May Zhang

Deshmukh rehearses the story about the god Brahma. She said that it is a 14 minute dance.

When did you start dancing?

I started dancing when I was five. My mom wanted to get me more involved in Indian culture, so she signed me up and I’ve been dancing ever since. 

Could you describe what type of dancing you do?

It’s more like classical; it’s not like stuff you would see in pop culture today in India, but it’s classical, super old. At first, it was like a dance that people would do to show their affection towards gods and other people in high power, (and) it just turned into an art form.

What’s your favorite part about Bharatanatyam?

I dance once a week and a lot of my close friends I met through dance. I think it’s just a really fun environment to go and dance and do something that’s super meaningful to us.

What’s the hardest part about this dance?

The dances are really long. They’re close to 10 or 14 minutes.  It’s not a lot of technical stuff, but it’s art and we’re telling a lot of stories through the dance. I think trying to remember the stories and execute them properly is the hardest part.

What are you currently working on?

It’s a story about the god Brahma, and it’s a 14-minute dance. We just started it; we’re not that far into it but it’s one of the more difficult dances that we’ve done. (It’s) me and six other girls and we’re trying to portray the story of him.

What do you hope to accomplish in the future, with this dance?

At the end, there’s a final performance, which shows that you’ve gone through everything and that you’ve completed the steps. It’s a two-hour performance, just you by yourself doing it. I want to show everyone how far I’ve come since I’ve first started dancing.