Passing our traditions to the next generation - Rohini Thakkar

What follows is our effort to spotlight the unsung heroes of our community who are today contributing towards keeping our traditions alive by passing them to the next generation. Today DesiSay's spotlight is Rohini Thakkar of Taal Harmony School of Dance. Her journey & mission.

Taal Harmony School of Dance | www.taalharmony.com | rtptaal@gmail.com | 919-699-1879

"I have a box full of cards made by my students and I think I am going to preserve it forever. The love we get from students is incredible...

Tell us about yourself? Who are you? What do you do?

I am the artistic director and partner along with Trupti Sahstrabuddhe at Taal Harmony School of Dance and I am a professional choreographer with 20+ years of experience. I started learning Kathak when I was 10 and continued till the age of 21 under Guru Zafar Mulla of the Benaras Gharana. In addition to the foundation in Kathak, I have training in other dance styles including folk, western, hip-hop and contemporary. I have worked for and trained under dance teachers like Shefali Lahoti, the president award winner Sanjeeb Bhattacharya to name a few. I have won several awards at national and international levels. One of my most memorable moments was winning the All India Inter Collegiate Dance Competition at IIT, Mumbai. While in Japan as a Japanese government scholarship recipient, I was invited to perform on several occasions.

I have been teaching dance in NC since 10 years and my students have gone on to win many prestigious competitions like Boogie Woogie (organized by Sony Inc), Aaj ka Dhamaka that really makes me feel proud as a teacher. My students have been selected for eminent college level dance teams such as NCSU Nazaare, Duke Raas, Duke Laasya and Tar Heel Raas. I also have been a judge for many national level inter collegiate dance competitions in the US. I have taught dancing in several schools, colleges, non-profit and corporate organizations and have also organized international level fund-raising performances in India and in the US. I have also been involved in theater and have played lead roles in Marathi and English professional plays. Recently, I played the lead actress' role in a Bollywood Broadway production.

Educational/Professional Background:

I did my MA in English Literature from India before spending a year in Japan on a prestigious Japanese government scholarship. I worked for HP and Oracle in Bangalore as a Japanese language Specialist, before coming to the US in 2006. I also hold a Masters degree in International Studies from NC State University and have worked at Duke and NC State universities.

Motto /Objective of the academy?

We believe that at Taal Harmony School of Dance, we are embarking on a journey where we discover, learn and enjoy together with our students. Along the way, our students develop confidence, self-respect and an appreciation of the arts through dance, unlocking their own creativity in an environment that is friendly, caring and nurturing. Students of all ages and abilities attend our classes and deserve our utmost attention and guidance to help them improve their technique and bring esthetics and artistry into their dance forms. An important aspect of learning dance as a group is to appreciate the work of your team members and thus our students also develop important social skills and learn to work as a team, where the ultimate aim is to for the whole group to put on a memorable performance.

What does your academy specialize in? (Dance Type...) and what sort of events do you'll perform at?

We specialize in Indian Classical (Kathak) , Bollywood dancing, Semi classical and Folk dances. We perform at Cary Diwali by Hum Sub (We were selected to perform at Kavita Krishnamurthy concert in Cary Diwali 2015), Basant Bahar by Hum Sub, India Fest by Nuvyug, Independence Day by Hindi Vikas Mandal, HSNC Holi, HSNC Diwali, Heritage India Festival, Events Organized by Regional Organizations, TGA Holi, Baishakhi Mela by Punjabi Unlimited, TATA Ugadi, RTPMM Holi, RTPMM Ganesh Festival & RTPMM Shivaji Jayanti.

Others - Boogie Woogie Dance Competition (First place winner in Junior Category) | Dances presented solely by Taal Harmony at Maharaja Banquet, Holiday Inn Fayetteville | International Festival organized by International Focus | Trishna by Two Cents of Hope | Holistic Women Empowerment Expo | WRAL Theater at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences (Upcoming Event)

Bollywood Broadway “Love Confusion” by DreamAct Entertainment | Dance presentation at various corporate sectors such as Credit Suisse, Biogen etc. | Dance presentation at numerous schools and universities such as NC State University (Raleigh) | Davis Drive Elementary School (Cary), Phillips Middle School (Chapel Hill), PrimroseSchool at the Park,(Morrisville) etc

Tell us something about the type of dance you'll teach (from historic/ origin perspective)?

We teach Indian classical dance Kathak. Originated in northern India, Kathak is a classical dance form which was used primarily to portray stories from the Hindu epics of Ramayan and Mahabharat. So it has an element of Hindu religion and worship to it, but it also received patronage from Mughal emperors and thus also has influence from Muslim and Persian cultures. It is an amalgamation of various styles which are referred to as the different gharanas, namely, Lucknow gharana, Jaipur gharana, Banaras gharana and Raigarh gharana. Given that Kathak is story-telling at its core, a lot of importance to given to expressions, with rhythm and poetry entwined with movement, posture and gestures.In addition to classical, we also teach Bollywood dancing which combines various dance styles like classical, folk, western and contemporary. You name it and Bollywood has it.

How did you get interested in Dancing?

Dancing is something that I have been interested in ever since I can remember. My entire life has been dedicated towards performing arts like dancing and acting and that has been my childhood dream. Being from Pune, I had a lot of opportunities to learn and perform. I also thank my parents who encouraged me to pursue dancing. I was named after famous Kathak dancer from Pune, Pandita Rohini Bhate :-). I even started choreographing when I was in elementary school and have not stopped since then.

When did you realize you wanted to do this professionally in the US?

I moved to the US in 2006 and started studying for GRE. During that time, I performed at the local event and a group of mothers asked me if I could teach their children. I started with a group of eight girls - about six or seven years old and soon, with the word of mouth, many people started approaching me.

After my masters in the US, I started working on another job but soon realized that dancing is something that I could really contribute towards. So, in 2012, when my son was around two, I decided to purse my passion full time and quit my job. That is when Trupti Sahasrabuddhe and I officially named our school "Taal Harmony School of Dance".

We still have some of my first students and they are now taller than I am :-). We started with 8 girls and we now have over 150!

How easy was it getting people enrolled in your academy? some interesting stories?

It was not as difficult as I thought it would be. To my surprise, with the spread of word, we have been getting many calls by students or parents asking to be enrolled in the school.

Biggest challenges you see for academies like yourself today in the US?

Today, most of our students are Indians. We would like to break out of that and take Indian dance forms to other ethnic groups as well. Also, I think as the Indian community is growing, the standard of Indian Bollywood dance should not lower as we try to cater to everyone.

What makes your dance academy special from the others?

We have the ability to cater to different age groups by finding different ways of involving them and making it fun for them to learn dancing. Secondly, we have a solid background in classical dance form of Kathak which sets us apart from other dance schools.

Some message for the parents and students(current or perspective) of your academy?

Dancing is a fun, workout, skill and joy all combined in one. Whether you are in for serious skill development or just for fun and workout, it is our mission to help you achieve our goals.

Some message for the audience of your performances that you have not been able to share with them uptill now?

Without the audience, we would not mean anything. We are always looking for opportunities to improve ourselves. You encouragement and feedback means everything to us. We hope you enjoy our performances and at the same time, we promise to bring a variety of quality dances.

Some interesting story or trivia about your dance teaching experience?

We still have some of my first students and they are now taller than I am :-). We started with 8 girls and we now have over 150! Once I met one of my students at my son's swimming class and she told me," you look like my dance teacher".

It is very nice when kids also come up with the suggestions pertaining to choreography and when we incorporate it, they get thrilled and it boosts their confidence and promotes creativity.

Parents come and tell us that their children get upset when they have to miss dance class for something else.I have a box full of cards made by my students and I think I am going to preserve it forever. The love we get from students is incredible.

How do you see the future Indian American children carrying forward your legacy in the us?

I am sure that a lot of our students would take dancing as their lifelong career/hobby. I believe that some of these serious students will take up teaching dance and thus establishing a lineage here in the US. When I see some great dance performances by local kids, I feel that our rich Indian dance heritage is safe here. And as a form of art, I see it going beyond Indian Americans and getting other ethnic groups involved.

Future goals of the academy? major upcoming events performances?

We just finished our Winter session and will begin our Summer session after Spring break.

We are looking forward to Independence Day, Ganesh Chaturthi, International Fest and Cary Diwali Events. We are also considering dance productions.

Anything else you would like to share with or message for the Indian American community?

Dancing is a significant part of the Indian culture and we invite all of you to participate and join us so that together, we can continue spreading the art to ours and other communities.