City Satellite : Dancing Queen of Gurgaon

Biological sciences is where she shows her academic prowess. But when it comes to living life, she lives Bharatnatyam. Meet Neeta Bala, a resident of Gurgaon’s Sector 30, she recently rendered a Bharatanatyam recital at the Shri Siddhi Ganesh Mandir in DLF Phase IV. In town now to visit her family, Neeta is not new to the art. She has been learning this art since 1995. "Ever since I got into dancing there has been no looking back. I have always tried to strike a balance between dance and whatever I am doing," she says.

Bala She has given several solo performances and has been a part of various group performances by Nrityaranjani in India and abroad. She has also accompanied her Guru for lecture demonstrations. Neeta is also an empanelled artiste of Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR). An alumnus of Modern School, Barakhamba Road, New Delhi, Neeta also played an active role in the dance department of her school. She was awarded the Rudra award for the best all round student in her school. Neeta is presently in the final year of BSc in biological sciences at St Johns University, USA.

Having begun early in the pursuance of her passion, Neeta has been following her sister’s footsteps. "I am a big fan of my elder sister and I have always followed her example. Among other things I picked p dance as she was into dancing when she was a child. At that point I did not realise the value of dancing. The first time that I knew I wanted to be a serious dancer was when I won a classical dancing competition at my school when I was in standard 5. The next turning point in my dancing career was my debut show or my arengetram. It was then that I decided this was to be my life. Despite being a science student, I danced avidly. Being away from India and thus away from regular training, I practice on my own and make it a point to perform every time I am in town."A disciple of a guru Kanaka Srinivasan, Bala feels that Srinivasan has been a wonderful, flawless mentor. "She makes sure that I stay connected to Bharatnatyam and tirelessly works with me in order for me to improve and learn more," shares Bala, "I know that wherever I am and whatever I am doing, I will surely also be dancing."Bala is also a great admirer of the city and strongly feels that Gurgaon is home to great intellect, great culture and budding leaders. Especially with people from different backgrounds and cultures coming together at one place, makes Gurgaon a very rich place indeed. She asserts, "Gurgaon is always buzzing with activity. The new highway is a real blessing and the view of Gurgaon while driving into the city is fabulous. I strongly believe that the city is on its way to becoming better with the Metro."Ask her about the lack of cultural scene in Gurgaon and the absence of such centres that would promote these activities, she strongly denies it. "Gurgaon is blessed with some great institutes and the children are making most of these opportunities," she offers.