DARPAN 2.0, a spectacular dance recital, remembered for its unforgettable significantly artistic, emotionally rooted and musical journey, was made possible by Poorna Dance Academy, in collaboration with the Directorate of Art and Culture, Goa.
Poorna Dance Academy, founded by Pooja Madkaikar and Aparna Tiloji, aims to preserve and promote Indian art, culture and traditions.
After a successful debut with DARPAN in 2019, the academy captivated the audience with DARPAN 2.0 that featured more than 90 artistes and students, who through their performance explored many life battles.
Says Pooja, “We always try to relate our theme and concepts with current issues. COVID hit us and turned our lives upside down, resulting in the loss of loved ones."
"A lot of people experienced loneliness and depression, battling their thoughts, which consume them. Other subjects covered are the endless battles around the world between different countries for power, money, ownership, greed," she says.
"Trying to relate these major issues, our theme for Darpan 2.0 was ‘Battle’, where, no matter what the circumstances are, we need to look at the battles like warriors and face them, rather than succumb or run away from them.”
Pooja and Aparna, trained Bharatnatyam dancers from Goa, are professional dancers, teachers, choreographers and performers. They were the first to introduce a semi-classical dance style in Goa with the vision to carry forward their love for classical dance.
They credit their parents and dance gurus for inspiring them.
Says Aparna, “Knowing our interest in dance, our parents enrolled us for dance classes at a very young age and took the responsibility of making sure we didn't miss a single class, no matter what tantrums we threw,"
"That consistency and patience helped develop our interest in dance. We always looked up to our gurus and our dance colleagues. We will always be each other's inspiration, trying to learn different techniques from each other, improving together,” she adds.
Pooja and Aparna, trained Bharatnatyam dancers from Goa, were the first to introduce a semi-classical dance style in Goa.
Have you wondered how Pooja and Aparna thought of coming together and starting an academy? Both were dance mates and trained together for over 10 years.
Recollects Pooja, “There was a sudden break in our dance training due to our academic commitments. That break made us realise how much we were missing dance, and we wanted to continue dancing in any way possible."
"We started meeting up for practice sessions on our own, trying to make time to improvise and sharpen our skills. We happened to conduct our very first workshop for ladies, which surprisingly received a good response, and eventually led us to organise classes, and then, have our own academy of dance,” she shares.
Pooja and Aparna have been a part of an Indian TV reality show. Their main style is semi-classical and they have tried to give Darpan 2.0 a touch of Indian contemporary.
Apart from their students, they collaborated with Margao’s Western style troupe ‘We Step Dance Crew’ for the event.
Martha Graham, an American dancer, said, “Great dancers are not great because of their technique, they are great because of their passion.”
For Pooja and Aparna, dance is something that they can't put into words.
“It has become our identity, our medium of expressing ourselves, something we turn to when everything seems falling apart,” Aparna tries to explain. Adds Pooja, “It’s the medium to experiment with our creativity, also making us have a more disciplined outlook.”
When there are too many dancers, there is always comparison and pressure to get to the top.
Pooja and Aparna agree that the only pressure they put themselves through was being better today than what they were yesterday, so the question of external pressure from other dancers never came into the picture.
“Now, being the social media age, people do try to compare us with different dancers. The only way to look towards it is to focus on ourselves and be our own critique,” Aparna comments.
Despite being an entertainment hub, Goa offers limited stage opportunities for local dancers and academies. Pooja and Aparna admit, “We see a lot of international events happening in Goa, but it would be really helpful if local dancers could get a chance to be a part of it."
"We have seen the scenario changing lately; now they do try to create opportunities for us. So, we're hoping for the better.”
As part of their future project, they have decided to conduct dance workshops in and outside Goa, to spread the beauty of this dance form. Pooja shares, “Our first workshop of this year will be held in March. We are looking forward and are excited to expand our team.”
Pooja and Aparna are realistic, and well aware of what they need to prioritise, and therefore they advise youngsters, “In this era of reels and social apps, it's very easy to get carried away with two minutes of fame.
"Give utmost importance to the training and your practice sessions. Dance to improve yourself and not for the views and likes,” they add.