A law student, Sanwari is currently learning the Odissi dance form under the guidance of her guru Shally Shrivastava at Virasat Ensemble. She also learned Kathak under her guru Manisha Sathe and is trained in the Banaras Gharana of Kathak. Her mother inspires her to dance. Learning Odissi has helped her build muscles and has provided mental peace.

The Initiation

Sanwari shares that when she was in her preparation stage she often watched videos of Odissi dance and got inspired by the ‘taals’ and the ‘ragas’. After completing her exams she decided to learn the dance as she was inspired by the beauty and feminine nature of the dance.

Gurus & Role Models

Sanwari is learning Odissi through online mode under the guidance of her guru Shally Shrivastava at Virasat Ensemble in Udaipur. She hopes to learn it through offline mode in future. She considers her mother as her role model as every single day she is amazed by her strength and inner peace. Her mother always supported her and initiated her in the dancing field. She always inspires and motivates Sanwari to dance.

The Talent

Sanwari says that the Odissi dance form is inspired from Lord Jagannath and four major postures are included in this dance form like ‘Chauka’ which is the actual posture of Lord Jagannath. The unique feature of Odissi is that it includes many torso movements and there is also a posture of ‘Tribhangi’ in which the body is bended in three different places. In terms of costume, the crown of the head is known as ‘Tahia’ along with the Odissi Saree made of Sambalpuri Silk.

Achievements

Sanwari is also a Kathak dancer so according to her, shifting from the Kathak tradition to the Odissi tradition is one of the biggest achievements for her in the dancing field. Her academic achievements include her selection for one of the top National Law Schools of India. She was also the dance captain in her school and held the title of Head Girl too.

A Bit More

Sanwari says that learning Odissi has helped her in building her muscles because of the bent postures included in the Odissi dance form. It also gives her a lot of mental peace. She believes that Odissi dance is based on devotion that leads us to spirituality. The saying of her Kathak guru that “Learning classical dance is a privilege and an honor as it connects us with the divine power” inspires her a lot and whenever she feels low, she thinks about it. She learned Kathak under her guru Manisha Sathe and is trained in the Banaras Gharana of Kathak. The main characteristics of Kathak are ‘Chakkars’. When she was a kid her mother was very keen to learn Kathak so she put Sanwari into dance classes. She learned Kathak to fulfill the wish of her mother but loves both the dance forms equally. Sanwari advises that in order to learn any classical dance form, a lot of patience is required. It takes a lot of time to learn the techniques of classical art and to master it. Everyone should try classical dance as it is our culture and very beautiful. She says that we need to learn more about our classical culture and art as it is deeply connected to our Indian practices. She encourages everyone to learn and understand classical art.