Anuradha Venugopal: Creative Lead
They say make hay while the sun shines. Some wait! Some of us seek the sun that shines.
True to the name Second Chance, Anuradha’s journey so far has been a continuum of seeking one opportunity after another to do what she truly would like to regardless of norms and convention.
Anuradha hails from Bengaluru, India. Initially a qualified dentist, Anuradha’s move to the UK was unbeknown to her, her first act of creating her own path. She completed her Master’s in London UK with a Distinction and turned down an offer of a scholarship for Ph.D. simply because she was not convinced it was the right thing for her. This would be a pattern she would recognise many years later.
She continued to train as a junior surgeon around the UK though the yearning to be a qualified doctor gnawed at her. Yet when the opportunity came the first time, she turned it down simply because it was not worth the compromise to her personal life. When the second offer came a year later, she was 30, married, strengthened in support by her husband and with a better offer. She graduated in Medicine with Honours in 2014.
Today, two children later, balancing a career as a trainee vascular surgeon and pursuing her practise of Bharatanatyam, Anuradha is no stranger to pushing the boundaries and asking what she deserves, exploring and evolving through her experiments with Truth.
As a Dancer:
Anuradha took up Bharatanatyam at the age of 30 under the tutelage of Smt. Chitraleka Bolar (MBE). She performed her arangetram at the age of 37 in the presence of family including her 3 year old boy, in Bangalore, India. The initial high after the arangetram soon waned her enthusiasm as she found any further opportunities were sparse. A year after her arangetram as she pondered on the situation was when the seed of an idea to create an opportunity for other artists such as her was sown. Anuradha envisaged a platform where the true value of an artist is celebrated through their art and Second Chance was born shorty before her second child was.
Anuradha currently trains under Smt Deepa Ganesh of Upasana Arts. The relationship between her Guru and herself truly traverses the boundaries of time, distance and geography. She has participated actively in Upasana Arts’ Ojas Sangam project and produced her first solo online performance titled Mother’s Pride. Under the guidance of her Guru, Anuradha fulfilled her vision of bringing Second Chance to life along with the help of friend and fellow dancer, Gayathri Chandar. She has developed greater appreciation of artistic nuances and aesthetic awareness and continues to evolve as a dancer but with a much greater sense of self synthesis and satisfaction despite still wanting to be a performer. Anuradha credits her Guru and acknowledges her important role in her evolution and growth as an individual, mother, wife and surgeon.
In her own words:
Dance is the calm that beckons in the chaos.
The serenity that fills the inner voids of my being
It is Transcendental. It is when my mind is quiet, but my senses are awake.
Dance found me. Dance completes me.
As Creative lead and curator, Anuradha has now successfully envisioned and delivered 2 seasons of Soham. This biennial festival has a global outreach with auditions from as far as Canada and Middle East.
Through dance, her aim is to try and bring down the barriers to the enjoyment of the classical arts and promote an open approach to embracing them each for their unique attributes. Click here for previous and upcoming work.
Anuradha lives in Manchester with her husband, Pradeep and 2 children Pranav (9) and Aadhya (5). Her family is her bedrock upon which she dares to dream. Her mantra is simple- Never let go of the dream that brings you alive and always be the best version of yourself so it keeps you alive!!
Through Second Chance, Anuradha has revived a few long-lost passions. Anuradha composes poetry mainly as free verse or rhythmic couplets and enjoys creating spoofs of her favourite Bollywood songs. She has also rediscovered her joy for compering and has hosted artistic programmes such as Hindustani and Bollywood concerts in Manchester. She loves the process of choreography and is keen on yoga, but most of all, her favourite times are with her family, preferably travelling or indulging in an exciting creative venture.
Deepa Ganesh: Executive lead
Deepa Ganesh is the artistic Director of Upasana,UK; an organisation that reaches out to diverse audiences and artistically improves lives. As winners of Greater Manchester Youth Dance Competitions, Upasana is heralded as a trendsetter in UK.
A student of Adyar Lakshman and Kalanidhi Narayanan, Deepa Ganesh is a senior Bharatanatyam dancer and teacher bringing with her a wealth of experience in all aspects of Bharatanatyam. Feted by the then then President of India Late R. Venkatraman, Deepa has won numerous accolades and awards in India, including the Hind Gaurav Award and Gem of India award.
Adept in nurturing local talent, Deepa advocates Indian culture and dance in a holistic manner which encourages appreciating beauty and art in all walks of life. Through a combination of workshops, classes and performances, Deepa fosters a unique experiment in teaching emphasising that ‘traditional is not passe.’