Bangalore-based danseuse Vinaya Seshan (15) is making waves in the global dance circuit. The petite teen wowed judges at the recently concluded Dance World Cup 2017 staged in Offenburg, Germany, besting 300 finalists from 20 countries to win one gold and two bronze medals in the duet, hip-hop group and solo categories.
The Dance World Cup — an initiative of the Munich (Germany)-based Ballettfoerderkreis Muenchen, a foundation pro
The younger child of V.S. Lakshminarayan, a senior director with DXC Technologies, and Radhika, a French language teacher, Vinaya is a class X student of Inventure Academy, Bangalore, ranked among India’s Top 15 co-ed day schools in the EducationWorld India School Rankings 2016-17. “This was my third time at the World Dance Cup. Last year I won three medals. So it was a great feeling to experience success this year too. I believe dancing in my blue school uniform brought me luck both times. I am also fortunate to have learnt the finer nuances of western dance from well-known choreographer Bharathi Kannan of IAMU Studio,” says Vinaya who also plays U-19 state-level football.
An accomplished tabla, guitar and piano artiste, Vinaya began winning informal dance competitions when she was merely six years old. “Those early wins inspired me to take dance more seriously, and I signed up for the after-school dance classes at Inventure and actively participated in the school’s theatre productions. In 2015, Inventure nominated me for a week-long dance workshop through which I qualified for the Dance World Cup 2015,” she says.
Vinaya is currently focused on preparing for the crucial class X board exams, and hasn’t yet zeroed in on a career. “Striking the right balance between academics, sports and extra-curricular activities is difficult but can be achieved with school and parental support. Whatever vocation I choose, dance and fitness will be an integral part of my life,” says this versatile teenager set to go places.
Paromita Sengupta (Bangalore)