When I graduated from college last May and began working at Hunter Public Relations, it was so strange for me to not be identified as a dancer. I have been dancing since before I can remember (there may or may not be videos of me as a diaper-clad one year old dancing around to the 1989 hit “Lambada”) and my love of dancing has always been an integral part of my personality.

When I was six years old, I began training in Kathak, a form of Indian dance. Kathak is the only one among the eight dances of India deemed “classical” that originates from the north. Northern India has seen hundreds of foreigners throughout its tumultuous history and as a result, Kathak dance reflects a wide variety of cultures.

When I went to college, my dance repertoire was further expanded to the genre of South Asian fusion dance when I joined Brown Badmaash. Though it’s quite the mouthful, “South Asian fusion dance” is a thriving subculture that is both widely known and fervently followed. South Asian fusion dance consists of an eclectic mix of South Asian dance forms along with any other dance style from around the world, including Brazilian samba, Spanish Flamenco, West African dance, and more.

This video is a performance of Kathak that tells the story of the Hindu Lord Krishna and his consort Radha. The dancers are Sean Holmquest and myself, accompanied by Nandini Jayakrishna as the vocalist and Anshul Parulkar on the tabla.

If you’re interested in learning more about South Asian dance, I recommend Duniya Dance and NYC Bhangra. For performances, look for events at the Asia Society and Sanskriti. Additionally, Bollywood movies always feature great dance sequences; for starters I would try Lagaan or Aaja Nachle.

Balle balle! Sujata