2008 Woodie Awards
Mallika Rao
Conversations with Middlebury's own Indian dancer
Joyce Man
Issue date: 3/16/06 Section: Arts
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Mallika Rao '05 is passionate about classical Indian dance and growing up, she was trained in the Bharatnatyam style. While a student at Middlebury, she performed in the International Students Organization Cultural Show as well as in Riddim dance troupe and Middance performances.
The Middlebury Campus: How and when did you start dancing?
Mallika Rao: I started when I was seven years old. My aunt is a professional dancer in India of the Bharatanatyam style, the oldest style of Indian dance, and she initiated me into the art. Soon after, I began taking lessons from the only teacher in the Dallas area, where I grew up, whose school has now grown to include two other cities in Texas. After high school graduation, I gave an arangetram, a solo performance lasting several hours that's basically a dance graduation. The months spent training made me very dedicated to the art.
TC: Which specific type of dance did you practice? Is there any special significance or philosophy behind it?
MR: I am trained in Bharatanatyam. Hindu mythology describes the whole universe as Siva's cosmic dance and this dance is the basis for Bharatanatyam. It originated in ancient times and was performed in temples as a form of worship. Many sculptures and images associated with Hindu temples and art are Bharatanatyam poses, inspired by temple dancers. Fans of the college's yoga classes might be interested to know that many traditional yoga poses are Bharatanatyam poses as well.
TC: D you think classical Indian dance can or should be mixed with contemporary dance?
MR: I'm probably biased towards this question, seeing as I co-choreographed an Indian-Hip-Hop dance for Middance. While it did feel a unnerving to perform Siva's cosmic dance to the vocal stylings of Truth Hurts [popular urban vocalist], I have to say it's a good idea to be flexible in these things. It's true that much of the art's strength lies in its tradition and original intent, but who's to say how much of that ancient intent has already been naturally fused with competing influences? It has a strong enough presence in India that some fusion in the West can't hurt. Getting trained Western dancers interested in it as a viable form seems like a wonderful idea to me.
The Middlebury Campus: How and when did you start dancing?
Mallika Rao: I started when I was seven years old. My aunt is a professional dancer in India of the Bharatanatyam style, the oldest style of Indian dance, and she initiated me into the art. Soon after, I began taking lessons from the only teacher in the Dallas area, where I grew up, whose school has now grown to include two other cities in Texas. After high school graduation, I gave an arangetram, a solo performance lasting several hours that's basically a dance graduation. The months spent training made me very dedicated to the art.
TC: Which specific type of dance did you practice? Is there any special significance or philosophy behind it?
MR: I am trained in Bharatanatyam. Hindu mythology describes the whole universe as Siva's cosmic dance and this dance is the basis for Bharatanatyam. It originated in ancient times and was performed in temples as a form of worship. Many sculptures and images associated with Hindu temples and art are Bharatanatyam poses, inspired by temple dancers. Fans of the college's yoga classes might be interested to know that many traditional yoga poses are Bharatanatyam poses as well.
TC: D you think classical Indian dance can or should be mixed with contemporary dance?
MR: I'm probably biased towards this question, seeing as I co-choreographed an Indian-Hip-Hop dance for Middance. While it did feel a unnerving to perform Siva's cosmic dance to the vocal stylings of Truth Hurts [popular urban vocalist], I have to say it's a good idea to be flexible in these things. It's true that much of the art's strength lies in its tradition and original intent, but who's to say how much of that ancient intent has already been naturally fused with competing influences? It has a strong enough presence in India that some fusion in the West can't hurt. Getting trained Western dancers interested in it as a viable form seems like a wonderful idea to me.