Reach the stars

Christel Naomi Roberts

Dance is a form of expression. It is also a cultural identity of India. We dance, sing for birth, death and many events in between. But can you imagine dance without music/sound? Difficult isn’t it? Let me tell you the awe-inspiring story of Ms. Anmol, who is a trained Bharatanatyam dancer, hailing from Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. She is a person with hearing and speech impairment. You read that right! She is not only pursuing her M.Com, but also pursuing a degree in Bharatanatyam.

In a conversation with her, about all her feats:

Christel: What does dance mean to you?

Anmol: Dance means freedom of expression to me. I feel very much included and accepted by my peers. When I see the expressions and acknowledgement of the audiences, I feel very alive.

Christel: How did you start off your journey in Bharatanatyam?

Anmol: I started learning Bharatanatyam as a kid, where one of my teachers, in school, paid attention to my talent and encouraged me to pursue it. There was no turning back from then.

Christel: How did you learn it?

Anmol: It was hard initially. My teacher didn’t give up too, she was very patient with me. I used to follow my teacher’s instructions and keep count with the rhythm and pattern.

Christel: Can you share an incident from one of your performances?

Anmol: Sure! So once, in one of my performances, the audience loved our group’s performance, but none of them had a clue, that I was hearing impaired. After the performance, when my teacher announced that I was hearing impaired, the audience were shocked and their reaction was wonderful, they began to cheer for me… watching them cheer and support so much, was just great.

Christel: It sure would’ve been beautiful… What are you looking forward to now?

Anmol: I want to spread awareness among the masses, that dance is possible even without music and that even a hearing-impaired person can dance.

Christel: That’s Amazing! Where do you see yourself in the future?

Anmol: I have a diploma in Bharatanatyam and am pursuing a degree in the field. I aspire to pursue a career in dance and want to teach dance to other persons who are hearing impaired, as there are not many dance schools designated for the same.

Christel: Very Inspiring Anmol. All the very best.

In a society, where dance is thought possible only with the help of music, Anmol’s achievements encourage us to re-think and re-frame our perceptions. Watch her perform by clicking on the video below.