I am an individual dancer but I am also part of a group. And as we breathe together in unison, we learn to move together and become one.
I am so excited to welcome Sarah Parikh, a 17 year old dancer extraordinaire to the CulturallyOurs podcast. I met Sarah a few years ago when she was only 14 years old and even then she was quite an accomplished dancer having auditioned and performed on stages all over the country. From Ballet to contemporary to hiphop and bollywood, Sarah has done it all and done it really well. She is extremely passionate about art and dance as a form of creative expression and believes learning all these different forms of dance are a way for her to get immersed in all these different cultures – learn about them and understand them from a creative standpoint. But for someone so crazy about dance, she also has a level of maturity that I havent quite seen in too many teens her age. We talk about her journey as an artist and a dancer starting at the young age of 3 to performing in Switzerland with her dance studio, the highs and lows of competitive dance and so much more.
Sarah has such a calm and composed manner about everything in life. She tried to go down the professional dancer route and when that did not quite work out for a variety of reasons, she did not let that stop her.
“Disappointment and failure is just a part of life. Just because I did not get into some of the more professional dancing programs doesn’t mean I am going to stop dancing. I realized that perhaps it might not be a career choice but I also know that it will always be a huge part of my life”, she says.
Sarah also talks about the importance of surrounding yourself with people who just get you. Her family, her friends and her dance studio are all really importance sources of support in her life. She shares about how her dance teacher ecourages the group to breathe together before a performance – that unison in breadth spills into a unison in performance and movement. I thought that was such a beautiful way to represent the harmony we crave around us and with the people who mean the most to us.
Sarah is a senior in high school and aspires to be a doctor but also teach dancer and perform whenever she can. For her dance is a way to express herself and helps her get through life. I know you are going to enjoy listening to Sarah and getting to know this incredibility talented 17 year old who is such an inspiration to all us artists and creatives.
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