“You have to love dancing to stick to it. It gives you nothing back, no manuscripts, no paintings, no poems, nothing but that single fleeting moment when you feel alive.” – Merce Cunningham

 

Today, at ‘Mom with Her Story’, I am going to take you on a journey of ‘Bharatanatyam’ through the eyes of one fine dancer who believes in spreading knowledge about Indian art and culture in the USA. I got to see her live performance last year during one of the Recitals ‘Dashavatar’ (the 10 Incarnations of Lord Vinshnu) and believe me it was mesmerizing. Meet Guru Rashmi Shashi – mother, dancer-choreographer & founder of Studio Mudra School of Dance, Houston.

 

Rashmi Shashi is a dance teacher and choreographer who moved to Houston recently from South Florida. She graduated from Bharatanatyam under the tutelage of Prof. M.R Krishnamurthy of Kalakshetra. She started the Siri Nrithya School of Dance in 2002 in South Florida and has had several dance productions to her name. She has also been a pioneer in introducing Bharatanatyam to the curriculum of Florida Atlantic University and has also been a part of many fund raisers. She has been associated with APAI, association of performing arts of India in the USA since 2002. Academically, she has a Masters degree in Microbiology and has worked as an adjunct faculty teaching Biology and Microbiology in Broward College, South Florida. She plans to continue her passion of teaching Bharatanatyam, folk, contemporary dances in Houston and has started Studio Mudra school of Dance. She presently lives in Sugar Land with her husband Shashi Kumar and son Ronit Kumar who is in his 7th grade.

 

Mothers Gurukul: Rashmi, most of the people know ‘Bharatanatyam’ as one of the oldest Indian classical dances from South. Not going by the definition, but something that you have experienced being connected to this filed from last many years, how you would define Bharatanatyam?

Rashmi Shashi: I think for me Bharatanatyam has been my life changing experience. My father never approved of Dance as a career. To him, it was more of a hobby. Honestly speaking, I never thought of making a career out of it but when I started to learn, I enjoyed it from the bottom of my heart. It wasn’t a hobby any more for me. I was totally into it. Apart from the happiness, joy that I get from doing Bharatanatyam, it has played a major role in building my personality. I got to meet different kinds of people. And especially from my Guru, I learned what discipline is and also how to grow as a person. So,to me Bharatanatyam is not just a dance form, it’s a life changing experience. I started when I was 6 years old and I never quit after that. There were some pressures, off course. But my mother always supported me. At the same time finished my post-graduation in Microbiology. I never thought that I will take Dance as my profession but since it just makes me so happy, I thought of why not to do something that I am really passionate about. So, I decided to be a Dance teacher.

 

MG: Awesome. Rashmi, you have a Masters in Microbiology and also you have worked as an adjunct faculty in South Florida. So, what led to your interest in starting a Dance school and not continuing with your faculty role?

Rashmi Shashi: After finishing up my Masters, I immediately got a job offer in Bangalore. But before I could start, I got married and came to the USA. Initially, I had no friends, everything was new to me. Whenever I had little time, I would play the Bharatanatyam songs and practice. While I was going through this phase, I started to think in a new direction. Lots of Indians who lived here wanted their kids to learn Indian Art like Music and Dance. So, I thought why not to give it a try. I started with just one student and then slowly my school started and I ended up having around 120 students in a short time span of 5 years. And, since I had Masters in Microbiology, I thought of getting into teaching and I joined the University of South Florida as an adjunct faculty. I would say, I love teaching whether it is Dance or Biology or Microbiology. But after a certain point, with more than 100 students at Dance school and teaching at college, it was getting hard to balance both efficiently. So, I wanted to give my 100% to one profession whether it be going to college or teaching Dance. And since Dance is something which always makes me feel happier so I decided to just stick with it.

 

MG: As per my knowledge, the journey till Arangetram stage is quite long. We would like to know how and when did you start your Dance career?

Rashmi Shashi: When I started to learn, I didn’t know anything about Bharatanatyam. Like any 6 years old kid, the main goal was to have fun. My mother was the first person to see my interest in Dance, so she thought of putting me into a Dance school for time being to keep me occupied. But after I started, there was no looking back. And I did my Arangetram when I was 16 years old i.e 10 years after I started.

But in India its different, students go 3 times a week which gives them more time at their dance school. Here, people want to finish their Graduation in less time say 5-6 years at max which probably, for them, is a better option as kids have to go to college & then it’s tough for them to continue both. But what I would suggest to the students is if you really want to learn it to the fullest, then be determined, put your 100%, and finish it up because Bharatanatyam is more like a subject itself. Off course you can go to college and do whatever you like. This will give them another option to pick as their career.

 

MG: Great!! You have been pioneer in introducing Bharatanatyam to the curriculum of Florida Atlantic University. So, Rashmi was it challenging  to introduce a relatively unknown art form? How was your experience?

Rashmi Shashi: When I took this proposal to them they were very excited. The reason for that is they have seen couple of videos. They supported me whole heartedly. People here in this country, they do lot of research whether it be Ballet, or anything new before getting into it. They wanted to give it a try for one semester and see how it goes. So, in those 4 months, I taught the students the basic theory, few dances and they just loved it. All of them were very dedicated, determined. I would say one good thing about America is people here accept all these new forms very openly; they at least want to give it a try. And for that I am very thankful and also happy that they supported me in every way.

MG: That’s wonderful!! What does the word “Guru”(teacher) means to you? How do you think the “Guru (teacher)-Shishya (student) relationship” has changed since you have been trained under your Guru to the present day?

Rashmi Shashi: That is a great question. For me “Guru” is someone who draws your path; who inspires you; who teaches to differentiate between right and wrong. I would say, ‘Guru is almost like a second parent’. To be successful, you have to be dedicated and follow their path. There is a saying; you should always respect your Guru to imbibe whatever knowledge h(she) has to give you.

The difference I see is, we used to follow our Guru’s instructions; we would always try to impress our Guru; try to work much harder so that our Guru would be impressed with us. But here, kids are being taught at school to be independent, not to take anybody’s help. In some way it’s good but when it comes to learn some disciplined art like Bharatanatyam, you need to follow what your Guru says. You have to take both positive and negative responses (from your Guru) positively. So, at least for my shishyas (students), I would like them to learn this and take it positively.

 

MG: Rashmi, any kind of art form requires Riyaz (practice). How important is Riyaz for you and what would you tell the students of classical dance on its importance?

Rashmi Shashi: I would say, whether it is Dance, Music, Sport, or whatever you want to do, Riyaz is very important. Without it you cannot reach a certain goal you are aiming at. Your learning should be on going. Even for me, as teacher, every dance I choreograph is a learning experience. There should always be experimentation otherwise any form will become stagnant. You need to put in your own creativity and imagination and take it to the next level. This is possible when your Basics are strong. And to make that happen; to take it to the next level, ‘Riyaz’ is the key.

MG: That’s a very useful tip. From a perspective of a classical dancer, what does “Indian Culture” means to you? In today’s scenario what values and believes are important for the students to embody?

Rashmi Shashi: As I told you, Bharatanatyam has changed my life for good. Even though I lived here since 2001, I am purely Indian by heart. And the reason for that is learning Bharatanatyam. It has always gotten me closer to our culture. Now when I am staying far away from my country, I realize it’s importance and also what I am missing. And that’s why I want to create my small India here and I want to share the experience. What I always tell my students is you should have respect to your teacher, respect to the people, and be sure what you want to do, then give your 100% to it. The rest will follow.

 

MG: Wonderful thoughts. Those who want to learn from you but they are not in Houston. Is there a way they can reach you?

Rashmi Shashi: Yes. I moved here from Florida. My students were very much attached to me and vice-versa since they were with me from a very long time. So, they didn’t want to move to another teacher, also when you get used to one style it’s hard to shift to another. So, we came up with the solution to do Skype. Since 2011, I am doing Skype lessons to my Florida students and every year we do Recitals the way we do here. And all the choreography for the programs is done through Skype. On the day of the program, I have to be there. So, I go there 1 week before to give them live rehearsals. And it’s working out great.

 

MG: Great!! You have given many stage performances and choreographed Dance items as well. Which one is your favorite and very close to your heart?

Rashmi Shashi: Hmmm..very close to my heart..well… I still have to do it. I have lot of stories in my mind which I want to do. But yes, one Dance Drama which I did last year called ‘Maya’. It was about a woman’s journey from childhood to how she goes through the different stages of her life; it was about how she deals with it in this world full of animosity, jealousy; how she comes out of her shell as a winner. That is something that I can say is close to my heart. We off course do items based on Mythological stories but I want to do live stories that send out a positive message.

 

MG: Rashmi, when you pick a theme or a subject for your Dance item, like you told about ‘Maya’. Do you go by what’s happening around you or it is more based on Indian epics & Mythological stories?

Rashmi Shashi: It depends on experience. What I want and try to do is bringing out at least some percent of positivity through the themes I pick. I am happy that now people are globally accepting it. When I did ‘Maya’, it was for a global audience. Lot of Americans were able to follow it. When it is for Indian crowd, they can relate and understand the Mythological stories.

 

MG: What would be your advice to young students who are trying to make a career in Indian classical dance?

Rashmi Shashi: Hard work, Hard Work and Hard Work. Along with that lot of Dedication and Respect towards this art. If you want to grow as a Dancer, get completely involved in it. And try to understand that it’s not just a art form to get popular or a medium to earn money. It’s a discipline; it’s something that brings us closer to our culture. The advice I give to my students is wherever you go, try to continue it and don’t put a full stop to it.

 

MG: Thanks a lot Rashmi. It was great talking to you and also to know so much about Bharatanatyam.  Wish you all the success for your Dance journey and for all your future performances.

Rashmi Shashi: Thank you.

MG: That was Guru Rashmi Shashi, I hope you have enjoyed the interview as much as I did.