#localturnon: What is the history to your taking up Dance? How did it come into being, your journey? #EnaakshiKotwal: I loved dance since childhood. I was naturally inclined to dance and it was my favourite activity in school. I participated in all extracurricular activities at school and even represented my school at the national level in dance. My journey began with learning of Bharatnatayam and Kathak. As I grew up, I started following Shakira’s music and was also fascinated by her dance. I decided to find out more about the style. From that point forward, I decided to master the art of Belly Dance and the rest is history. Today I’m teaching Belly Dance across the country and working with my heart and soul on fusing the graceful styles of Kathak, Bharatnatyam, Indian Folk with Belly Dance. Besides working on fusions I am also working towards spreading Kathak, Indian Folk, Bollywood across the world. I have students from various parts of world. I have taught people from America, France, Germany. Australia, Singapore etc. (smiling) #localturnon: So who are your favourites/ Icons/ Role Models in the field of Dance?

#EnaakshiKotwal: My favourites are Sitara Devi ji , Pandit Durga Lal ji, Saroj Khan, Vaibhavi Merchant , Bosco Ceaser, Alla Kushnir, Sadie

#localturnon: How do rejuvenate your creative insights / get the adrenalin going? #EnaakshiKotwal: I rejuvenate myself by watching different things like films, theatre, live events, various dance styles. I love to explore places which are culturally rich in dance. I believe experiencing different dance styles and cultures enriches your soul. I recently explored Flamenco in Spain and taught Folk and Bollywood to 40 odd people from France. I feel your mind, heart and soul opens up and ideas hit you when you watch things which the majority is not attracted to. I’ve always wanted to do things differently so if the world is behind contemporary dance, I get attracted to other styles like Ballet, Flamenco or Bharatnatyam. Another way I create choreographies is by listening to different kinds of music. There is a distinct style of music which touches my soul, which is mostly poetic, has various melodies, or has

different kinds of sounds or instruments. For me even nature sounds instill creativity. Anything that makes me happy, energetic or takes me closer to myself helps me to think out of the box. I love Sufi songs, I listen to them to get out of monotony.

#localturnon: Does your Dance carry a message / a theme or a story? If so can you share more on it? #EnaakshiKotwal: It depends on the purpose of the choreography. Some choreographies are about fun, happiness and expressing various emotions. Through Belly Dancing and fusions with Indian Classical I am spreading the message of loving yourself the way you are, celebrating women, grace and fitness. My Belly Dance / Bollywood classes not only let women enjoy themselves but push them to have a more positive outlook towards dance and life in general. It’s just not a dance class. Belly Dance brings a lot of emotions, because it touches the aspects which we run away from. Through my classes I help students to get their negatives

and fears out which are stopping them from being who they truly are. #localturnon: Of all the performances you’ve given, which is your favourite one and why? #EnaakshiKotwal: That’s easy. All my performances are my favourites. However, my first public performances remain a little closer to my heart.

#localturnon: Do you have any interesting fan stories to tell? #EnaakshiKotwal: Yes, every time I perform, I have people reaching out to me from all quarters. It’s flattering. But the thing that is close to my heart is that I have seen kids connect very well with me and the love my dances. I’ve had their moms tell me how their children are filled with joy

after watching my videos. On many occasions I have had huge groups of kids walking up to me take my autographs, many of whom become my friends. I have instances where even 2 year olds have loved me and connected with me. This makes me feel very happy because kids are absolutely pure and their feedback is directly from the heart.

#localturnon : Of all the dance formats you’ve done, which is your favourite one and why?

#EnaakshiKotwal: I love Kathak, because it’s the learning of Kathak at an early age which gave me a good, strong base. I am grateful to my Guru Narayan Prasad for teaching me the form and having faith in me. It’s because of my mom that I am following my passion. My mom enrolled me for a classical

dance class, because she knew I was serious about dancing and this helped me the most in my dancing career.

It made me understand the value of art. It is through Classical Dance that I understood the importance of dedication, commitment and hard work. It takes years of hard work to master such a style. It taught me not to take the easy way; I learned the importance of the Guru, the stage, grace and expressions all because of being introduced to such a style. My dedication towards Belly Dance also comes because of this.

#localturnon: Can you share about some funny incident that happened on-stage / during performance / with you or the other artists / stage members?

#EnaakshiKotwal: Yes, I had gone to judge a college event and they invited me on the stage to dance. I was wearing high heels and as I began the number, I slipped and fell hard on the stage. But I immediately got up, laughed it off and completed the performance. As dancers we don’t stop in middle of the event, even if something goes wrong. The show must go on. This has a very important life lesson as well. (Smiling)

#localturnon: How has the journey been so far for you and what are you looking forward to now? #EnaakshiKotwal: It’s been one hell of a ride. If all you can think about is dance when you wake up and go to sleep, then no matter what comes your way, you’ll always be happy. The journey has been full of ups and downs. But it’s only dancing that brings a smile on my face like nothing else. My only competition is with myself. I am here to contribute to the field of dance and I will keep doing that and have a whole lot of fun doing it! #localturnon: Do you have any words of advice for youngsters who are thinking of getting into this line? #EnaakshiKotwal: Remember artists are always in the limelight. You have to develop immense faith in yourself, before you get into this field. There are no shortcuts here. Hard work,commitment, faith in your art are keys to succeed. If you give your 100 percent and work seriously nothing can stand in your way. Give it your best and don’t get pulled down by opinions of others. Keep moving forward irrespective. If you get swayed by criticism and lose faith, then it will be difficult. In fact take criticism in your stride, learn from it and keep moving.

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