Meet Radhika Karandikar

We were lucky to catch up with Radhika Karandikar recently and have shared our conversation below.

Radhika, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?

We live in a world that is extremely volatile and unpredictable. There is even more uncertainty in the lives of artists because of the various challenges they face and because of the dynamic nature of the art industry. Through all these walks of life, my dance has been my anchor throughout and I have a very deep faith in it. I am completely myself when I am amidst dance and that is where I find my truth. My dance has taught me to dream and work towards my goals. It has given me a certain confidence and self-worth. But it has also taught me discipline, hard work, respecting people for who they are and staying firmly rooted. In addition to all this, my dance teachers have taught me generosity, resilience and dedication, while giving my best in whatever I do. My work ethic comes from all of this. To be true to dance irrespective of anything, to be generous in offering what I know, to be just, to not be selfish yet identify my worth, and to give my best in everything I do as part of work as well as life. It has greatly shaped me as an artist and as a person.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I have been learning Bharatanatyam for over 22 years and it is an integral part of my life! I perform as a soloist as well as an ensemble dancer, collaborating with various dance companies and organizations. But most part of my dance and performance training has been with the famous Sankhya Dance Company founded by Vaibhav Arekar from Mumbai, India. After performing in India professionally for over 10 years, I have now found my home in San Diego, California and have been stretching my roots here as an independent dancer, choreographer and educator. I love travelling for shows, teaching kids and adults, and creating art with fellow artists!

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Any art is not a standalone entity. Other art forms nourish and enrich an art form. For example, music will give a form to poetry. Poetry will give meaning to music. Music and literature will give dimension and depth to dance. Knowledge of sculpture and architecture will add meaning to the way a dancer’s body moves and how they move in space. Plastic arts and performing arts draw immensely from each other and are interdependent. They enrich each other. The earlier one understands this correlation the better artist they will be. Not only as a performer but also as a connoisseur, an observer, a learner, a producer, a curator and a scholar. Hence, learning at least one or more art form other than your mainstream one is very important for all dancers.

Dance is highly engaging and immersive. And I would say the same is true for any art form. The best will come out of you if you are fully focused and present in the moment. That is another important quality one must possess as a dancer.

As one advances into serious dancing and learning, beyond hobby class, one must make dance practice as a daily ritual. Not just performance practice, but also touching upon and exploring the other aspects of dance like music, literature, choreography, channeling the mind’s creativity, and watching as much good dance as possible. The more you watch, the more you will know. All this requires a disciplined schedule and a very diligent approach. There’s no gain without pain!

Tell us what your ideal client would be like?

As a performer, an ideal client is usually an organizer who makes decent arrangements of travel, accomodation and pays the due remuneration to the artist.

As a teacher, ideal clients are students who are sincere and honest in their learning and parents who are equally invested in their ward’s learning. Putting their trust in the teacher is a mandatory requirement as they will work towards helping your child develop artistic skills.

Having said that, it is very important that both the organisers as well as students and parents are respectful towards the artist.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @radhikakarandikar27
• Facebook: Radhika Karandikar
• Youtube: @radhikakarandikar1006

Image Credits

Sejas Mistry
Vikram Bhide