Supriya Desai and her husband Surendra Desai migrated to Raleigh, North Carolina, USA, some 15 years ago. Like many of their generation, this couple, after settling down, started looking for the opportunities to start an academy to teach Bharatanatyam to young children residing in the neighbourhood.

Supriya had the good fortune of having studied Bharatanatyam from a very young age at Bangalore under Gurus Narmada, Kittappa Pillai, and Kuchupudi under Gurus Prahlad Sh arma, B S Sunanda Devi and Na taraj Ramakrishna..This equipped Su priya with a sound foundation in the classical traditions of Bharatanatyam and Kuchupudi.

She judiciously employs these forms in her choreography, for which she has received acclaim both in India and abroad. A Bangalorean, she has carried the art of classical dance, with an incredible zeal to this part of USA, winning complete support from Indian community and also Americans interested in Indian classical dance forms.

To date, she has conducted 12 arengetrams, training young dancers, keeping in view their upbringing in the American surroundings and with an uncanny ability to identify the strengths and weaknesses of her students.

This has won the confidence of her students, who have never failed her in either a solo or a group presentation. She admits with humility that her students have worked hard to master the basics.

She began tentatively teaching the daughters of her neighbours in a specially designed and constructed studio above the garage of her residence with a solid wooden floor. Soon the word spread and the Indians and the Gujaratis, in particular, sent their daughters to study from ‘Supriya auntie’.

As the years rolled by, her daughter Karishma, who was then three started imitating children attending the classes. Soon, she got hooked on to the dance and started learning. Supriya performed regularly at Raleigh creating interest among the immigrants in classical dance. The Indian community looked up to her for Indian cultural heritage and its presentation in a land where soon Bharatanatyam found a sure footing.

She established the Payal Academy of Dance and within a span of 12 years, she had more than 11 ‘arengetrams’ of young dancers to her credit.

Of her two daughters, Karishma, 15, and Rhythma, 10, is learning Odissi and plays drums. Karishma had her ‘arangetram’ on October 7. When I attended her Bharatanatyam recital on that day, I at once realised that she had neither stage fright, nor any inhibitions. She danced with a natural flow and confidence, without slightest flaw and did her parents proud.

A team of musicians from Bangalore further embellished it. The mridangist,
N G Ravi, a disciple of Umayalpuram K Sivaraman, the young flutist B Rajkamal, a disciple of SA Sridhar and Neela Ramgopal, veena player and the well-known jazz drummer Arun, and the living legend of Kathak dancer Sitara Devi’s son Ranjit Barot, played the electronic and hand percussions supporting ‘nattuvangam’ by Supriya.

In the Kriti ‘Adi Kondar’, composed by Muthuthandavar in Mayamalava Gowla raga and Adi Tala, Karishma displayed commendable control, taking difficult poses seen in the Karana sculptures, depicting Lord Shiva’s dance.

In Purandara Dasa’s ‘Devarnama’ in Bhairavi raga and Adi tala, Odi Ba
arayya, in praise of Lord Vishnu, she transported the audience into a mood of devotion with her complete involvement of what she was depicting.

Payal Academy of Dance is training a new and young generation of dancers in this land of opportunity where Bharatanatyam is now no more ‘an ethnic dance’ form, but a dance form on par with the American dance heritage.

The contribution of Supriya Desai and her contemporaries, including another Bangalorean Asha Gopal, based in Arizona, Phoenix, who has to her credit over 100 arengetrams, in that direction is noteworthy.