Whether learning, teaching or performing, Dr Divya Sriram of Nice Bite Orthodontics, in Sydney’s inner-west suburb of Strathfield, has had a life-long love of classical Indian dance
“I run the Madhuram Academy of Performing Arts [in Sydney] and every year I organise a classical Indian dance festival. Our most recent festival was a two-day event for which I brought out 10 dancers from India. It played at the Seymour Centre and was very successful with a four-star review in The Sydney Morning Herald and an appearance on the Today show on TV.
“I tend to bring out younger dancers who don’t have a lot of opportunities back in India. We fly them out, pay them and they have a wonderful experience dancing in front of large crowds. The dancers were thrilled with all the attention they received, particularly performing on television.
“I’ve been dancing since I was four years old. I attended classes regularly until the age of 10 when my family moved to Australia. We used to go back to India every year and I would always do dance classes to keep learning. By the time I went to university, I had found some classical Indian dancing teachers in Sydney and would go three times a week. My guru was very well regarded in India and quite famous. When we started touring in Asia and Europe, it was a very exciting time for a 19 year old!
“I also teach classical Indian dance at the Samskriti Dance Academy. There are about 100 students that range from toddlers to teenagers to mothers. The dancers’ outfits are traditional and very elaborate. We have a tailor who makes some of the clothes here and a lot are imported from India.
“We put on at least three shows a year and all the money earned is donated to charities. One show was to help out a retirement home. It was a very big production and everyone who participated—dancers, stage hands, musicians—worked for free. We had 800 people attend and it was a very successful performance.
“You’re very lucky if you have a job that fulfils your creative aspects completely. I love the minutiae and detail of orthodontics but it doesn’t fulfil my creative side. Classical Indian dancing is different. It’s less rigid, less structured, and very philosophical because Hinduism is very philosophical. There are no rules as such, even in regard to the religious aspect. There’s nothing you have to do—it’s all about what you can incorporate into your life. Classical Indian dance is happy and joyous and challenging. It completes me.”
