Gayatri Shetty is a contemporary artist/ mover/ dancer from Bangalore, India. She received her BA in Performing Arts and Psychology in 2018 from Christ University, where she trained in Bharatnatyam -an Indian classical dance form. She then went on to receive her diploma in Movement Arts and Mixed Media at the Attakalari Center of Movement Arts in 2019 where she recieved a Distinction for her work. At Attakalari Center she trained under the Artistic Director Jayachandran Palahzy and other renowned choreographers like: Stefano Fardelli (Italy) Teresa Rottemberg (Switzerland) Ion Garnika , Daniel Navarro Lorenzo (Italy).
She moved to New York last year to live the Big Apple dream, and trained at Gibney Dance for a period of 9 months where she trained with Bobbie Jean Smith, Daniele Agami, VIM VIGHOR and Teresa Perez (Simonson technique) and many others. During her time in New York she worked with companies Wild She Dances and Phyllis Rose Dance Company and performed for Alex Tomassian and Henriette Robert. When not on the dance floor, you can find her devouring fried chicken or dosas, or expressing her deep appreciation for poke bowls.
Women Fitness India joins the beautiful dancer in her journey to success!
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
How did your journey as a dancer start?
Ms. Gayatri Shetty:
I don’t even recall when exactly I fell in love with dance. My early memories are being in a class learning dance & excitement about going to dancing class. I was told that my mother caught me dancing when I was around six years old, in-front of mirror looking at my expression. She instantly enrolled me into dance classes where I first started my formal training.
Having trained under M.S. Sreedhar at the Body Language School of Dance in Bangalore, India through my childhood and teenage years. Here I first encountered the stage and I never looked back since, dance became integral part of my life; it defines me.
Body Language School put up an annual day entertainment event in December’ 2004 at one of Bangalore’s most prestigious auditoriums Chowdiah Memorial Hall. This brought me pride and recognition which solidified my love for dance into passion. The event was a huge success and we continued to put up these events for several years following.
I took a break from dance when I turned 16 to focus on school and grades. It was during this sabbatical that my determination to learn dance more formally started to brew. Thus with the support of my parents, I decided to pursue my under grad in Performing Arts and Psychology at Christ University, Bangalore, India.
FULL INTERVIEW ON NEXT PAGE!
This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar, President womenfitness.org and should not be reproduced, copied or hosted in part or full anywhere without an express permission.
All Written Content Copyright © 2020 Women Fitness Org
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
When in life did you decide to pursue Dance full time and professionally?
Ms. Gayatri Shetty:
My three years in Christ university consisted of learning various form of dancing – Contemporary Indian Bollywood &. Others. I trained over 10-12 hours a week and had the good fortune of being on stage every other day.
I was also deeply interested in studying Psychology and the fear of choosing the road less taken and pursue dance full time was making me incline towards considering Creative Arts Therapy as a full-time career. It’s with the immense support of the people around me I decided to jump in and risk the uncertainty of a career as an artist to follow my passion.
I started training in Dance full time post my graduation, through Diploma on Mixed media and Movement arts at one on India’s most well-known contemporary dance companies and school, Attakalari Center of Movement Arts. The Attakalari program was a yearlong full time intensive training program. Here I received a Distinction certification for my skill, talent and hard work that I had put in the during my year with Attakalari. It is then that I knew I was capable of choosing this path. For my immense passion started becoming clear in terms of next steps even though I still felt it’s a long hard road until my dreams start realizing.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
How many hours of dancing does your day usually comprise of?
Ms. Gayatri Shetty:
At Attakalari, I trained an average of 9 hours a day which has remained as my regular until recent events.
I trained under the artistic director Jayachandran Palahzy and other acclaimed choreographers
- Stefano Fardelli from Italy,
- Teressa Rottemberg from Switzerland,
- Irma Cardano from Italy and
- others like Lina Gomez, Daniel Navarro Lorenzo and Ali Salmi.
I also performed Solos in
- Stefano Fardellis “HOLY-LAND”
- Irma Cardanos “Reflections”.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Why did you decide to move to New York and what has your journey been like so far?
Ms. Gayatri Shetty:
It was my dream to train and dance in one of the finest cities in the world. I started applying to programs early 2019; sent out various audition tapes to many schools and finally got the opportunity to be part of a short term program at Gibney Dance Company.
Moving to New York was a huge mental transition for me in two ways;
a) the more obvious, geographical & cultural shift
b) It was here that I transitioned from being a student to becoming a professional.
I was confident in the training I had received hence was keen to sharpen it for international standards. I also wanted to use this golden opportunity to start my professional career in dance by using the time here to work for companies, perform for other choreographers and expand my network.
Being part of the program ensured that, I was in studio training hard 22 hours a week. The flexibility of the program allowed me to go look for learning opportunities outside as well. I did several live auditions, video auditions got rejected way more than got accepted but that only gave me a better understanding of how the industry works & expects.
I was even asked to be part of the Student Showcase at Gibney which presented work by 4 of Gibneys graduating students. I was asked to be in 2 of the 4 choreographies presented. This was a great opportunity for me as a lot of my teachers and mentors watched me perform for the first time and expressed their desire to work with me which is huge for me considering I didn’t trust myself to ever be good enough.
Currently I’m a guest artist for two companies; Wild She Dances and Phyllis Rose Dance Company, for season 2019-20 (links to websites attached below) and working with them has been an absolute dream come true. In the10 months I have been here I was able to perform in many locations across New York City which I never thought would happen. The artists in the community have begun recognizing me as a performer and fellow artist.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
A message for all young aspiring dancers in India?
Ms. Gayatri Shetty:
I wasn’t confident and felt nervous about how I would ever match the skills of international dancers. Classical Ballet was totally new to me hence I had the fear of being left behind. This is a misconception. Many Indian dancers, only after moving to New York realize that the Artist community is looking for something fresh, they do not want dancers that only know ballet. They need dancers who are more well-rounded in their training. This versatility in my training is my greatest strength, I am able to quickly understand what the choreographers want, in-fact even provide a fresh perspective to a common movement which Is a skill I learnt being a dancer in India.
So, all one needs to do, is to believe in one self and be aware that the dance community is open to all possibilities. All you have to do is show up & do your best; be at every rehearsal every audition and every class. Your work will NOT go unnoticed.
Wild She dances, https://www.wildshedances.com
Phyllis Rose dance Company http://www.phyllisrosedance.com
This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar, President womenfitness.org and should not be reproduced, copied or hosted in part or full anywhere without an express permission.
All Written Content Copyright © 2020 Women Fitness Org