Area teacher keeps ancient Indian dance alive in the valley

One dance instructor is working to preserve Indian culture in southwest Las Vegas.

Asha Gopal teaches the Pandanallur style of Bharatanatyam, Indian classical dance comparable to ballet, at Arthur Murray Dance Studio, 4440 S. Durango Drive. She founded the Arathi School of Dance in 1981 in Arizona and has graduated more than 150 students, a process that requires eight years of study.

"I think parents want their children to be more attached to the Indian culture," Gopal said. "The dances incorporate stories of the Hindu mythology, and the costuming is very Indian. So I think they keep in touch with their culture."

The 3,000-year-old dance, originally performed in Hindu temples as a form of worship, is a disciplined art form that features intricate footwork and storytelling through miming and hand gestures. A dancer must master nearly 30 hand gestures.

"All these dances honor gods and goddesses of the Hindu religion," Gopal said. "These girls were born and brought up here (in America). Most of them don't know the Indian languages, but I teach them the meanings. It's difficult for them being in this country, but they are doing a good job retaining the culture."

Gopal began teaching in Las Vegas 18 years ago, and one of her current students, 14-year-old Summerlin resident Shalini Shah, became her 155th student to perform her arangetram, a ceremony marking the graduation from the training, on July 29 at the College of Southern Nevada's Charleston campus.

"I have learned a lot about my Indian culture and heritage," Shalini said. "I've learned many stories about the Indian gods, and I've also learned how to dance very beautifully, and I'm very thankful for that."

A student at The Meadows School, Shalini said the training has helped her appreciate Indian culture.

"I have lots of Indian friends from school," she said. "It's fun telling them about my dancing."

Aanshu Shah, Shalini's mother, is from northern Michigan, and her family is from Delhi, India. She said the training has been a way to incorporate her daughter's love of dance into learning about the family's roots.

"It's taught her a lot of grace and poise," Shah said. "It's brought her closer to her grandparents. She can understand how they grew up and the stories they grew up with."

Shalini's father, Tapan Shah, is also from Michigan and his family is from a city near Bombay, India. He said the dance has also been a learning experience for him and his wife.

"After you live here for quite some time, you sort of lose touch," he said. "So seeing her do it really brings us back into touch with our own culture. It really is a good way for us to see ourselves again that way."

Gopal flies to Las Vegas from her home in Phoenix once a week to teach her class. She said she is committed to her students.

"When you want to do a graduation like this, it takes at least seven to eight years for a student to perform for two hours on her own," she said.

Gopal also recruits Indian musicians to accompany her students during their performances. R. Raghunandan plays a number of bamboo flutes. Pradyumna Soraba plays an electronic rhythm pad, programmed with traditional Indian percussion sounds. Deepthi Narasimhan sings traditional lyrics in 10 different languages, including Sanskrit. S.V. Balakrishna plays the Mridangam, a percussion instrument.

The current musicians have been playing with Gopal for three years.

Gopal said she is proud of the work she has done over the years.

"Teaching is a good art," she said. "It's good to impart it to other people."

The lessons taught by Gopal are something Shalini said will stay with her a lifetime.

"I hope to bring my daughter one day to learn this also," she said.

For more information, visit arathi school.com, email arathischool@ gmail.com or call 480-940-2301.

Contact Southwest/Spring Valley View reporter Nolan Lister at nlister@viewnews.com or 383-0492.