Episode Notes

Ariaki Dandawate, born and brought up in New Jersey, has been studying Kathak under the discipleship of Guru Pandita Archana Joglekar for over 15 years. Having been exposed to the nuances, beauty, and prestigious lineage of Kathak by her guru from a young age, Aria has spent the past several years seriously pursuing every aspect of the art form. In 2014, Aria received her Visharad (Bachelors) degree from the SAMVED Exam Board, and in August of 2016 she presented her Rang Manch Pradarshan (solo performance). Her Visharad degree in Kathak has allowed her to study the essence of the Natya Shastra – a pillar of the arts – as well as become proficient in complex practical and theoretical applications of both Taal and Bhav Anga. Aria has given solo performances at prestigious festivals such as Guru Wandana in Mumbai, Rabindra Natya Mandir in Mumbai, Geeva Heritage Festival in Kentucky, and Sangeet Mahotsav NY, to name a few. In the Tri-State area, Ariaki has performed at many events held by various cultural, artistic, and philanthropic organizations. In July of 2015, Ariaki was a Top 5 Finalist in Zee TV’s Dance India Dance North America competition held in Mumbai, India. Aria is a faculty member at Archana Arts, primarily training Diploma and Bachelors students at the academy and she has recently taken the responsibility of choreography and rehearsal assistantship at Archana Arts. Ariaki is a regular examiner under the SAMVED Exam board within NJ and Texas, Maryland, and Boston. Apart from her rigorous training in Kathak, Ariaki graduated in May with a bachelors degree in Biotechnology and Computer Science, and is currently working as an Associate Computational Biologist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, MA.

Highlights 0:02:49 Training and Background 0:04:34 Masters in Kathak 0:06:25 SAMVED Board 0:08:53 Timeline for Bachelors and Masters 0:09:55 Sticking to Kathak 0:11:27 Approach to Kathak 0:18:03 Movements for each Taal 0:19:03 Formalizing thoughts 0:19:57 What needs to be done in kathak 0:21:43 Natya Dharmi vs Lok Dharmi 0:22:25 Stories Explored by Aria 0:23:53 Draupadi characteristics 0:25:51 Smt Archana Joglekar 0:29:27 Personal Connection with Archana ji 0:31:39 Aspects of Kathak Aria loves 0:33:56 Aria's teaching methodology 0:37:26 Being Strict 0:39:08 Dealing with students who don't practice 0:40:17 Performance Career 0:44:58 Coming back to kathak 0:46:20 Finding ways to dance 0:48:38 Difference between performing on TV vs On stage