Rashmi Rekha Das
Eight-year-old Aaditi Prusty is profoundly passionate about dance and aims to become a reputed artiste
Eight-year-old Aaditi Prusty harbours many dreams. One of them is to be a dancer. Meet the Class IV student of Kendriya Vidyalaya-IV, for whom dance is worship. Dance has helped her express herself as it gives her contentment. “When I dance, I feel happy and it’s the best way to enjoy and celebrate. Juggling classes, homework, and rehearsals can be hard. But dancing is full of fun and it’s the time when you can express your feelings,” she said during a tete-a-tete with Orissa POST.
About her first dance steps, Aaditi said: “I don’t remember when I got hooked to dance. It was always a part of me and I just kept exploring it. At the age of three, I joined a dance school to learn modern dance. My teacher Sunil Mallick made the dance classes interesting for me which is why my passion for dance grew with each passing day,” she said.
“Aaditi makes it a point not to miss stage programmes, cultural events and dance competitions. Whenever she was denied entry, she got angry and stopped taking food for days,” said Aaditi’s father Kedar Prusty, publisher of ‘Kadambini’ and ‘Kunikatha’. Kedar said he felt proud of her daughter’s madness for dance.
“When she does something wrong and continues to do so despite repeated pleas, I usually issue this threat to her: ‘You are not obeying your parents. So, you will not be allowed to attend dance class anymore’. Surprisingly, she stops doing things immediately after I issue this threat,” he stated.
Aaditi loves the fast footwork and she likes to perform to live music. “The singers can sing to you in different ways and it really gets me into the music,” she said.
“We wanted her to join music classes but she took interest in dance from an early age. Seeing her undying passion for dance, we did not force her to learn music and let her follow her passion. The mind-body-spirit link is very much there. She has a natural talent for dancing. All this success has not gone to her head. I believe that she has understood the essence of dancing,” her father said.
Asked to share a memorable incident, she said: “I was one of the contestants of the dance reality show, ‘Jhoom Odisha Jhoom’. After my performance in the track ‘Crazy Kia Re’ from the movie ‘Dhoom’, the judges, Debasis sir, Seetal ma’am and Babu sir, gave me a standing ovation. Besides, they were all praise of my steps. Seetal ma’am said there were lots of variations in my dance, while Debasis sir said I was all of eight but my dance steps were not like a kid’s. It was really an unforgettable moment for me. Besides, my happiness knew no bounds when I won the third prize in a poetry recitation contest.”
“Aaditi is also good at studies. She is the class topper and winner of the school-level mathematics Olympiad. When she was performing at Sisira Saras, a couple sitting just beside me praised her lavishly. They said: ‘This girl is going to be a good dancer’. It really felt good,” said Aaditi’s proud father, adding that Aaditi never does anything without asking her mother.
