Apoorva Jayaraman has been an incredible inspiration to Bharathanatyam dancers all around the world. She juggles a unique double life between graceful classical performer and an astrophysicist. With her beautiful, intricate expressions, she brings the storytelling aspect of Bharathanatyam to a whole new level. Here is an exerpt of her about page.
Astrophysics
My exciting journey in Physics started in India at St Stephen’s
college, Delhi which for the first time showed me the beauty in Physics.
It invested an immense passion in Physics which I will always strive to
replicate, in Physics, and life. This passion was infectious. You
couldn’t but believe that here – in Physics – is something of great
beauty. Yet, I had not yet found the physicist in me. I felt like a
awestruck viewer who still only hoped to pull off the magic tricks some
day.But those three years in Stephens launched me on a convinced pursuit
of that person inside me.
This brought me to my destination 2 in Physics – Trinity College,
Oxford University – thereafter to pursue a Masters in Physics where I
steered towards that area of Physics which drew me most – Astronomy. My
stint at Oxford was, and will remain, the best phase for me where I
really learnt to be a physicist.
Cruising through Oxford I came to the very backyard of our own home
Galaxy – the Milky Way – at the Institute of Astronomy at Cambridge
where I worked for four years towards a PhD degree. After nine years of
a mainstream pursuit in physics, i have found my Physics calling in
science communication in all its forms, through teaching, outreach,
public engagement and writing. the thought of sharing the excitement of a
scientific idea with a varied range of audiences – be it young
children, high school students, adults with little science background or
academics across disciplines – gets me going.
How did galaxies form? After 400 years of modern Astronomy, you would think we should have the answer to this seemingly simple question. You’d be surprised – it remains to date one of the hot questions in the field of astronomy. For my Phd thesis, I addressed this topical field in Astronomy the way an archaeologist would, using information from families of stars which behave like ‘fossils’ and carry the imprint of various stages of galaxy formation, including the conditions during the earliest time in their formation.
Bharathanatyam
To me, Bharatanatyam is a complete dance form. Over the years I have
come to discover the great versatility of Bharatanatyam. While it has at
its heart a distinctive personality, the style can manifest itself in
many forms. There is grace and vigour, stylised and casual elements –
all brought together seamlessly in the style, giving me as a dancer a
wide canvas to explore.
I have performed in the Kalakriya Series of DVDs, released worldwide
during 2004-2010. These DVD’s are designed to serve as learning tools
and reference material for dancers of all levels, artistically designed
and directed by Ms Priyadarshini Govind, Chennai. If you would like more
information on these DVDs, please click here. These can be purchased online on the website of Kalakriya.
A list of my performances and concert tours to date can be found here.
Having the opportunity to inspire other people to dance, to see the
beauty in the art form you love – is a wonderful place to be. A great
responsibility – one that gives me great joy and satisfaction to take
on.
I mainly teach through the mode of workshops, short term courses or
private classes.
I had the chance to explore my flair and facility for the craft of choregraphy when I entered University. I eventually discovered that it was a facet of expression I really enjoyed and I was inspired by the challenge each project offered to my creativity.