Madhu Nataraj
Renowned dancer, Madhu Nataraj, along with her mother Maya Rao, runs the Stem Dance Company. She talks to us about her choice of career.
Madhu Nataraj’s dance school is the only one in the country that offers a professional degree in choreography. Her decision to choose as a career changed her life in more ways than one.
Choosing dance:
I was always a rebel when I was young. My family is full of artistic people and that helped me in deciding my career to a great extent. When I finished my degree in choreography, my mother said, “You have to choose between creative satisfaction and monetary benefits.” Yes, I was ready to make the choice.
Exploring Indian,
Contemporary dance:
I flew to New York to learn the nuances of contemporary dance. New York is the birthplace of contemporary dance, and it was then that I decided to give an Indian touch to contemporary dance forms.
Infusing dance in
Various fields:
I believe in using dance to convey a message. Be it technology, theatre, heeling, workshops, documents etc. With dance as a premise I send message to the audience - to those who admire the art form.
Inspiring performances:
I am eagerly awaiting the world premiere of my show Vajra, which talks about the 12th century’s mystic women. Three of them have never been performed before so I am looking forward to it.
Taking dance to the audience:
Everyone complains that there’s not enough audience nowadays. The fact is that if your work is good enough, people will turn up — irrespective of where you perform! It’s about quality performance.
Indian dancers at the International level:
We have produced some of the best dancers in the world. Not just in dance, in most performing arts that is the case. During my mother’s days, choosing dance as a career carried somewhat of a social stigma. However, now it’s a totally different scene. There are plenty of avenues out there that are waiting to be discovered.
Dance and me:
Dance is my sibling. It’s the best healer according to me. For me it’s always been about competing. When I was young I had to compete with my peers, in dance I had to compete with my mother — but this is what has made me what I am today!