Check Out Divya Narayanan’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Divya Narayanan. 

Divya, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I was born and raised in Delhi, India. My parents introduced me to classical dance as they saw that I loved dancing and would take every opportunity to do so. I was very fortunate to have a renowned Bharathanatyam dancer move into my neighborhood and open a dance school. When trying to enroll me in the classes, my parents were told that I could only start classes when I turned 6 but when my teacher saw me and my interest, she allowed me to begin my training at the age of 4 itself. I haven’t stopped dancing since then.

The first dance form I learned was Bharatanatyam. It is the oldest classical dance form in the world and dates back to over 2,000 years. This dance form gave me the foundation on which I was I able to continue my training in the classical dance forms of Mohiniyattom and Kathakali. I received scholarships to learn all of these dance forms. I gave 100’s of performances throughout India and was recognized as a professional classical dancer. I soon become a government of India graded panel artist in the Indian national public television.

I moved to US in the year 2001, right after my marriage. We were in Boston initially and then moved to New Jersey. I gave many dance performances at various cultural organizations there before coming to Utah in 2007. I started getting many queries for teaching the art form and this encouraged me to establish my own dance school known as Divya School of Dance. My students and I perform quite regularly throughout the valley and I also conduct masterclasses, workshops in various schools and universities in Utah.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
When we moved to, Utah, we didn’t know anyone here. I had to reestablish myself here and started contacting event organizers and put out fliers wherever I could to broadcast the opening of my dance school. It took a year, but through word of mouth and countless performances, I was able to establish my dance school well. Fast forward 14 years and Divya school of Dance has trained over 100 students and presented very many performances in Utah at prominent institutions and events.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My dedication, love, and determination to foster Indian dance lead led me to open my own dance school and educate interested students in Indian classical dance forms. Through my dance school I hope to pass along skills and traditions to the next generation and show them the beauty of Indian dance.

Traditional Indian dances have been promoted and propagated through “Guru- Shishya parampara” meaning the dance and the knowledge is passed down through generation through direct learning from the teacher. I continue to follow the same traditional way of teaching the dances and cultural traditions and each classical dance form require many years of training to perfect each movement and completely learn a dance recital.

Utah has been very welcoming and is a beautiful and diverse cultural melting pot.  Preserving the culture and artistic traditions are important to sustain and grow a strong and vibrant community. I love the opportunities that Utah community has given me to showcase age-old traditional dances.

What were you like growing up?
I love dancing and my parents were a huge support. They made sure I received the best training and spent many hours coming with me to classes, rehearsals and stage shows. Dance helped me connect with people and make many new friends. I was an extremely shy and a quiet child but when I got on stage I would transform into a different person. I was fortunate to receive several coveted scholarships to further pursue my training in Indian classical dance. Noteworthy among them were the Government of India scholarship for the dance form Bharathanatyam and the Spic Macay (an organization dedicated to the continuation of India’s rich cultural heritage through Indian classical dance and music) scholarship for the dance form Mohiniyattom.

Aside from dance I also enjoyed other artistic endeavors such as painting and teaching. I found my niche in teaching elementary school students and continue to do so today in Utah.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.divyaschoolofdance.com