Danseuse Shivani Varma on dancing, dreams, and the future of Kathak

Though Kathak dancer Shivani Varma has been dancing since the tender age of three, she didn’t realise it was her calling till much later. Having pursued a law degree, she practiced as a lawyer for a number of years, while dance continued in the backdrop as a way of life. However, the leap from dance being a passion to a profession was a seamless and organic one, almost as if it was meant to happen. A few years and many interesting and prestigious performances later, she doesn’t regret her decision at all. After all, most people have a dream, but only few take significant steps to accomplish it.

“I started dancing professionally when I was in college. However, I was in denial about dance being my profession for years! Though dance was always my natural priority, I treated it as a hobby well into my performing career. Every offer that came my way would surprise me and I would treat each performance like it would be my last! Fortunately, they kept coming. That’s when I decided to give it my all because the life of a dancer demands immersion and I wanted to do full justice to it,” she declares in an exclusive chat with Firstpost.

Having been trained under Pt. Birju Maharaj and Padma Shri Guru Shovana Narayan, Varma’s training is of impeccable degree. This has gifted her the requisite skills, yet her path hasn’t been any easier than that of others. Referring to the biggest challenge of her career being the lack of awareness of Indian arts among Indians, she candidly says, “Indians do not appreciate being Indian, perhaps due to a post-colonial hangover of looking to the west, or other countries as inspiration and trendsetters. And although this may be true for many things, when it comes to the performing arts, we have one of the most complex, developed and cerebral systems and we can and should be the example that others follow.”

She also bemoans artists themselves being complicit in this devaluation of the arts by accepting offers from organisers who pay nothing or a pittance, leading to a loss of respect for the art itself. To this, she adds, “There is no unity among the performing arts and performing artists which may allow them to effectively organise and create a lobby for the arts.”

Varma deals with these issues by moulding her practice into a contemporary narrative. Though Kathak as a dance form dates back to the 4th Century B.C, its reliance on an upright posture and facial expressions that mimic reality, make it quite modern in appeal. Hence, she plans her performances to connect with today’s audience. She has collaborated with designers for fashion events like the India Couture Week, literature festivals, theatre productions, and art installations. Further, she frequently performs in theme-based shows which allow her to tell a story while keeping the technicalities of the dance form intact. In the past, she has been part of shows on Mahatma Gandhi, Devaki (a feminist interpretation), and an ecologically inclined one on the city of Delhi (seen through the eyes of the depleting river Yamuna). She fondly recalls performing on stage as a part of her Guru Maharajji’s conceptual Kathak piece called ‘Taal Kachehri’ which was a humorous take on a court room drama, as well as choreographed dances for some performances by Amir Raza Hussain’s theatre company.

Apart from performances, dancer-based campaigns and shoots are another form of attracting a new-age audience. During the pandemic-induced lockdown, she awoke to the appeal of the camera too. Since then, she has worked on dance campaigns for mainstream brands, bringing immediate attention to her practice as well as the dance form itself. Her latest projects reflect the popularity of these mediums. Varma was part of a Ghazal music video ‘Dil-e-Nadaan’ based on Mirza Ghalib’s poetry, which was sung, composed and shot by celebrated dance photographer Innee Singh. She is also part of the ongoing promotions for indie brand Raw Mango’s festive collection. As part of the week-long shoot for this campaign, she danced, acted, modelled, and even sat on a horse after years.

However, her most memorable collaboration took place earlier this year, when she was invited to perform two near-hour long traditional Kathak recitals by music maestro A.R. Rahman for his daughter, Khatija Rahman’s wedding celebrations, spaced out over two months. Speaking about this experience, she says, “It felt like a dream come true! I feel immeasurable gratitude to the universe! I remember flying back from Chennai after the first show, and I uploaded an Instagram story with the song ‘Walking on Sunshine’ playing. That was the feeling which in a nutshell describes everything I felt, after just seeing him sitting there in the front row to watch and then being in his presence and then actually being able to interact with him when he asked for an impromptu shoot.”

It is these experiences that make Varma love her chosen profession so dearly. The fact that it brings her in contact with pioneers from all walks of life, allows her to apply her training as a dancer while simultaneously pushing the boundaries. As her cup overflows with bounty, she highlights her ongoing projects – the Raw Mango campaign and another one she did with the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art will be out on social media this week. She also has upcoming performances in Agra for a fashion event, in Delhi for a program on women’s health, a ballet production for Muzaffar Ali in Jaipur, and one at Lucknow for a literature festival, all in 2022.

Proposed collaborations with a Flamenco dancer and another with a western classical pianist, are also in the works, as are ongoing auditions for web series and ad films. Taking her craft on to a global stage looks easier than ever before. Varma rounds off the conversation by hinting at an important venture she is currently working on, yet isn’t allowed to disclose many details of, “I will need everyone’s support in this endeavour. I have a dream that I have begun to work on and with God’s grace, if my vision becomes a reality, I may create an inroad into how dance is perceived by the younger generation. I want them to become aware that it is a gift like no other and brings infinite creative possibilities. The progression of my career so far is proof of that, as everything has come my way because I am a Kathak dancer! Whatever the future may bring, or the results may be, I have to say my journey has been an interesting one of growth and learning.”

And as her journey continues on, we wait to see it unfold with bated breath.

Noor Anand Chawla pens lifestyle articles for various publications and her blog www.nooranandchawla.com.

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