My top 10 dance heroes - Suhani Dhanki Mody

“THERE are many precious hands that have sculpted various aspects of my life as a dancer, and I do believe that as an artist, it has been the consistent support of these heroes at different stages, which have been my guiding light. I am sharing who they are and some of the inspiring things that they have said to me here in no particular order.”

“I’d love to see you as an international dance artist.”– These words from my mother when I was a young girl made me realise that becoming a dancer was even an option! Maa loved to dance, but never had the opportunity to learn; however, she ensured that I received the best training. From staying up nights to pick me up from rehearsals, to waking up at wee hours to ensure I had sufficient meals for the day, she invested her savings towards my dance training, Arangetram, live performances, travel, costumes and jewellery, among others. She continues to be my biggest cheerleader and critique. She gave me vision and set my foundation.

“You just continue doing whatever it is you love without looking for approval.”– When I was at a marriageable age and started receiving proposals, many families expressed aversion to my profession of being a dancer and actor. My grandmother whom I used to call Baa shunned them all and said these words of pragmatism to me. She loved to watch me dance and never missed a chance to put me on stage or encourage me to showcase my talent. She instilled confidence and faith in me.

“To be a dancer, you first need to be a good human.”– My Guru (teacher), Dr Sandhya Purecha teaches us dance with the core foundation of value education. She emphasises on the importance of Satva, or the pure heart, that reflects in every aspect of life of an artist. From her, I have not only learned Bharatanatyam in its most authentic and logical form, but also art as a way of life through her own example and teachings. She is my sculptor, the one whose world of dance I fell in love with before loving dance itself. She is my biggest hero!

“As an artist, you must learn to be independent.”– From holding our hands through getting completely dressed for a performance by yourself, to teaching us ancillary skills like costume design, property-making, arts management, including maintaining a record of your performances, to people’s skills, in Bhavna Shah I have a mentor who has taught me everything I need to know to be a dancer. She is the reason I feel independent to be able to tackle any situation.

“You are born to dance.”– Mirabelle D’Cruz was my dance teacher when I was in school and taught me world folk and ballroom dancing. She told a 12-year-old Suhani these powerful words, which have stayed with me ever since and even now, when in doubt, those words bring a smile of reassurance. She was the first one to have identified my potential.

“I don’t want to hear you say you can’t.”– My friends from dance class are a constant source of motivation and encouragement serving as a sounding board and support system. From having disagreements backstage to a harmonious transformation on-stage, from struggling to learn something to simplifying it for each other, I admire that there’s no room for jealousy and we work towards growing together, adapting from each other! It reinstates the phrase that ‘in art, there’s always room at the top!’

“Don’t be too harsh on yourself.”– When I moved to the UK from India, amid all the uncertainties, insecurities, lack of direction and inclination, I found my hero in Payal Ramchandani, a beautiful dancer, who has eased the journey of integrating into this new life as a pillar of strength, giving me reassurance. To find friends in a daunting profession where one can feel so isolated, the openness of fellow dancers like Shivani, Vidya, Mathangi, Kirsten, Abirami, Shivaangee, Hiten, Pranita, to name a few, has been heart-warming.

Senior dancers – Often after a performance, the feedback one receives is ‘oh, you looked so beautiful!’ but somehow that compliment never makes me feel good about myself or my dance because I would rather the performance outshine physical appearances. I take a lot of inspiration from beautiful senior dance artists such as Dr Sandhya Purecha, Malavika Sarukkai, Priyadarshini Govind, Vidhya Subramanian and Janaki Rangarajan – their inner radiance outshines their external beauty and reflects in their performances.

Helping hands – Organisations and individuals that support artists to grow collectively have been instrumental in helping me find my space in the UK dance sector – the support of Mira Kaushik and Antareepa at Akademi in starting the Wednesday Wisdom series, as well as providing diverse opportunities for performances in the UK, and being a part of the digital platform Manch UK and learning from a team of phenomenal women. Collaborations with organisations like Nehru Centre London, Nupur Arts, Arunima Kumar Dance Company, Srishti Dance Creations and Beeja have taught me a lot about work ethics, aesthetics and cross-cultural presentations in the UK.

My husband – Prathmesh is my husband and the most fun dance partner. He loves to dance and has neither formal training nor a sense of rhythm, but moves with phenomenal joy and energy. He is my dance hero, because he inspires me to loosen up, let go and simply enjoy the dance without any inhibitions or regime. n Suhani Dhanki Mody is a Bharatanatyam dancer, actor and Manch UK founder member.

Instagram: @suhani8, Facebook: @SuhaniDhankiMody & Twitter: @suhani_dhanki