She’s been one of the bright spots this Margazhi season, her graceful exuberance lighting up the stage, perhaps a mark of her tutelage under Priyadarshini Govind. Currently based in Chennai, Shweta Prachande has performed all over India and represented the country at several international festivals.
Originally from Pune, Shweta did a post graduate diploma in Contemporary Dance Studies at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, London. “One of the initial challenges I faced was my lack of training in ballet, but that didn’t hinder my learning process as we had other subjects like Choreography, Contemporary Jazz, History of Dance etc.
Choreological Studies definitely changed the way I view movement in dance. In Bharatanatyam, we learn mostly by watching our teachers or following the verbal instructions in class, but understanding the source of the movement and using it effectively, is something I comprehend more easily now,” she explains, adding that she practices yoga and the martial art of Kalaripayattu to stay fit.
Having studied contemporary dance while in London, Shweta feels that it’s quite a challenge to be proficient in more than one art form. She has also dabbled in acting, having bagged the lead role in the short film, Notes of Silence, which was screened at the LA Women’s International Film Festival and The NY Indian Film Festival.
Having had the ability to pan out and excel in different performing arts, she also possessed the stamina to embrace a different discipline altogether: rugby. Shweta has played rugby for India, making it to the first Women’s 7 team in 2009, when they travelled to Thailand for the Asian Women’s Championship. She’s also a certified International rugby level 1 coach and referee.
“Rugby happened by chance, on a summer vacation, back home in Pune. I took up the sport for its hardcore fitness, discipline and team spirit. Contrary to popular opinion, in spite of the demanding nature of the game, rugby’s also quite flexible, and we’re trained to deal with its physicality.
Being Indian, we don’t have the same genes that other heftily built foreign players do, but we match their levels by practicing and maintaining fitness. Injuries do happen, but we can control the impact. There’s so much of strength and honour involved in playing for the country. It really was an amazing experience,” muses
Shweta, who also played for an amateur London club during her time in England.
It’s an unusual combination, the grace of dance and the toughness of rugby, each a discipline with lots to impart to the practitioner. Next, Shweta wants to be a Bharatanatyam soloist and a teacher of dance too.
source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Entertainment / TV-Music / by Gautam Sunder, DC / January 10th, 2013