Baranthyam Bop

The lights turn on. The audience goes silent. There is an air of preparation, a sense of readiness, as a girl walks on stage. Just her and a few musicians. The music begins. The girl starts to dance. Diya Verma begins her arangetram. 

Verma, a junior, has been dancing since she was six years old. However, she didn't start with tu-tus and tap shoes. Her parents enrolled her in Indian Classical Dance, an ancient form of art.

“I began dancing because I was interested in my culture from a very young age,” Verma said. “My parents really surrounded me with it. I watched a lot of Bollywood movies and I learned to speak Hindi.” Verma went on to say that pursuing Indian Classical Dance was a natural step to becoming more connected with her culture. 

The final crux of Verma’s dance style is a nearly three-hour solo performance called an arangetram, which Verma describes as a “rite of passage.”

“After ‘mastering’ the art form, we train to perfect our dancing, and then eventually become dancers,” Verma said. 

“Mastering” is certainly the right word. Verma says she has been preparing for her dance debut since she started dancing at age six, but began truly training for her performance in January of 2019. Her performance was in August. 

Preparing for an arangetram takes a considerable amount of time, and a lot of said time coincided with her sophomore year. “It was super hard [balancing school and dance],” Verma said, “but most of my teachers understood what was happening and tried to work with me. There were plenty of super late nights.”

Her years of preparation and months of training climaxed on August 31, when Verma finally took to the stage and made her formal dance debut. On such a momentous occasion in her life, there were many feelings swirling around in her head. “Before my arangetram, I was definitely stressed and overwhelmed, but I was excited to finally share what I had been training for and working hard on,” Verma said.

Verma performed a total of eight dances, ranging in difficulty and style. Her longest dance, called “Varnam,” was a 45-minet piece that gave Verma time to reflect on her journey. 

“I felt a huge amount of joy and satisfaction [during my arangetram]. I was just in tune with myself and my body,” Verma said.

The second Verma finished her arangetram, she ran to hug her Guru, or teacher, and delivered a heartfelt speech thanking her friends and family. “I was pretty much in shock. I couldn't comprehend that I just finished my solo dance debut,” Verma said. “When people were coming up to me and congratulating me it just went through my head because I didn't realize it was over.”

Upon completion of their arangetram, most students choose to stop dancing. Verma is not most students. She still continues to dance, and has taken a new role in her studio. “I continue to dance because I am now improving and growing as a dancer,” Verma said. “Now I can inspire the younger generations but also focus on myself.”

Verma’s renewed focus on herself and the opportunity to leave the dance world behind led the way to rediscover what dancing truly meant to her. “Dance means a lot to me,” she says. “I get consumed in it. It's basically an escape from reality where I get to release my tension and express myself. In a crazy and busy life, it keeps me sane.”

Verma also reflected on the feelings of dance, beside the frequent injuries and muscle soreness. “It's one of the best feelings. Not just performing for others, but dancing in a class, in front of my guru, or even by myself,” she said. “Let’s just say that dance feels like euphoria.”

Despite how time-consuming dance is, and the difficulty of junior year, Verma will continue to take and teach Indian Classical Dance classes for the forseeable future. 

“As my Guru always says, the arangetram is just the beginning,” Verma said.