An Interview with Sangeeta Aich Bhowmick

1. Tell us a little bit about your background.

I am hailing from the family of Late Shri Bhaba Priya Aich Bhowmick & Smt. Chayya Aich Bhowmick. I completed my schooling in Kendriya Vidyalaya Ishapore & later joined the University of Kalyani for my graduation in Statistics.

2. When did you decide to take up dance as a profession?

My mother is my first Guru. I learned free style from her. My father wanted that I should go for higher studies. But I want to be a dancer and love Indian classical dance form Bharatnatyam. I joined Kalamandalam Kolkata to learn Bharatnatyam under the tutelage of Guru Dr. Smt. Thankamani Kutty.

3. How would you describe what you do?

Dance is my life, my first love & my passion. Dance has given me a completely a different type of life. It has given me immense confidence, peace of mind, lot of respects from various people & organizations, mentally very strong & above all dance has given me an identity in the society. I am very happy & fully contented to be a dancer. The magical feeling of connecting to others in a higher dimension through the art of dance has heightened my spiritual experience.

4. What education, schooling, or skills are needed to do this?

Whoever want to pursue his or her career in dance should be very passionate about learning & above all the choice of Guru is very important. One should learn very slowly with perfection, with patience & should completely surrender himself or herself to his or her Guru.

5. What is most challenging about what you do?

The detection of my Urinary Bladder cancer in 2009 made me physically unfit. All day and night i thought about my students, my performance on stage and need lots of money for treatment. My passion on dance, love and respect of my students again brought me on stage. My supportive family and my Guru’s blessing did the miracle.

6. What is most rewarding?

The most rewarding is that dance has not only given me respect, fame and honour but also dance is a weapon with which I have fought the hurdles of my life.

7. What are your goals/dreams for the future?

My dreams are to produce brilliant dancers, to set up a big Institution with all facilities for students and above all to continue my performances in the coming years.

8. What do you think of the present day students of dance?

The artists of the younger generation are very talented & brilliant. But I think that many of them lack patience, rather they want instant success. But this is not possible. Every dancer has to work hard, very sincerely, devotedly for a long time. And they should try to learn the art form very slowly and steadily by completely surrendering themselves in the lotus feet of their gurus.

9. Do you think the classical styles should not be tampered with?

I think that Classical dance should not be tampered , but this is my personal view that to keep ourselves connected with general mass, keeping the style intact, we can present thematic productions or we can use suitable languages in our choreographies to make audience better understand the subject we are portraying through dance.

10. Do you have any unfulfilled ambition?

Such a nice question !!!!….If I would not have been detected with cancer, I would not have waisted so many years in my treatment with so many surgeries ,I would have been a much better performer.