The heavy rains don’t seem to stop anytime soon in the month of October, but so do the young ballerinas! In spite of the weather being difficult, it cannot dwindle a ballerina’s passion and dedication. So with this urge and perseverance (which is seen in the young ballerina’s performances) they wake up early in the morning in this dull weather and do what their heart desires the most.
This can be seen in Miraya Jogewar, the young ballerina of LDAB who is the ‘Ballerina of the month for October 2019’
Miraya Jogewar, 10 years old, has been a part of LDAB for 7 months now, and at a very early stage, she has succeeded in achieving this incredible title. Miraya, daughter of Pallavi and Pallav Jogewar is studying in VKE- Victorious Kidss Educares and is in 4th grade.
We were eager to know more about this talented young ballerina, and so we had a friendly chat with an important person who played a major role in grooming Miraya – Her mother. When asked about Miraya’s personality, Mrs Jogewar tells us, “Miraya is a very bubbly girl. She loves dancing and not just ballet. She is fond of various other dance forms such as…??.” The next thing that Mrs. Jogewar tells me makes me admire the little ballerina even more. “She was only a 3 year old when she expressed her desire to be a ballerina. Her relation with ballet is now as old as 7 years. Amongst all the dance forms she has learnt, nothing has motivated her and shaped her personality as ballet.”
We asked Mrs Jogewar what inspired her daughter to choose ballet and whether this is what she wanted to do all along. Mrs. Jogewar recollects very fondly, “She used to watch a Disney show called “Ballerinas” and that’s when Miraya decided she wanted to try this dance form. We lived in Singapore then. I looked for a ballet class and we opted for the one that seemed professional and closer to my house.” Her mother tells us that she had participated in two big events with her previous ballet school – The Nutcracker Concert and a spring showcase. “She was very happy to do these shows, especially with great dancers who motivated her by the way they were dancing.”
With Les Danseuses Academy of Ballet Miraya also got an opportunity to perform in the 2019 production of The Nutcracker. She played The Mice King – A major role which involved a battle scene enacted in dance form. She was thrilled to bag this role and gave her best in her practices, and eventually her performance.
She was very motivated by Ms Parand’s performance in the Nutcracker. Ms Parand has not only been teaching Miraya for the last 7 months at LDAB, but has also played a major role in shaping Miraya’s technique and inspiring her to be a beautiful dancer.
Ballet is a dance form of grace, confidence, and the right posture. It’s impactful, and so we asked the young talented ballerina’s mother about how ballet has shaped Miraya’s personality. “Since she started doing ballet with Miss. Neha, I have seen certain changes in her. They tell the kids to do a few exercises like stretching when they are waking up or when they are in bed at night. She tries to follow that, and that is certainly a very positive habit that she is getting into. She seems more focused on her health now, and that is purely because she wants her ballet technique to improve.”
Parenting has never been easy, but for Mrs. Jogewar, it has never been a problem. Like most kids who have trouble waking up early for an early class, the young ballerina was always motivated enough to not be boggled down by laziness.
Another inspiration in Miraya’s ballet journey is Ms Neha. This is what she had to share about our Artistic Director – “Oh! She is a wonderful dancer, actually, she is a wonderful teacher. She makes kids fall in love with ballet with her attitude, grace, and confidence. We love to attend classes when she is teaching. She makes sure that we learn the correct technique and stay focused in classes but at the same time, she ensures that she isn’t strict.”
Ms Neha also shares her thoughts about the Ballerina of the Month. “When Miraya joined us, I noticed immediately how talented she was, and how dedicated she was towards this dance form. One of the challenges we face in class is to get the students to focus and take it seriously. This is a dance form that requires a lot of effort and hard work, and Miraya is not shy of investing whatever it takes to be good at it! In a very short span of time Miraya picked up the syllabus, the technical detailing and corrections. I know that she goes home and works on the corrections we give her during classes. That speaks volumes about a student. As a teacher we are also then motivated to work with a student who goes beyond what is expected! I was very confident of my choice of making her the Mice King in the Nutcracker. She came for every practice and gave a fabulous performance last July. The scene where the Mice King is defeated needed quite a bit of acting, and Miraya displayed a level of confidence and grace that was outstanding!
We all want to know what the mother of the star student, thinks when it comes to her child becoming the ‘Ballerina of the month’ “I was thrilled and very happy! I didn’t expect that she would be chosen as the ballerina of the month as she has just joined the academy. I am honestly very proud of her.”
She ends this interview by saying kind words towards her favourite teacher. “Neha ma’am is a very kind teacher, and she encourages me to do ballet.” She definitely sees herself doing ballet for a long time. We wish Miraya great success and lots of dancing in her future!