There are 8 different classical dance forms in India. Bharathanatyam is one among them and is said to have originated in the southern part of India (Tamilnadu). Josephine specializes in this form of Indian classical dance. She holds a Master’s degree in this art form from Bharathidasan University, India.
Her guru (teacher) was her mother, Kalaimamani, Dr. Shanthi Babu. Josephine started learning this art at the tender age of three at Nrithya Kala Mandir, her mother’s dance academy. She was qualified as a dancer at the age of 16 when she performed her Arangetram on 7Aug 2004. Her achievements in this field are numerous. She bagged the Young Achiever Award in 2004 which is bestowed to exceptional dancers by the State Government of India. Adding on to it she was also honored with Yuva Kala Bharathi Award in the year 2006 for her distinct talent in the dance form of Bharathanatyam.
Her passion towards dance motivated to start her first dance school in Canada on 14 April 2013 at Halifax which she named as ‘Nruthiya Saagaram’ which means ‘An ocean of Dance’. She also holds the honor of being one of the classical dance actors in the Hollywood movie Life of Pi.
The preferred age to learn this art form is from the age of five. The dancer has to be trained for a minimum of seven years before he/she performs the “margam”. The margam comprises of nine numbers in bharatanatyam - pushpanjali, allaripu, jatiswaram, shabdam, varnam, padam, keerthanai, thillana, and mangalam. The basic steps take about a year to master. The theory is taught parallel to the practical lessons.