art smarts

Chapter 2. Artist Profiles

Rasika Aklujkar

"Sometimes we forget we need a positive attitude; we need determination. And more so for people with disabilities. Sometimes they say, ‘Oh well, I can’t do this, I can’t do that’ – that kind of thing. And I go through that phase too. For example, if I have a negative attitude and say I can’t do this, then all I have to do is tell the story of the Dancing Butterfly (a butterfly who didn’t value the beauty of her wings and wanted to be a singer instead) and I get back to normal life. So stories have the impact of teaching everyday life lessons."

Story dancing is a form developed especially for Rasika, which combines storytelling with a style of Indian dance called Bharata Natyam. In traditional Bharata Natyam, a dancer’s footwork, hand gestures and facial expressions are accompanied by musicians’ songs. In story dancing, Rasika uses the traditional physical movements to dramatize the story she is telling: traditional Indian fables, usually with teachings about determination, a positive outlook, or other character traits.

Rasika studied Bharata Natyam for a brief period at the age of fifteen. In 1999, at the age of twenty-five, she resumed with her current dance teacher, Sudnya Naik. In 2000, Rasika began performing publicly, and through word of mouth has become quite busy performing for various audiences around British Columbia’s Lower Mainland. As someone with Down syndrome who was mainstreamed at school, Rasika experienced the teasing that often makes school difficult for children with disabilities. Rasika’s dance classes were a place where she was accepted and welcomed by her teachers and other students. She emphasizes the importance of people seeing her as a dancer first, not as somebody who can dance well “for a person with a disability.” At the same time, she sees her performances as a vehicle for showing audiences what people with disabilities are capable of.

“Alongside mention of my disability, I would most likely say, don’t focus on that. That’s a message to the public – don’t focus on my disability; focus on my accomplishments and my abilities. That’s what I would send out as a message.”

Persimmon Blackbridge