Music and dance, together they are like lovers who understand each other, like playful siblings who build beautiful things together and like best friends who have their own personality yet create magic when they come together. Music and dance are like hot chocolate and marshmallows, a beautiful combination, a little incomplete without one another while being the perfect recipe for comfort. Ballet and violin are the hot chocolate and marshmallow in our 8 year old ballerina of the month, Ritika’s life.
At a young age of 3, Ritika started her ballet training under the tutelage of Miss Neha. Ms Neha recalls how the wide-eyed Ritika entered the ballet class for the first time in her pretty pink tutu dress, and immediately won her heart with her curiosity and sharp mind.
Ritika’s journey with LDAB has since been full of new adventures. She has been a part of two LDAB stage shows, ‘Once upon a time’ , where she performed a duet with Tisha Rathi, and ‘The Nutcracker’ where she was one of the Spanish Dancers. She has also been a part of the CSTD International Competition 2019, Singapore. It was an amazing experience for Ritika, and her display of confidence and grace on stage was inspiring. When asked about her favourite part about LDAB, Ritika was quick to mention Miss Neha while the ballet exercises conducted by Miss Neha were a close second. Ritika wrote an essay on miss Neha when she was asked to write about her favourite teacher.
Ritika is a 3rd grade student of Abhinav Vidyalay English Medium Primary School. Since the age of 2, Ritika has been learning Violin. Her best-loved piece is the Bourrée.She has just graduated her Book 3 in July 2020 and is one of the youngest violinist to pass this exam. Ritika also appeared for the Grade 3 exam of the Royal School of London last year and has passed with distinction. She got an opportunity to go to the NCPA Mumbai for the high scorers’ concert. In addition to this, Ritika has won numerous accolades. Ritika spends most of her time perfecting the violin and ballet combinations. In addition to this, Ritika is also an avid reader and loves reading the works of Sudha Murty among other authors. ‘Grandma’s Bag of Stories’ is one of her most favourite reads. Ritika likes playing badminton as well. Another feather in Ritika’s cap is the language Japanese which she has been learning since a few years now.
When asked about Ritika, Miss Neha said that Ritika is the brain of Grade 1. “When Ritika walked in the ballet class for the first time, she came in with her big, gleaming eyes and was extremely keen to learn from the very first day. Ritika initially walked in a class with older students, but was not intimidated even a bit. Since day one, she showed great potential and has always been very quick in picking up new and challenging exercises. I call her the brain of Grade 1 class as she remembers tough ballet combinations and executes them without getting confused.” exclaimed Miss Neha. “Her performance at the CSTD competition was fabulous. She was not at all nervous facing the audience and performed the whole piece with grace and a smile on her face. It is a delight watching Ritika perform.” added Miss Neha.
During the lockdown, Ritika has made sure to utilize her time by practicing ballet, violin, reading books as well as doodling. In addition to these, Ritika also took up some new activities. She learnt stitching from her grandmother and helped her mother, in the kitchen, in making chapatis. Ritika has an elder sister Gayatri and is fond of drawing and reading books with her.
Ritika is a very fun-loving, caring and compassionate person. She is highly organized and is very focus driven. Even in school, Ritika has bagged numerous awards such as the ‘General Proficiency’ award and the ‘Best Handwriting’ award. When asked about her ballet journey, Ritika’s mother, Ms. Mugdha said “It has been a delightful journey since the get go. The progress Ritika has made under Miss Neha’s guidance has truly been commendable. We can observe the change in her posture and the elegance that ballet has brought in Ritika.”
Ballet has been an important part of Ritika’s life and she wants to pursue it in the future as well. We would like to wish Ritika all the very best for her future!
We all have a close friend who has been a part of our lives since the time we can’t even remember. A friend who has been with us through thick and thin. A friend who makes us smile when we are low and tells us stories to lift our mood. A friend who helps us grow and never leaves our side no matter what. The Ballerina of the Month Prisha Ambi’s best friends are her books.
Eight year old Prisha has been learning ballet under miss Neha’s tutelage from the past 3 years. Her fondness for ballet began after watching a movie, soon after which Prisha began her training and fell in love with it. Currently, Prisha is in grade 1 and will be appearing for her CSTD exam coming November. She dedicates time for her training everyday and enjoys practicing different combinations.
Prisha, who is a 3rd grade student at Euro School, has been quite busy during the quarantine. Not only has she been attending her school and ballet classes online, Prisha has also taken up a course in communication from Trinity College, London. When asked about what she likes doing in her free time other than her ballet practice, Prisha was quite quick to exclaim “I read books, books, and more books”. Her favourite novel is ‘Out of My Mind’ by Sharon M. Draper. In spite of not being able to go out, Prisha likes to do some skating once in a while, which is also one of her hobbies.
Till date, Prisha has been a part of two stage shows, ‘The Nutcracker’ and ‘Children’s Gallop’ and is excited to be a part of the upcoming ‘Sugar Plum Fairy’ performance. When asked about Prisha, Miss Neha said “She is very passionate and hard working. Even during online classes, Prisha’s level of enthusiasm is with par with that in the studio. She is very dedicated, and a lot of credit goes to her mom. Her mom really motivates her and encourages her.”
Prisha, who loves her words just as much as ballet, doesn’t miss out on any opportunity in unifying the two. While speaking to Mrs. Ambi about Prisha’s ballet journey, she mentioned how Prisha started mirroring the moves which she saw in a movie and that’s when Mrs. Ambi decided to enrol Prisha for professional training. “Prisha is a very dedicated girl and gives her hundred percent in whatever she does. What I like about her the most is her fun and carefree nature.” Added Mrs. Ambi.
Prisha always dreamt of becoming a ballerina and being awarded the ‘Ballerina of the Month’s title, she feels one step closer to her goal. We wish her the best of luck for her future!
Music is soothing, like the waves crashing on a beach. It’s like the warm sunlight after a cold dark night, like the friend who holds your hand when you need it and hugs you tight if ever you don’t ask for it. Music makes you happy and it gets you emotional. Music talks volumes without having any lyrics. Music makes you want to get up and sway and music is what attracted 9 year old Ria Dhumal to the alluring world of ballet.
Ria Dhumal – Ballerina of the Month July 2020
At the age of 5, Ria started her ballet training under Miss Neha’s tutelage. She is very dedicated and enjoys performing ballet just as much as she finds pleasure in watching it. Ira Pawar, who is also a part of the LDAB family, is a ballerina who’s work Ria has been following. But the ballerina that inspires Ria the most is her idol, Neha ma’am. Ballet is about how effortlessly a ballerina can blend grace with the correct technique to create something as beautiful as the blossoming of a flower and this is what Ria loves.
The happy Ria after her first ballet performance with her mentor Ms Neha and her best friend Myra
Ria is a student of Sanskriti school and is studying in 4th grade. The quarantine has been stressful for her because of the hectic online lectures. Ria is quite occupied with her classes and homeworkyet, she tries to make the most of her free time by singing and dancing to her heart’s content. Ria prefers instrumental music overother genres. When asked about her interest in sports, Ria spoke about her participation in swimming as well as badminton.
Ria is not only an excellent dancer, she is also a swimmer and a singer!
Since the last 3 and a half years, Ria has been training with LDAB. She’s due to give her ISTD and CSTD exams this year. Ria has been a part of numerous stage performances including ‘BibbidiBobbidi Boo’. “Ria is a very giftedperformer. In spite of being in grade 1, I’ve decided to start Ria’s grade 2 training simultaneously. She is shining in grade 2 as well” Said Miss Neha when asked about Ria’s progress. Ria has been awarded 2 trophies in ballet till date and is extremely determined to bag more in the coming years.
Ria collecting her award after scoring Honours Plus in her CSTD Primary examination
Ria is a very outgoing person and is fond of meeting new people. When asked about Ria, her mother, Mrs. Dhumal, said “Ria is like any other 9 year old and yet so different. She is fun and naughty with a touch of melodrama but at heart, she is an old soul. Sometimes Ria casually mentions something out of the blue which come as a surprise because of how mature she sounds.” Exclaimed Mrs. Dhumal. “Miss Neha is the best teacher Ria could get. She is a pleasure to watch while performing and gives each and every student equal time and space.” Added Mrs. Dhumal.
Ria and her beautiful family
At such a young age, Ria has already made up her mind about becoming a ballerina who sings. She is hardworking and is sure to achieve any goal she sets for herself. We wish Ria all the success for her future endeavours!
The last few months have been a series of unfortunate events. We were all confined to our houses, trying to keep up with the ongoing pandemic. While most of us struggled with keeping ourselves occupied, Tisha Rathi utilized this time in perfecting the art of dancing, making her the ballerina of the month.
Tisha has been learning ballet under Miss Neha’s tutelage for almost 5 years. Due to the lockdown, Tisha has been living her life through the screen, from attending online school to her ballet training through video calls.
In spite of missing out on sharing a tiffin with her school mates or a chat with her ballet friends, Tisha has been spending more time with her beloved novels.
Currently, Tisha is in grade 1 and is preparing for ISTD and CSTD exams which are to be held in the coming November and February respectively. Tisha has been a part of numerous recitals but the one in which she stood out the most was ‘Frozen’. “The most memorable performance by Tisha was in our ballet concert Once Upon a Time. She did a duet with Ritika on the Frozen theme where she played the character of little Elsa. Her acting and dancing moved the audience to tears.” Quoted Miss Neha. “Tisha is very dedicated, hard working, and passionate about ballet. She has grown into a beautiful dancer in all her years at LDAB.” Miss Neha added.
A fun fact about Tisha is that she makes her mother plan all their vacations as well as other activities keeping her ballet lessons at the epicentre. When asked about what keeps her so driven, her mother, Poonam Rathi, said “Tisha looks forward to each session and thoroughly enjoys performing ballet. What really drives her is to achieve perfection and she constantly tries to polish herself by rehearsing until she is satisfied with the outcome.”
This otherwise talkative and bubbly 8 year old also has a very caring and understanding side to her.Tisha is very adaptive to her surroundings and is compassionate towards everyone.When asked about her future in ballet, Tisha exclaimed that she would love to become a ballerina though a professional swimmer and teacher are close 2nd and 3rdoptions.
As hardworking and dedicated as Tisha is, it is sure that she is destined to achieve great things in whichever path she chooses. We wish her the best of luck!
A ballerina is a title given to a female ballet dancer. After years of practising the positions, body postures and movements, a ballerina gets ready for her first ever stage performance. The nervousness and excitement which one feels before getting on stage is equivalent to that of jumping off a cliff and the Ballerina of the Month of February has done both these things, stage performance as well as jumping off a cliff.
Lavanya Verma – Ballerina of the Month February 2020
When
we think about adventure sports, the first thing that comes to our mind is
bungee jumping, para sailing or motor boating. Lavanya Verma, has already checked
off all these, and more, from her bucket list even before entering her teens.
Lavanya has learnt Kathak and Bharatnatyam for a few years before finding her true interest in ballet. She was highly inspired by her friends and was attracted to the elegance of this dance form along with the get up. After her very first class, she knew that ballet was her calling. This 12 year old ballerina has been learning under the tutelage of Miss Neha since the past 2 years and has recently appeared for the ISTD examination of Grade 1.
Lavanya loves coming to her ballet lessons and wouldn’t miss it for anything in the world
Not
only does Lavanya enjoy dancing, she also loves painting and doodling and
utilizes her free time to doodle away to her own little artistic world. Lavanya
is studying in Delhi Public School and is in 7th standard. What she likes the
most about her school is the numerous sports and cultural clubs that she can
choose from which give her a chance to try something new every academic year.
Lavanya loves painting, and has gifted many paintings to the LDAB Studio
Lavanya takes inspiration from the ballet videos available online and makes use of her free time by practising ballet. She looks forward to learning something new every class and is very fond of Miss Neha’s teaching. Lavanya enjoys the music and the movements of ballet and mentioned how her parents have always been her biggest support system. Lavanya was a part of The Nutcracker Ballet and really stood out with her performance in a dance called Le Marche.
Lavanya has recently given her ISTD Grade 1 examination and is currently pursuing her Grade 2 training
This
otherwise shy and introverted girl can be spotted doing back flips in her
society garden and is intrigued by stunts while not being afraid of taking
risks. Sports are an integral part of Lavanya’s life and she plays basketball
and volleyball in her school. Lavanya has a younger brother who is quite
different in nature from her. She is an extremely protective elder sister in
spite of all their banters and will not think twice before jumping into an
argument for her brother.
Lavanya shares a beautiful bond with her brother
When
asked about Lavanya’s most appreciable quality, her mother said that Lavanya is
extremely sincere and will put her heart and soul into everything that she
does. Lavanya is very passionate about ballet and wants to pursue it in the
future.
Lavanya and her group of friends who love coming to the Ballet classes. They are a strong team who motivate each other and monitor each other’s performances
As
someone who is driven by art and adventure, Lavanya believes in talking less
and expressing herself through her dance and doodles. We hope to see her
succeed in whichever path she chooses for herself and would like to wish her
the best of luck!
“You said you were flattered But my heart’s really shattered
And I’m lucky, I didn’t fly away.
My life’s sometimes great but at times it stinks like bait.
Okay okay…Just kidding!
My life’s like a swing. Not much of the bling.
It goes high and low. Fast, but really slow. .
It’s time to overcome your fear.
And all those around, let them hear.
That we are swinging higher, our inner spark turning into a fire.
This isn’t simply another song lyric, it’s a song called ‘Swing’ written by our future singer- songwriter Mihira Javdekar who is the ‘Ballerina of the Month’ of January. The ballet journey of this multifaceted 10-year-old is indeed peculiar.
Mihira Javdekar – Ballerina of the month Jan 2020
Friendship is not just another relationship, it’s an exceptional bond you share with that special someone who you meet by chance. That’s how Mihira met Kyra who was also interested in learning ballet and together they partook this art of graceful expressionism. Since the very first class, Mihira fell in love with ballet and enjoyed doing the various poses. She looks forward to learning something new each session.
Mihira and Kyra – Inspiring each other in many ways
When asked about Mihira’s journey as a ballerina, her mom Asmita Javdekar said “Her journey is quite interesting. Mihira joined LDAB with her friend Kyra and as a matter of fact, we stay in Kothrud, which is quite far from the academy. But, the dedication with which she attends each and every class in spite of the distance and traffic is really amazing.” Mrs. Javdekar also added “The credit majorly goes to the teacher, Miss Neha, who has played the most crucial role in keeping Mihira interested and guided her throughout.”
The dedicated ballerina during her sessions at LDAB
Mihira is Currently in Grade 2 (CSTD) and is going to give her Grade 1 (ISTD) examination this February. Not only is she highly dedicated but is also remarkably passionate and enthusiastic. Mihira loves being a part of the studio work and thoroughly wallows in training younger kids. Her lively and humorous attitude makes her a favourite in class.
Mihira was in LDAB’s Nutcracker 2019 in the Russian Dance Trepak
Mihira, who is in 5th grade at St. Mary’s, follows numerous ballet performers and is fond of watching recital videos on YouTube. She was also a part of the LDAB concerts – Once Upon a Time (2017) and The Nutcracker (2019). Other than ballet, Mihira takes great interest in sports and plays hockey as well as likes basketball and football.
Mihira loves being in the Studio, helping with younger students and assisting Ms Neha duirng International Examinations
As she mentions in her song, Mihira is determined to overcome the downs and swing higher towards fulfilling her dreams. When asked about her ballet goals, Mihira mentioned that she would love to pursue ballet as a career and sees herself as a stage artist, performing on tours. We wish Mihira great success in her future endeavours.
