As a kid, a fascinated Penubolu Bhavana Gowri would watch her sister rehearse Kuchipudi during her dance classes. While her sister is now a fashion designer and a photographer, Bhavana is earnestly pursing her passion which she discovered during her early years dancing.
She persists despite her hectic schedule that demands juggling between her studies, job and a leg injury that she suffered recently.
Undergoing a PG diploma in Human Resource Management from St Francis College for Women, a Master’s in Psychology from University of Madras and interning with an HR company, 22-year old Bhavana gave her debut solo performance at Ravindra Bharathi earlier this month.
Asked to take it slow by her doctor after she injured her leg, Bhavana took eight months to prepare for the show. “At that time, I was in Bengaluru, pursuing undergrad in Performing Arts from Christ University. I broke my leg while rehearsing for a show and even though it wasn’t life threatening, I was asked by my doctors to take it very slow. In fact, after this incident, forget dancing, going to college became difficult and I was very close to not graduating as I was unable to fulfill the attendance criteria,” says Bhavana.
Learning Bharatanatyam under Rajeswari Sainath, Bhavana says that though her schedule is crazy, she is able to manage. “Though dancing is my passion, studies are very important to me. I practice for five to six hours a day, and then I have my work and college classes. But my guru and my boss are understanding,” she says.
