It Was Serendipity: Shivani Varma On Letting Kathak Rewrite Her Story

Shivani Varma did not set out to be a professional Kathak dancer, but the rhythm found her before she could resist its pull. With the tutelage of legendary gurus like Pt. Birju Maharaj and Shovana Narayan, the art form shaped her cultural sensibilities and instilled a deep respect for classical arts. Even as she pursued a formal education in law, her passion for movement and storytelling only became stronger. Dance became a strong force that redirected her life's course.

Today, Shivani is on a mission to preserve and share the magic that drew her to Kathak, inviting new audiences to experience its depth and timelessness. She is the founder of festivals World Kathak Day and the Dastaan-e-Kathak, which are dedicated to celebrating and expanding the global footprint of the dance form.

Shivani is also nominated to the General Council of the Sahitya Kala Parishad, the arts and culture division of the Government of Delhi, where she continues to celebrate the importance of classical arts in the modern world. 

In an interview with SheThePeople, Shivani Varma spoke about her journey in Kathak and law, the legacy of her gurus, and the philosophical lessons passed down from her mentors. She also reflected on the intersection of traditional and contemporary expression in Kathak, and the evolving role of women in the Indian classical arts ecosystem.

Shivani Varma in conversation with SheThePeople

STP: Tell me about your background, professional journey, and how you got into Kathak.

Ever since I can remember, it had been my dream to be a lawyer and follow in the footsteps of my nana (maternal grandfather), who has been one of the greatest influences in my life. Unbeknownst to me, dance, which had always been running parallel in my life, was to be the path that chose me, and now I am on a journey of trying to be worthy of this path.

I got into Kathak formally at the age of seven, although from the age of four, my pre-school teacher had been introducing a few basic steps of the form into my general learning of dance. Getting into Kathak was not a conscious decision, as it became a part of my life in early childhood. I got into it due to the combination of my mother’s interest in dance and the belief of my teachers in my potential. And once I was in, I fell in love with it for some time.

STP: From studying law to pursuing Kathak, what was the journey between these two worlds like? Did/does your background in law influence your art in any way?

Law to Kathak happened very seamlessly and organically, and to be very truthful, serendipitously, for me. 

I never made a conscious choice to choose one to the exclusion of the other. For a time, it was simultaneous. When asked what I did, I used to say I was a lawyer who danced. Although I had a head start in Kathak compared to Law, in terms of number of years of practice, when I started getting some unbelievable performance opportunities without seeking them, I instinctively started prioritising Kathak. I was looking at Law as my profession and was dancing for the joy of it. 

For a while, I would think of each performance as the last one, after which I would plan to get back to the profession. Later, I realised that I needed to treat Kathak more seriously than a hobby and work towards deserving those incredible opportunities. After all, luck can only take you so far, not in terms of what others think, but in terms of how good you want to be at something for yourself to feel proud of.

Yes, my law background definitely has had an influence on my art. No education goes to waste, and being a lawyer helps me in particular when I am researching and creating scripts for original presentations. The detail and interest in reading, writing, and then articulating are common in both practices. And it makes my creative process more methodical. It also gives me a greater awareness of my rights as an artist.

STP: Having trained under maestros like Pt. Birju Maharaj and Shovana Narayan, what were some of the most important lessons, technical or philosophical, that you learned from your gurus?
 
The combination of Maharaj ji and Shovana didi has been one of life’s most precious gifts for me. Apart from their obvious brilliance, they have such different personalities as people and as Gurus, that my closeness to both has taught me valuable and also a diversity of lessons.

From Shovana didi, I learnt about confidence, how to dive into new things and be fearless. She taught me how to think about and approach abhinaya, and how to present myself on stage. She taught me so much about the performative aspect, how to speak, how to conduct oneself. She is an academic, and I learnt the importance of knowing one’s sahitya in dance from her.

She epitomises the modern Indian woman, and my closeness to her taught me the power of being a woman.

Maharaj ji, on the other hand, taught me the importance of restraint, the nuances that are a hallmark of his style, the beauty and languor of Kathak, mijaaz as he called it. He took me back to the basics and taught me about taaleem and feeling. He taught me about going to zero and constantly learning from it.

Maharaj ji is my spiritual Guru, my spirit animal, if you will. My closeness to him took me more inward and taught me the “why” of my existence. He was incomparable in every way, and it is hard for me to put in words what his lessons have meant in my life. Philosophically, Didi got me closer to Kathak, and Maharaj ji got me closer to God.

STP: Did having such revered tutelage ever feel daunting? Do you feel any expectations or inner pressure to live up to their legacy? 

It feels very daunting and very surreal. I feel a lot of inner pressure, particularly because I never meant to be a career dancer and still find it hard to approach it that way. Both my gurus have showered so much unconditional love on me that I want to keep striving and never let them down, and that’s very scary.

I deal with self-doubt by constantly reminding myself of the reason why I dance. And the answer is simply and only - because I love it. 

Thinking this immediately takes the pressure off, centres me, and allows me to take risks in my work. As someone close to me once aptly said, there is that adage - “jungle mein mor nacha kisne dekha - you are that mor who doesn’t care whether kisi ne dekha ya nahin.” He meant that you love it, and so you’ll do it to the best of your ability without worrying about the reward.

I am exactly where I was meant to be, and I have the blessings of my Gurus; the rest is all a bonus.

STP: You’ve also worked in film and interdisciplinary collaborations. How do these experiences differ from your classical stage performances? What do they add to your understanding or expression of Kathak?

There is nothing like the experience of being on stage, under the lights. And the screen medium just does not compare in terms of the energy and the instant magic. However, film does help in creating another kind of beautiful aesthetic that has a more lasting memory.

I am a big fan of inter-disciplinary collaborations because we are at a low point in the viewership of classical dance in our times, in comparison to earlier times. And these collaborations certainly help in engaging a larger audience. They also allow for greater creativity in pushing some of the self-inflicted boundaries of the classical world.

They add to my understanding and expression of Kathak because many times the process involves deconstructing the grammar of the training in a manner that does not dilute the form but also allows for a more personal, creative expression. They also give me a greater understanding of the other disciplines and their practitioners, which in itself is a very enriching process.

STP: How do you incorporate creativity in a classical art form like Kathak?

Kathak is such an open-minded and flexible art form that it is inherently creative. If we don’t limit ourselves and put ourselves in boxes and fixed notions of what makes a Kathak dancer, the dance itself provides unlimited avenues for creativity.

I explore my taaleem by using its grammar in different contexts and combinations. It could be in unconventional choices of music, or venues or collaborations, from fashion shows and short films to photo shoots and brand campaigns. It could be in the choice of the subject of the stage performance. I try to steer clear of whatever is happening the most around me!

STP: What are the gender dynamics like in India's classical dance space? What is women's participation like, beyond performers—like leadership, event organisation, pedagogy, recognition in influential circles, etc?

In my experience, dancers in most situations do not look at themselves or others in terms of gender, for the most part. Not only gender, but we do not look at each other in terms of other identities like caste, class, age, and religion. Maybe it’s because we are used to playing different roles and then going into the depth of that role, be it male or female or animal or tree! It may also be because we are all taught the same technical things, despite our gender. There is no difference in the training of a male student and a female student. This is inherent in our training.

On the negative side, though, it does tend to play up in scenarios where the genders of the student and the teacher are different, where any intimacy or closeness is often sadly coloured in unpalatable and often in disturbing ways. In those situations, there are full-blown power dynamics of patriarchy that are worrying. There is also body shaming in many classrooms, with people in positions of authority trying to bring down juniors, especially those with potential and promise, to make them question their abilities. 

Women’s participation in all the categories mentioned in your question is widespread and very effective. We have female gurus, teachers, organisers, curators, and a lot of recognition in influential circles.

STP: What are some learnings from your journey as an artist that you value in your daily life?

Some of the most valuable learnings from my journey as an artist that I treasure in my daily life include cultivating sensitivity and recognising the importance of beauty and the role of art in everyday experiences.

I have learned to appreciate honesty, however stark, and to embrace the ability to be alone without feeling lonely. Resilience has also been a vital lesson, as well as having the courage to follow my own path, even if it is the less-travelled one. 

Above all, I have come to accept that each day is different and must be taken as it comes. Life, like a live performance, cannot be rewound; you can’t turn back time, but you can always put your best foot forward in the moment, and that is good enough.