Dance to song of hope

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This dancer has merged her passion with a mission. Meet Bhavini Misra, founder, Urshila Dance Company, who has vowed to provide a platform to the talented little “Streetizens”.

The sight of street kids dancing at city’s traffic signals would wrench her heart, but at the same time, it would fill her with an urge to do something for them. And she did. “I decided to use my talent to groom and hone their skill and provide them a ‘legitimate’ platform,” she says.
Bhavini adopted six children for proper training and choreographed a show titled Anurakti: Hope for Streetizens for them, which was held at Kamani Auditorium. The piece explored contemporary dance with new dimensions of lighting and multimedia and presented the story of a street performer’s journey and how his future evolves when a dance company actually embraces him.
“The cause of this show was to better the lives of these kids as well as give them a sense of purpose,” she says. Bhavini says that the kids were awe-struck by the applause they received after the show.
“It was something they had never experienced in their lives. Even their parents, who were accompanying them, were thrilled with the audience’s appreciation and their initial scepticism about our endeavour changed into a vote of confidence and hope. So, it was a huge encouragement for us,” she says.
But what next? Bhavini shares that the show was just an experimental project, as the team had no clear idea of what they were getting into. “Now things are clear. We have a mission and these kids are high on hope. So this has to go on in a proper, systematic manner,” she adds.
But working for streetkids is only a part of what her company does, Bhavini clarifies. “There are many youngsters, who have talent and passion for dance and are working hard to pursue it professionally. Unfortunately, dance has yet to get the status of a decent career in India. Many disillusioned young girls would come to me with the same set of questions that I faced when I quit my job to follow my heart as a dancer. This zealous and energetic bunch forms my company. We conduct all kind of shows, training workshops and concerts,” she adds.
To attain her purpose, Bhavini credits her association with Buddhism for giving her strength. “I had to give up dancing when I lost my vision to a severe retinal detachment problem. As an 18-year-old, I was suddenly subjected to the fear of never being able to see correctly or dance again. It was at this point that I took to chanting. The strength and power I felt each time I prayed made my conviction stronger. I decided that I will get my eyesight back, my eyes will become normal, and above all I will not stop dancing,” she shares. “That incident made me a stronger person.”
“I am determined to not be defeated. This is what I have learnt as a practicing Buddhist since the last 10 years,” she says.