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Rising Stars: Meet Suchi Sairam

Today we’d like to introduce you to Suchi Sairam.

Hi Suchi, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I immigrated from India to the United States as a baby with my parents. My formative years growing up in Texas in the 1970s and 80s, college years in Massachusetts, and my adult years in Texas and Minnesota, deep familial and cultural roots in India, and international travel have all shaped my worldview and values. My parents and my husband have been my buoys, lifelines, and greatest support throughout.

I am multi-passionate and chronically curious. I’ve had a deep love for science and engineering since I was young. The arts, specifically dance and music, have been my lifeblood for decades. I’ve had the good fortune of professional experiences across a variety of fields and industries, including engineering, marketing, product development, executive leadership and entrepreneurial ventures. Each of these professional experiences has helped me stretch and grow in unique ways.

I now focus my time exclusively on the arts and adjacencies to the arts. I’ve had the good fortune of celebrating the 20th anniversary of my dance studio and company, Kala Vandanam, in 2022. Sharing dance with my students is one of my greatest joys, and seeing them grow, gain fluency, and spread their wings is immensely gratifying. To honor the art I love and the students I cherish, I wrote and self-published an illustrated children’s book, Dancing Deepa, in 2022. I’m delighted it has won multiple awards and had been well-received by critics and readers.

As a dance artist, entrepreneur and business professional with a range of diverse experiences, I enjoy drawing on different disciplines to create learning experiences. I view art as a vehicle for communication, internal reflection, and personal development. As someone who came to dance at 15, my personal journey is a real-life reflection of one of my foundational personal values; each person blossoms in their time when fed with the right nutrients. I also firmly believe that we should each pursue excellence, but never at someone else’s expense.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
I’m grateful to the parts of the journey that have been smooth. It’s my good fortune to have parents that provided a loving, stable home and really valued education. My dad was also an unusual bird for an Indian man of his generation; he insisted that I have an opportunity at the best education possible, and be an independent thinker but without forgetting the value of family and companionship. My mother is immensely talented and generous, and taught me the value of sharing with others. This was a wonderful foundation. This good fortune has continued with my 27 years of marriage to my husband, who has been my ideal life partner.

Challenges as aplenty when you are passionate about different fields, and put yourself in a position to try different things. I’ve had some different challenges in my years of working in companies, particularly around finding work-life boundaries and working through difficult periods under leadership that didn’t align with my personal or professional values. I’ve felt different challenges in the artistic space, when I was serious about the arts, but I wasn’t taken seriously by a variety of people because I didn’t have a certain pedigree, or “do it full time,” to others’ satisfaction. One of my entrepreneurial ventures had a high-quality of product and service, but was not commercially successful and I lost a lot of time and money.

Each of these challenges has taught me so much, and encouraged me to fully embrace my unique set of talents and experiences across many different disciplines.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My artistic practice and passion center around a dance form with roots in South India called Bharatanatyam. Important allied practices in percussive music, specifically konnakkol (vocal percussion) and nattuvangam (vocal percussion and hand cymbals for dance) has become and equal partner to Bharatanatyam for me. Though I started Bharatanatyam later than most, at the ripe age of 15, this has been an integral part of my life for 3 ½ decades.

Long ago, I knew that an active performance career on big stages wasn’t my priority. I love to be in class as a student (to this day), enjoy small, intimate, performances, and discovered that I really enjoy sharing the art with others. I have been teaching in the Twin Cities for 20 years. I am known for a holistic approach to Bharatanatyam training, sensitive expressional dancing, and strong rhythmic technique. Aside from the core of dancing itself, I focus a lot on adjacent areas of music, history, language, mind-body connection, and personal development and reflection. While I strongly believe it is important to uphold the qualities and quality of what my teachers passed on to me, it is equally important for me to incorporate my own strengths, talents and experiences into teaching. As a result, my students progress with artistic excellence, humility, and learning to find and use their own voices. Watching their progression, and knowing that I am on a long journey with them, is one of my greatest sources of satisfaction. I’m also known as a skilled nattuvangam artist, and enjoy supporting dancers on stage through music.

A unique characteristic I bring to my work is the adjacencies to the art forms. I recently published an illustrated children’s book called Dancing Deepa, inspired by my love for Bharatanatyam. I have conducted residential camps and created unique merchandise designs inspired by Indian dance and music. There are some more offerings coming soon.

Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
I think there is immense value in experiences in fields that are seemingly unrelated. There is no question in my mind that my experiences as an engineer and in business have made me a better artist, and vice versa. There are qualities in each area that, if they seep into all of your work, can only elevate you further. But the ultimate key to our enjoyment and success is rooted in gratitude.

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Image Credits

Sarah Pierce
Bruce Silcox
Kou Lee
Alice Gebura
Jayme Halbritter

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