EE: Hi everyone, my name is Vaishnavi Katukam, and welcome to episode 34 of Time Out!, where we delve into the Monta Vista sports scene to explore the unique stories of MV athletes. In this episode, I am joined with junior Saailey Palekar, who shares her journey in Kathak.
EE: When did you start Kathak?
SP: I started Kathak when I was around eight years old, and it was after I had done Bharatanatyam when I was five, and my mom asked me to try out Kathak, and so I took it on.
EE: Who or what exactly drew you to Kathak?
SP: Both my aunts do Kathak, and one of my aunts did Kathak when she was growing up, so not only did she encourage me, but my grandma as well. She was so immersed in Kathak that she’s actually a teacher, but she lives in Ohio, so I can’t learn from her, obviously. Because of that, I was also inspired to take it on.
EE: Is there anything else that made you pick Kathak over Bharatanatyam?
SP: When I did Bharatanatyam, I was younger, so I kind of don’t remember it that well. So I wouldn’t say there’s anything that I prefer over either one, because I honestly don’t remember it that well. One thing I really like about Kathak, though, is the emphasis on expression. I’m sure Bharatanatyam has that as well. But I think even the chakkars, there’s such a huge emphasis on it, that it’s so fun to do. It’s kind of hard when you first approach it, but honestly, once you get the hang of it, it’s really fun to do, honestly.
EE: What would you describe typical training or practices to be like?
SP: I usually go for two hours over the weekends to my dance teacher. I do solo classes, so I don’t have other girls in my ‘batch.’ And then we will go over different dances and sort of work it out. She’ll also teach me the different types of dances that I have to learn.
EE: Could you share your earliest memory of performing Kathak?
SP: Even before I did actual performances for Kathak in front of an actual audience or at a studio or stage, I performed in front of my family. So I think it was actually at my uncle’s wedding, but it wasn’t at the wedding itself. It was during a little family get together before the wedding that I performed. All the kids were showing off their talent, and that was the first time that I performed in front of a large scale of people, even though it was just my family.
EE: What would you say are your favorite memories or your biggest accomplishments?
SP: I think one of my biggest accomplishments was actually doing solo performance. The first time that I performed, I did it with a bunch of girls, be ause it was my first time, so I was a little bit nervous. Although I did it with other girls, I still had my own little solo towards the end, because I was at a different level than them. But then for the actual solo performance, I did 16 dances on my own on the stage. Obviously they’re kind of on the shorter side, but then on top of that, I also did, it’s called Gat Bhav, but you can think of it like an acting sort of performance — and so there’s no words. So it’s really important to have some sort of stage presence. So doing that on a stage in front of a huge crowd, and there’s no words — just basically a little beat playing in the background. I think that was a really big accomplishment for me, and I was a little bit nervous about it, but at the end of my performance, a lot of people came up to me, and they were like, ‘Oh, my God, you did so well.’ And I was really proud of that.
EE: What led up to that moment of performing solo?
SP: It was just because of my level. I keep saying ‘level,’ but I think I haven’t explained it. Basically it’s an actual institution in Pune, but there are five different levels, and before you can go on to the next level, you have to do an exam. So it’ll be a dance exam and then a written exam. Because I’m solo, and I don’t do it with a batch of girls, I took the exams earlier than the rest of the people. And so, not only that, I was the eldest, so all the other people graduated, so then I ended up performing by myself because of that.
EE: In what ways do you think you have grown in your dance journey over the years?
SP : I think it’s subtle things. Unless you’re a dancer, you kind of can’t see it, but definitely confidence, especially when you’re performing. You can tell when a dancer is hesitant versus when they’re very confident on stage. You can tell ‘oh, this comes naturally to her,’ versus ‘Oh, she’s kind of forcing it.’ And so I think dance over time became more natural, and so I was able to perform it better.
EE: What are some obstacles you think you’ve had to face?
SP: One obstacle I had was just COVID. Obviously, during COVID, I couldn’t have in-person lessons, and so my progress for dance was actually pushed back a year or two. I would have gotten my diploma this year, but because of the setback, I’m taking it next year. So that’ll be interesting.
EE: What has caused you to stick by Kathak in spite of these obstacles?
SP: I think it’s because I genuinely like doing it. Even though sometimes I’m like, ‘Oh, I don’t want to practice’ or like ‘I’m so tired,’ when you start dancing, and you kind of feel that rush in your body, it’s like, ‘Oh, I like doing this, I genuinely love doing this.’ I can’t see myself not doing Kathak. So that’s definitely something that allowed me to stick through it.
EE: In what other ways do you think Kathak has affected your life and your personality?
SP: Kathak definitely gave me a lot more confidence. I’m a really shy person. I’m kind of an introvert, so Kathak and performing in front of large audiences helped me gain more confidence on stage in front of a big crowd, but also showed me how to have a stage presence.
EE: Do you think you’re going to pursue Kathak in your adult life as well?
SP: I’ve looked into it. I know a lot of universities have Kathak groups that they perform with. And so I think it’d be really interesting to perform with other Kathak dancers, because there’s different styles of Kathak, too. So I think dancing with Kathak dancers that are not the same style as me would be really interesting.
EE: That’s it for Episode 34 of Time Out! Thank you Saailey for joining me today! I’m Vaishnavi Katukam, thanks for tuning in!
“Rainy Lofi CIty” by Lofi Music on pixabay.com | Used with permission
