A single light shines as a bead of sweat trickles down her back. The stage is hers for the next three hours. She’s been preparing for this performance for the last 11 years and this is the moment it becomes reality. The music starts and…
Sophomore Preetha Vikram has been doing Bharatanatyam, a traditional Indian dance, since she was four years old. Bharatanatyam incorporates elements of both ballet and hip hop, requiring dancers to be both graceful and energetic.
Over the years, Vikram has become a motivated dancer, even though originally she wasn’t the one who pushed to begin dancing— her mother, Jesi Vikram, signed her up for Bharatanatyam lessons to connect her daughter with Indian culture.
“Dancing was a good way to introduce her to a different side of our culture that I couldn’t expose her to,” Jesi Vikram said. “I love that Preetha doesn’t quit things easily— there have been many times throughout the years when she was the last person at a lesson, but she never complained.”
Vikram has performed in multiple events with her dance school, Natyabhoomi; she’s even performed at the Kennedy Center, Fiesta Asia–where cultures from all across Asia come together–and the Girl Child Project, in which dances highlight the importance of protecting international girls’ rights.
After years of practice, Vikram’s formal dance education concluded with a three-hour long solo show called an Arangetram, which she performed last October. In the Bharatanatyam community this performance signifies a graduation and was Vikram’s longest performance to date.
Throughout her draining year-long preparation for this show, she learned about the depth of her commitment and time management required for such an ambitious dance. Vikram’s dedication to mastering her Arangetram dances meant sacrificing some of her long time hobbies to focus on preparing for the show.
“I used to do other activities, like piano and art classes, but when my Arangetram was brought up as a topic by my teacher, I had to stop doing them because it’s a very big deal,” Vikram said.
To build up her stamina, Vikram joined Whitman Crew as a freshman, adding another time commitment to her already busy schedule.
Self motivation is an integral part of Arangetram preparations, as the show is the biggest performance of a Bharatanatyam dancer’s career. It takes technique as well as a strong mentality to power through the entire three hours. Additionally, dancers have to have four to five years of dancing experience, teacher approval and be at least 14 years old.
“You have to have the patience, the persistence and the goal set in your mind that you want to do it,” Vikram said. “An Arangetram can’t happen if it’s something you don’t want or you don’t want to work for. It’s more about when you are mentally and physically ready rather than when you think you have nailed the dances.”
Vikram’s dance teacher, Deepti Mukund, has coached her through various achievements and struggles over the past 11 years, but said the best part about teaching is to see the development of her students as well-rounded people.
“Bharatanatyam is like any other art. You must give a lot to get a lot out of it, and this passion comes from within,” Mukund said. “It’s not only a test of abilities but also a test of perseverance.”
After completing her Arangetram, Vikram was instilled with a newfound sense of achievement and motivation, and she doesn’t want to give up the source of this drive— the fact that she has graduated doesn’t stop her from continuing to dance.
“Though it was a graduation, I never stopped dancing,” Vikram said. “I still go to class two times a week. In my eyes, I don’t see it as a graduation but as a beginning. No one ever said I had to go to dance, I continue to go to dance because I don’t want to stop, and in the future I hope to dance throughout college.”
