Dance Synergies

By Tejeswini Chakraborty & Jagyaseni Chatterjee

How were you introduced to dance?

Rajeswari Sainath: I was seven years old when I was first introduced to dance by guru Vazhuvoor K.R. Radhakrishnan through my school. My school had invited Sir to teach students after school hours, and I was one of the few interested. I learnt my basics under him for three to four years, but after that, he discontinued teaching in school as he shifted from Hyderabad to Rishi Valley, and our classes stopped. At that moment, I realised I did not want to let go off the In Conversation with Rajeswari & Vyshnavie Sainath Dance Synergies Tejeswini Chakraborty & Jagyaseni Chatterjee art form. I soon enrolled in Sri Rama Nataka Niketan and learnt under guru V.S. Ramamoorthy for a couple of years. I brushed up on my foundation and went through a small course there. Later, I got the opportunity to meet gurus Indira Rajan and Pandanallur Srinivasa Pillai during one of their visits to Hyderabad, and consequently, I continued my training with them.

Vyshnavie: Dance was always there in the house and was a natural choice for me. I was never forced to dance because my mother was a dancer. My father is a sportsman, and he was an international cricketer. My mother says I have tried to imitate others’ dancing since I was a toddler! As a child, I was quite athletic, which might explain why my choreographies often gravitate towards more athletic expressions on stage. I use Kalari and yoga to create challenging postures and show different characters in a way that might be considered a little acrobatic. I started performing on stage very early and got the Rukumini Devi Arundale Award for my first performance when I didn’t even know what it was.