Interview with Graduating Youth Company Member - Ishani Basak

ISHANI BASAK

As part of our YOUTH VOICES SERIES, we share an interview with Ishani Basak. Ishani began learning kathak at Pandit Chitresh Das’ institution in 2008 at the age of five, and auditioned and was accepted in to the youth company in 2011 when she was eight. She has since performed at Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco Opera House, Zellerbach Hall, and many other prestigious events.

CDI interviewed Ishani in anticipation of her Youth Company Senior Graduating Showcase performance, Aadya on August 1, 2021, along with her fellow graduate and guru sister, Anusha Kothari.

Question - What do you want people to know about your kathak journey?

Ishani Basak In one word, my kathak journey has been extraordinary. I’ve had some of the most amazing experiences in the last 13 years of learning kathak and I am extremely lucky to have had the privilege of learning from Dadaji for 4 years. Every class with Dadaji was also a class in Indian history, philosophy and mythology. Through many performances at prestigious venues like Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco Opera House, and Palace of Fine Arts, we were exposed to other dance forms as well which made me appreciate and be proud of my culture. 

Dadaji taught us nine principles that instilled life skills in me and helped in my development as a dancer and as a person. I feel that learning Kathak has not only connected me to my Indian roots and heritage but has also opened my eyes to the world of Indian classical music. Inspired by Dadaji, I started learning Tabla, which is now an integral part of my training. While preparing for the graduating showcase, I have discovered that I have only scratched the surface, and the complexities and depth of Kathak has intrigued me enough to continue the journey.

Question - What has it been like working with Charlotte Didi to prepare for your graduating showcase?

Ishani Basak Charlotte didi has been guiding and mentoring me for the last 11 years and I am truly thankful to her for giving me the opportunity and helping me prepare for my graduating showcase. She has always encouraged me and pushed me to constantly improve myself as a dancer. She is a magical creator, an extraordinary dancer, and my inspiration. While preparing for my solo, she gave me complete freedom to choose the pieces and create them. During our process of refinement, her valuable insights and guidance made me appreciate her even more. I have had wonderful memories with her like carpooling to shows, traveling for performance trips, and sharing rooms with her. I remember one time when we went to visit the performance site at the Asian Art Museum, I was perplexed about how we were going to perform on the museum’s huge staircase. Charlotte didi was extremely creative and determined about this space. We all counted the stairs a few times and when we came back to the studio, she simulated an invisible staircase. With some math and tricky choreography, we were able to pull it off.  For my solo, I feel Charlotte Didi has given amazing feedback for my pieces that has inspired me to perform them with even more energy and enthusiasm and this whole process has brought us closer than ever.

Question - What is your favorite memory of your Dadaji (Pandit Chitresh Das)?

Ishani Basak I joined the Youth Company when I was 8 and had the greatest opportunity to learn from Dadaji for 4 years. I have so many wonderful memories of him and love him so much. I felt every class was so dynamic and he was constantly teaching something new. Of course, everything was new for me at that age but I felt I would miss something if I blinked my eyes. He often walked past us while we were dancing and I would see through the mirror that he was making funny faces at me. Once he said, “You think you can impress me by wearing fancy earrings and colorful nail polish?” What I miss most is when he would nod his head and say “Hocche” (it's happening) whenever we accomplished something, big or small.

During my first year, there was one day when we walked into the studio, he was standing across the room. He slid in his socks, stopped right in front of me, and said, “What is this Liliput going to dance for me today?” I stood frozen in shock and disbelief that he would call me in front of the whole YC of 40 kids and 3 teachers. I held my hands in pranam, not knowing what to do. He asked me to do Natawari Tihais. I still stood there with my hands together as I didn’t know all of them. He got a little annoyed and said “Why aren’t you dancing? You don’t know them?” I said “I don't know all of them.” He responded “Start dancing and I’ll tell you when to stop.” Luckily he stopped me right before the 5th tihai and said “hochhe.” He also praised that I was in sur, laya, and taal. I was so happy that since then, I have always learned Kathak the best way I could to make him proud and to hear that one word. I hope he watches my solo and will be proud enough to say “ hocche!”

Question - What do you hope will be the outcome of your graduating showcase performance?

Ishani Basak Kathak is traditionally a solo art form. It has always been a dream to achieve that goal and this would be a big step towards performing a traditional solo. Doing group performances as part of YC has helped me in many ways, like being a team player, being respectful, being there for each other, and pushing ourselves to be as good as the senior guru sisters. Preparing for the showcase, I realized performing alone on stage in front of a large audience is not easy and no matter how many performances you have done before, you are just not ready for that first big solo. It's not just learning the art form, but being able to project myself, engross the audience, keep them entertained, and, most importantly, being able to perform alongside very distinguished artists who have created music for me and are accompanying me graciously. I hope I am successful in showcasing my years of training, staying true to Dadaji’s style, and celebrating his legacy. 

Question - Where are you going to university and what are you most excited about learning there?

Ishani Basak I am very excited to share that I will be going to UC Berkeley in Fall and planning to study applied math and computer science. I feel Berkeley is the right place for me because it is a cultural hub of diverse ethnicities and also a place with many scholars, distinguished professors, and tremendous research opportunities that will pave the way for an enriching college experience. Staying close to the Bay Area will also allow me to continue my studies in dance and tabla. I am looking forward to entering the next phase of my life, as the title of the show suggests “Aadya”- a new beginning.

Question - What is one thing about learning kathak that you think people should know?

Ishani Basak Many people think that Kathak is the stepping stone to learning Bollywood dance, but this is actually very misleading. Kathak is a very rich and ancient Indian classical art form. It has nrit, natya and nritya. It takes many many years to learn and you never are completely done. There are so many gharanas, so much history, so much knowledge that one can be immersed in it for ages. But what excites me the most about Kathak is how dynamic it is with its mathematical and rhythmical aspects. I love learning complex compositions, gintis, and jatis in many different taals. For this reason, I started learning tabla since many Kathak compositions are based on tabla bols, which has helped me in studying Kathak in depth.

Question - If you were to send a message of advice to your 10 year old self, what would you tell her?

Ishani Basak I have often thought about why I never actually talked much with Dadaji in class. He would always end the class and tell us to ask him three questions, but I was too scared to speak up. I think we were all in awe of him and did not know what to ask, and he would say “Huh, you all are so boring!” Today, at this point in my life, I have so many questions: about life, about college, about dance and tabla, about changing times and perspectives. I wonder what he would say about the pandemic, what lessons he would have given for a world after the pandemic. He often acted funny in class just to cheer us up, and I’m sure he would have some new expressions with masks on. So, I would tell my 10 year old self, “Speak up, don’t be scared, ask away, because life is too short and before you know it, it’s too late.”

There are limited tickets available for Aadya. If you are interested in tickets please contact Ajanta Basak at ajanta.basak@gmail.com or Sonal Kothari at kotharisonal@gmail.com. All guests of age must show proof of vaccination and all attendees must be masked.

For exciting upcoming future concerts check out our calendar page .

Photo by Rama Sivamani