Disha Madan Instagram – I started learning Bharatanatyam at the age of 3! Back then, there wasn’t a minimum age to enrol for dance classes and my Guru took such good care of us since so many of us started so young. I went on to learn Bharatanatyam and pursued it professionally. My first paid performance was when I was 5 years old! I played the role of a baby monkey as part of Ramayana. I had to pick up imaginary rocks and throw them into an imaginary ocean to help Rama cross over! I still remember writing my exams in school, running back home, studying my Bharatanatyam syllabus and writing those exams right after. I’d cry if I scored less in my dance exams and be okay if I didn’t score too well in school! Finished my Rangapravesha when I was 14, my junior & senior exams in dance, all before I completed my 10th grade! Honestly, I don’t know how I did it! But you know what they say, when you love what you do, it’s never impossible to accomplish everything you want to! After my 10th grade and almost 13 years of learning Bharatanatyam, I decided to learn more styles. My Guru started teaching me Kuchipudi, I went out to learn Contemporary, I started training in Kalaripayattu & even occasionally attended workshops in HipHop, Salsa & Bollywood! Confused my body so much that I did 4 styles of dance every week without skipping my Bharatanatyam classes! My mom was obviously my driver who’d just watch me and learn all about these styles :) So many people ask me how I’m so graceful, how I dance so effortlessly & how I learn so quickly & it’s because the foundation of my skill is so strong! ♥️ Doing a few Bharatanatyam steps today made me remember how long my journey with dance has been and how special this classical form of dance is to my heart! Can’t wait to wear my saree & my temple jewellery & show you the beauty of Bharatanatyam :) working on it soon ♥️