‘Ballet is for every body type’: Indian ballerina Dhvani Kothari challenges stereotypes
Dhvani Kothari, founder of the National Ballet School of India, is working to dismantle stereotypes that ballet is restricted to specific body types or age groups. Despite starting her own training late, she has successfully established multiple centers to promote structured ballet education in India.
Why it matters
The story highlights the growing diversification of performing arts in India and the challenge of overcoming traditional aesthetic biases in classical dance.
There is a fair amount of chaos in the ballet class. Little girls, in leotards and tutus twirl around the room, chatter among themselves and occasionally lose their balance. Some cling to the barre (the rail used for support), while others stretch, wobble and try to hold their positions. A few casually drop into splits as though it were the most natural thing in the world. Then the music changes. Feet turn out, backs straighten, arms rise and slowly the chaos falls into place. Watching from the side is Dhvani Kothari, founder of the National Ballet School of India. Across 12 centres in Mumbai, she now teaches more than 250 students, ranging from three-year-olds to a 44-year-old mother of two.
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