Losing ourselves to dance, to the beats, whether we’re good at it or not, allows us to be in the moment and gives us a chance to channelize all our emotions. While many of us jazz to enjoy, there are others who take it up as their profession and aspire to dance every single day of their life. Such is a story of Prateeksha Kashi. Even after excelling in academics throughout her education, she chose Kuchipudi as her career, because that’s where her heart belonged right from her childhood.
Juggling Dance And Academics In Childhood
Shifting various schools from the State Board to ICSE Cluny Convent to Mount’s, new challenges have always dotted Prateeksha’s life and were always bravely welcomed. Having been a topper in her state board school, the move to an ICSE school wasn’t easy. But with grit and determination, she managed to soon join the higher rungs of the ladder in her new school also.
When asked how she managed to pursue dance with so many other things on the platter, she shares, “Once in Cluny Convent, there was an in-house cultural competition and I participated in the dance section. I competed for the solo and the house that I belonged to got first prize after about 2-3 years. That was one moment when I was hit by a wave of positivity that, ‘Okay, I can do it!’. From then on, I participated in all the cultural activities, and went on to become the cultural secretary in college.”
Choosing Between Corporate Job And Professional Dancing
Prateeksha completed her engineering as a gold medalist and was employed by SAP Labs. After working as a full time employee for a year, she found it difficult to juggle between her passion and limited number of corporate leaves. She fondly recalls what a cool place SAP was to work at and how supportive they were of extra-curricular activities. But she came across crossroads, where she had to choose from two things she really enjoyed, and she decided to quit her corporate job to become a full-time professional dancer!
She adds, “When I was in school, dance was just an enjoyable daily activity for me, more than a career choice. Dance was a part of my daily life, because I had been seeing Kuchipudi at my home since I was a child. In fact, when I was taking up science at Mount Carmel, a lot of people would say, ‘Why do you want to take up science? It will take up all your time!’ But my parents told me to do whatever I liked, but to just make sure that whatever I do, I should like it and be able to give my best to it.”
From there she went on to study Computer Science at BMS College, Bangalore. She describes,
“Even though I was an active part of the college cultural group for the first year, when we came to the second year, I realized that the college group was not as active. Students just stayed back; there was more of chatting, less of dancing. That’s when I started dancing more in Shambhavi School of Dance, a premier dance institution set up by my mother and Guru Vyjayanthi Kashi.”
She further smiles and adds, “There have been so many days when I have just come back from a performance and gone in for a final exam!!!”
But her time at the corporate added lots of value to her dancing career as well. She explains,
“Because I worked in a corporate job, I was able to understand the way they function, the attitude with which they work, and the efficiency of the whole system, which helped me with better success in our organization. Most of the times it’s all about the attitude that you approach things with, right? In dance, we generally have to put up a one-man show. You do everything on your own! Right from conceiving a project and funding it, to choreographing and getting the music composition done, everything you do is on your own!”
“Two fields are always connected. They’re never mutually exclusive; when you realise that, it gives you a holistic experience. Otherwise what happens is that you just get sucked into one line of work and you see the entire world through that lens, which limits your perception.”
When Dance Moves From Art Form To Way Of Life
When asked what it takes to be a good dancer, Prateeksha says, “The first thing one needs to have is a burning passion for it. Because in dance, not everything is logic. You cannot have an equal to equation. In fact, the whole equation never exists. When you consider taking up dance as a profession, you don’t see it as just a career; instead, you start seeing it as a lifestyle.”
She further adds, “In corporate, if I show continuous progress, in one year, I know for sure that I’m going to be given a hike. But in dance, it’s not like that. It’s like you run your own business. When you invest, you put in your investment. And that investment is in terms of your hard work, training, your physical effort and your money, and even when you get judgements, you persist saying to yourself- ‘It’s okay if I get criticism. It’s okay if it doesn’t work. But I will keep going!’
“You take a blind leap of faith. You don’t completely understand how things are happening, but gradually everything starts falling into place and it is very rewarding. If you are looking for a holistic development, then dance is the profession you embrace!”
Prateeksha opines that to make it big, it is also advantageous to start at an early age. “It pays off if you work hard, but if you’ve had the advantage of starting young, you are already two blocks ahead!” With a spark in her eyes, she adds, “You also need the right Guru, because guidance is very important at every stage, and that itself takes a while. Only a Guru can you train you to a level where you can represent your country through your art form and spread it globally.”
“That way, I consider myself blessed to have my mother and Guru Vyjayanthi Kashi, who is a Kuchipudi exponent. Family support and understanding is yet another important aspect, and I am grateful to my father, Vijay Kashi, a cine artist and my grandmother Late GV Girijamma for being a strong support to both my mother and me.”
Deep Connection To Self Through Dance
We spend a major chunk of our life working, so that work not only defines our time, it also defines our basic character. When asked how dancing defines her, Prateeksha Kashi says,
“Dancing has made me a stronger person by never letting me give up on the things that I want to do. At the same time, it keeps me grounded and active, both physically and mentally. It has made me pursue excellence rather than perfection.”
She further says, “A lot of learning happens by observing people, while travelling to various places. With this exposure you not only learn a lot, but you also correct yourself in varied unknown situations and it becomes a good input for dance as well”.
“My work has specifically affected my attitude towards situations. It taught me to be a lot more flexible. Sometimes my work puts me in 5-star hotels, the best possible accommodation, best possible stage, professional lights, and sounds. And other times, you have to dance in a government school, without a proper stage and other conveniences; those times taught me to hold on to my composure. Dance has taught me the art of appreciating beauty in the dichotomy of situations.”
Prateeksha advises that no matter where you’re headed, be it a good situation or a situation that you think is terrible for you, it is possible to turn the table and make it better with your attitude and approach to things. She encourages living in the moment. She shares,
“When I’m dancing on stage is probably the only time I don’t think about absolutely anything else! So yes, dance also helps me to live the moment.”
A Day In The Life Of A Professional Dancer
When requested to give us a peek into the day of a professional dancer, Prateeksha shares, “Each day is a new day. You cannot always have a fixed schedule. There are times when we are traveling for days. Wherever I am, I try to do half hour of speed walking or some light form of exercise! When I’m home, I spend some time doing admin work in our office, till noon. Post lunch, I attend to different batches of dance classes. Then I attend our practice sessions for about two and a half hours, which includes training and stamina maintenance. Apart from that, there’s also choreography of course!”
She adds, “When the dance exams start and the students need to be coached for them, we also dedicate our time there”.
While getting inspired by Prateeksha’s life, we wanted to make sure we don’t miss out on the different projects she’s part of currently. She says, “Currently I’m doing an art movie in Tamil. It’s called Nityasumangali. It’s about the life of the last Devadasi of Tiruchendur, a small village in Tamil Nadu. It revolves around a proven fact that when a person is just about to die, they get to see some specific moments from their life—one is a very good moment, one is a harsh or bad moment, and another is a wish that they were not able to achieve during their lifetime. I’m certainly enjoying this project very much. It is quite challenging, and I love challenges! This film is supposed to be screened at festivals in India and abroad. We’re planning on completing it before July.”
Takeaway – Habits That Help!
“Everyday at least for ten minutes, I express deep-felt gratitude to everything I can think of in that day. The habit of reading and perseverance has helped me come a long way!”
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