Art Featured:
1)Jog Pushpanjali
2)Revelation Celebrating LGBTQ community through Bharatanatyam
Art Form In General:
Bharatanatyam is a classical dance form that encompasses music, emotions, rhythm, and expressions and is based on Natyashastra. It is one of the oldest dance forms that emerged in the southern part of the Indian continent. The two pieces presented here hold a massive significance as both of them convey a strong story with concrete emotions and rhythmic music.
Swathi’s Inspirational Taal:
Swathi has presented two of her elegant art pieces here. Both of them are commendable in themselves and send a powerful message to the audience.
1.Jog Pushpanjali:- this was Swathi’s first solo choreography and it surely turned out to be a masterpiece. The pushpanjali is an invocatory item and is an offering of flowers to Lord of Dance Nataraja, to the guru, and the audience. This particular piece holds a lot of intrinsic value because it is a channel to pay respects to the gurus and the lord. The prime inspiration in this was the music, which made her choreograph this fast-paced, energetic creation. It has complex patterns and dynamic movements. This piece comprised 5 dancers and one pivot point where all of them gathered to form a blossoming flower. It involved various innovative movements and positioning to represent the essence of the art. She has also experimented with creative sequences of the movements. This was a unique and refreshing piece.
2.Revelations: celebrating LGBTQ Stories through Bharatanatyam
This is one of her favorite pieces. This depicts a touching story brimming with emotions. This piece was created to increase acceptance towards the LGBTQ community. The story talks about a girl who comes out in front of her mother and the challenges both of them had to face to overcome. Along with this, it also showcased a mother’s pure and unconditional love for her child which would never fade no matter what consequences may come. Swathi believed that topics like this are never really portrayed in Bharatanatyam and she wanted to break the stigma and make people understand. She researched a lot before choreographing to make this piece as insightful and impactful as possible. She did complete justice to this important concept. She received a lot of love and praise for her work which filled her with pride and warmth.
The Ideation Process:
Swathi reveals that it requires a lot of stamina to practice rigorously and also to enact some powerful and fast-paced moves. She tries challenging pieces because that makes her learn new steps and to improvise her abilities. She looks forward to at least learn one new step every day. Other than that, she also researches and introspects before choreographing a piece. A lot of thought process and the trial and error method goes behind creating a performance. She is always left incredibly amazed after creating a new and unique piece. She aspires to communicate pure emotions towards her audience.
Swathi’s Story:
Swathi Jaisankar is a Bharatnatyam dancer based in New Jersey, USA. She has been training for the past 16 years under Smt. Suba Parmar and Sri. Swamimalai K. Her notable performances include solo margams at the Chennai Margazhi Festival and she is also the creative director of dance for Indian Raga through which she has choreographed over 25 major productions over the past 3 years. One of the things that attracted her towards this art form is the depiction of stories of gods and goddesses which she heard as a kid. She feels a strong connection to the Indian culture and tradition through her dancing.
Credentials:
Swathi has earned numerous awards and all of them are precious to her. Here are some remarkable achievements of her which makes her swell with pride. She is a two time National YoungArts Winner (USA), was a Finalist for the international Cleveland Aradhana Competition, won Best Female Lead being on Boston University Jalwa, and was the Winner of the Hidden Idol International Dance Competition. She was invited to perform at the World Government Summit, Dubai and the United Nations, NY as well. There are many press releases and several other accomplishments which helped Swathi gain worldwide recognition.
For All The Newbies:
To any upcoming artist, her advice would be to make sure to surround yourself with people who support your ambitions. She asks everyone to never give up even if you face multiple setbacks. According to Swathi, art is specific to each individual and each of them has their own way of expressing and so we should not compare our journey to that of others. She suggests everyone to be loud and proud about their art.
At last, Swathi quotes, “to be proud of every step you take towards your goal and do not settle along the way.” Keep pushing yourself to be the best version of yourself.
AVAILABLE ON:
Instagram( @Swathi_Insta )
Youtube : ( @Jog_Pushpanjali )
