when I had to perform at Marghazi 2022-23. That's when I understood that I am only as good as my last rigorous practice. I learnt that if I let my curricular pressures or other distractions take away my practice and fitness time, I am going to lose my rhythm. Since then, I have not looked back. I have learnt to set aside two hours of each day for dance and fitness. I ensure that nothing else distracts me during those two hours. Now, I have learnt to meet my deadlines and not let anything else interfere with my dance. Dance has taught me to multitask and I am slowly becoming more proficient at managing time better. In addition, I have also embraced yoga that helps my body connect better with my inner self; It helps me keep myself fit, relaxes my mind and brings me peace. I have also learnt to maintain a healthy diet and resist temptation. I always feel blessed to have discovered Bharatanatyam for myself and feel enthused about learning and performing it. I wish to continue performing both solo and group formats and keep this journey of learning alive and continuous. For me, Bharatanatyam is a sadhana, Natya Vriksha is my home, and Geeta Akka is my mother.
I would like to keep learning, growing, and enriching myself with various aspects of Bharatanatyam in this nurturing environment, under the guidance of Geeta Akka."
