For Kuchipudi dancer Arunima Kumar, the decision to move to London in 2009 after marriage was life-changing in more ways than she realised.
“The move to London was very difficult,” recalls Arunima, who has a graduate degree in Economics from St Stephen’s College in New Delhi and a master’s degree in Finance from the London School of Economics.
“No one knew what Kuchipudi was and no one knew about me,” says Arunima.
“I had no foothold to start with.”
To start dancing in London, Arunima had to work hard and look at allied aspects of dance and performance – things like sets, costumes and choreography that she had taken for granted. “Kathak and Bharatanatyam are well known in Britain, but Kuchipudi hardly rang a bell. I had to perform at my best every time, as the effort was to carve a niche for the dance form as well as for me,” she says.
“It was the biggest challenge of my life. I had never worked that hard until then,” she recalls.
Looking back, she now says she is really thankful to London for helping her grow as a dancer.
“I would have never had the same experience in India. I was very comfortable with what I had back home.”
“Everything I had in place changed. I had to make use of recorded music instead of live musicians, I had to start looking at stage design, lighting, costumes and also mull over how to build a piece that can attract an audience,” she recalls. She cannot emphasize enough the importance technical knowledge has in a dancer’s career. “I was performing a lot in India and I was very happy, but I wasn’t growing and I think that my own teachers today recognise that I have come far,” says Arunima, who started learning Kuchipudi from the age of seven with Swapna Sundari. He current gurus are Jaya Rama Rao and Vanashree Rao.
Arunima practises at least three times a week and spends at least an hour in her rehearsals, even as she juggles a senior corporate job along with her passion. She credits her family and husband greatly for supporting her.
In three years, Arunima has achieved a lot – she has danced in Westminster Hall in the Parliament and performed during the Olympic 2012 torch relay last month. She has also set up her own dance group called Arunima Kumar Dance Company where she teaches senior dancers as well as young children. She is working on two books on Kuchipudi and is also creating her next work.
To extend her movement vocabulary and bring in new influences, Arunima collaborates with other dancers and works on other dance forms. “A new physicality is entering my body. Initially it was very hard for me as I had never moved in certain ways. Kuchipudi is not linear, it is quite circular.”
“I don’t compromise on the essence of the dance form, but it is important to innovate,” she says. “I want to make Indian dance, especially Kuchipudi, very accessible out here in London.”