A group of students from India has won the gold medal in the Senior Small Group National and Folklore dance category of the International Dance World Cup 2023.

The competition was held at Theatro Circo, Braga, Portugal. Over 1.2 lakh students from 62 countries participated in the qualifier round of this competition across categories.

The group with students Sanjana Naveen, Aadhya Sachin, Harini Arunmozhi, Keerthana Karthik, Sai Bhavani won this award for their Bharatanatyam performance where they competed against participants from 24 countries in their group category.

Among them was Aadhya Sachin, one of the students at Greenwood High International School, Bannerghatta. Through her dance school Urhythmix got an opportunity earlier this year to perform at the Dance World Cup Qualifiers held in Bangalore. Over 6,000 dancers from around 50 countries were selected for the finals held in Portugal. The scoring criteria included technical level of the dance, choreography, originality of the work, quality in execution, artistic interpretation, and expression.

Tracing her journey, Aadhya said, “My journey in dance started when my mother first enrolled me in freestyle dance at Urhythmix as part of a summer camp. I was 2.5 years old and barely managed to get the steps right but absolutely enjoyed it. Later, I got to be part of several stage performances and won a couple of awards – Rising Star and Showstopper and the like. These performances built my confidence even further. On the day of the show at the competition, when the names of our Bharatanatyam group were announced as the top team, I cried out in joy. The pleasure of holding the India flag and to hear them play our national anthem at the ceremony was pure bliss. This win at an international platform is a testament to the support of my Guru Vidushi Samyuktha Shankar, first Guru Ragini Chandran, family and my school who trusted me in this journey.”

Louis Dias, Principal, Greenwood High International School, Bannerghatta said, “Hardwork and talent always impart the best results and Aadhya’s achievement exemplifies this having won at the international level.”

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