Pooja Krishna, of Plano, Texas, will be a junior at John Paul II High School in fall.
Her ancestors on the other hand, are from India and her great grandparents were the last generation there until they settled in Burma, located in the southeast of Asia.
Both of her parents lived in Burma, until her father migrated to the U.S. in 1988 followed by her mother in 1996, due to the country’s government being corrupt. They hoped that in America, life would be better for them and their future children.
When Pooja was in the fourth grade, her mother pushed her to become involved in a ‘Bharatanatyam’ dance class, a style that has been in India since ancient times.
“At first when I danced I felt nervous, but I’ve found it easier to immerse myself in the dance and communicating the story through the dance,” Pooja said. “If I’ve practiced, I don’t worry about the technical stuff and the movements as much so I can just focus on enjoying the dance and focus less on getting the steps right.”
“At first when I danced I felt nervous, but I’ve found it easier to immerse myself in the dance and communicating the story through the dance.”
She is now more involved in the class and plans on pursuing it until she graduates from high school. She has had great experiences that have helped her feel more appreciative about her culture and religion, Hinduism, a major religion in south of Asia.
“My favorite memory dancing would be this dance I’ve done where we hold flower petals in our hands at the beginning and we throw them up in the air around us and continue dancing. It was fun to dance with the flower petals floating around me, it just really helps me get in the right mood since this dance is usually the first dance lined up in the repertoire,” Pooja said.
“‘Bharatanatyam’ has helped me learn more about my culture, my heritage and my religion. Each dance tells a story which you show through specific movements of the eyes, head, hands, body etc. It’s interesting to see that, and try to communicate the story as best as possible to the audience.”
For now, Pooja does not know where she sees herself after graduation. She is torn between journalism and the medical field, but whatever she chooses, she says she will give her all.
