In the realm of dancing reality shows, Class VIII student Subhashree Swain of BJEM School is a name to reckon with. Subhashree rose to fame after appearing in dancing reality shows like Tak Dhoom Ta Nana, Little Star, Ta Ra Rum Pum, Star of Odisha, Asathal Chutties and Everybody Can Dance aired on Doordarshan, Tarang, MBC, DD1, Sun TV and & TV, respectively. Be it aerial dance or skating dance, she has wowed judges with her moves every time. Besides, she has got the junior scholarship in Odissi. So far, she has done 150 stage shows across the state. In a candid conversation, she talks about her passion for dance.
Born to choreographer Uday Shankar Swain and Odissi dancer Purnam Patra, Subhashree has been fond of dancing from childhood. Uday says, “I run an institute called Sarala Music and Dance Academy where I teach modern dance to aspiring dancers. Subhashree was just one and half years old, when she began to observe the dance steps and tried to follow the dance moves of my students. We discovered her passion for dance during the annual function of my academy. Purnam was holding her while I was busy conducting the event. When a group started performing, she started crying inconsolably. Purnam failed to console her and brought her to me. I understood that she wanted to go on stage and dance with the others. I left her on the stage and to everyone’s surprise she danced on her own without an iota of fear. She was only two and half years old then. That day, we decided to teach her dance. Apart from her mother, she has learnt Odissi under the tutelage of Ekalavya Muduli, Pusparanjan Mangraj and Muktilata Pal. And when it comes to modern dance, I teach her.”
Sharing her memories, Subhashree says, “When I performed the aerial dance form in the Ta Ra Rum Pum show, all the three judges — Girish Mohanty, Amit Nayak and Pupinder Singh — gave me a standing ovation. They said, ‘The aerial dance form requires a lot of strength in the hands and years of practice to master. You have done the act brilliantly with ease.’ They were in love with my performance because I tried to do something new every time.”
She continues, “Dance is my first love. I never feel tired of dancing. It is something that energises me, boosts my morale when I feel low, and calms me down when I get angry. Sometimes, I get so involved in dancing that I forget that I am doing an act. I remember my performance in the recently concluded annual function of Sarala Music and Dance Academy. The act was based on the theme of sibling bonding and how a sister looks after her brother after the latter meets with a road mishap and loses his memory. I played the character of the sister who leaves no stone unturned for the speedy recovery of her brother. The audience was so touched by my act that some of them cried, I also found myself crying at the end of the act. So, what I want to say is that life without dance is meaningless for me.”
Subhashree Swain makes it a point to pay obeisance to Nataraja (Lord Shiva), the Lord of Dance, who simultaneously destroys and creates the world in his cosmic dance of destruction. “I feel as if my energy doubles when I worship Lord Nataraja. So, I never forget to worship Him before my performance,” says the finalist of Everybody Can Dance reality show.
Offbeat profile
Nickname: Putul
Favourite food: Anything
Favourite place: London
Favourite dancer: Prabhu Deva
Inspiration: Parents
Favourite genre: Modern dance
RASHMI REKHA DAS, OP