Dance from Within

Written by Sai Keertana Ganta

My name is Sai Keertana Ganta and I enjoy dancing Bharatnatyam. Bharatnatyam has always been a valuable part of my life. Starting at age 4 I was enrolled in classes by my amma who also inspired me to become the first dancer of the family. With many years of training and creating a bond with my culture and roots, I grew to admire the art form and found an inner passion for it. Throughout the years I've learnt more about India and expressed various stories through my performances. Growing up I partook in many Baba dances at Satsangs and always loved dancing to the melodious songs. I have been so lucky these past years with the opportunities presented to me to share my passion and I can’t wait to continue this art form and pass it on to the following generations.

Although I have had many fulfilling experiences while dancing Bharatatnayam there are a few special ones that stand out to me. Throughout my years of dancing, I have had the privilege to present Baba dances and choreograph my own pieces that I later present and Satsangs. As much as this strengthened my creativity, I additionally got the opportunity to truly understand the meaning of the Baba songs and arati’s I had been singing my whole life. In the end this led to a deeper understanding of Baba and Guruji for me. I saw the stories through my own eyes in a way that I could truly interpret them. At satsangs I was also given the chance to perform dances with other saiseekers which led to deeper bonds among all of us even though we lived in different states.

A video of young me dancing at satsang!

In 2019, I started my Bharatanatyam arangetram journey. An arangetram is a repitoire of pieces presented by a classical dancer in order to mark the beginning of a professional dance career. Although this journey was worth it in the end, it was mostly tedious as well as emotionally and physically straining. Scheduled for August 1st 2020, I was told a few months prior, that the date would not work anymore. I then questioned the past year I had spend relentlessley practicing in order to prepare for the performance. Even though I had to heavily practice for 2 whole years instead of one, I had my faith in Baba and Guruji, and knew that they had a better plan in store for me.

Young me first learning the basics of Bharatanatyam

Alongside my preparation for this event, I was blessed with a varnam that was written by my nana and some of the satsang uncles. A varnam is the the longest piece in an Bharatnatyam arangetram that ends up being around 45 minutes to an hour long. These uncles planned for weeks and wrote the lyrics for my varnam that my singer eventually composed and brought to life. I can’t even imagine the amount of time and effort it took to make each line so perfect it flowed seamlessly. I am eternally grateful for the amount of love and support that has been showered on me during this event from all the gurubandhus and people involved. While choreographing this piece I saw it as an opportunity to learn more about Baba and a way that I found interesting.

A short snippet from my varnam

I would spend hours researching leelas and practicing my emotions to try and immerse myself fully into each story. On the day of my arangetram, I felt very energized throughout my varnam. It was the adrenaline rushing through me as well as my love for Baba and Guruji that made me be a little sharper and jump a little higher. Reflecting on this journey, I couldn’t be more grateful for everything happening the way that it did. I am truly thankful and the immense support I received from gurubandhus as well as the strength powered in me by Baba and Guruji. I hope that I can continue dancing to more stories and succeed farther in my dance journey.