World ballet day! Tara Sutaria: My poise and grace come from ballet
On world ballet day, Tara Sutaria who has trained in the art form defined by discipline, grace, and storytelling through movement, shares her love for it. For Tara, ballet was never merely about perfecting a pirouette, it was about understanding rhythm, control, and emotion. Today, that same elegance she once expressed on stage continues to shine onscreen.
Sharing her earliest memories of training she recalls, “I started out as a ballerina at age 5 and I learnt from the pioneer of classic ballet in India, Mrs Tushna Dallas. She had trained several known names including Shiamak Davar, before she passed away a few years ago but her legacy continues through her daughter. I learnt ballet for 12-13 years and I’m glad my parents pushed me to follow my artistic dreams, not just academia. My training completely shaped how I sit and stand, walk and talk, how I present myself and greet people. All the grace and poise that I possess come from my ballet training.”
She adds that ballet continues to help her as she transitioned into films. “Today I can learn dance routines for my films within minutes thanks to my dance training. My body is accustomed to learning dance quickly because of muscle memory. I can pick up routines at the last minute as well. The training has helped me tenfold and I’m grateful for it.”
Tara recalls she and sister Pia had a strict training schedule. She reminsices, “We would go straight from school in Pali Hill to ballet class in South Mumbai so we used to rush and get ready, change into our ballet clothes in the car, while completing homework. We had to tie our hair in a bun before class, Tushna ensured we didn’t have a hair out of place. It helped teach us discipline at an early age. Classes would be an hour long and time increased as we got older. We went on to learn Jazz and Latin American forms of dance with the same school.”
The actor says, growing up in a Parsi household, she was already accustomed to western classical music. “While training in ballet I would listen to a lot of beautiful recitals from Beethovan to Mozart and Bach, we would listen to their music and try to rehearse in the car. Those memories shaped my musical inkling for the rest of my life,” says Tara.
Tara says that ballet being only for girls is a misconception she wants people to get rid of. “There is no gender attached to ballet. The athleticism required is more than most sports. I hope the boys that are reading this and their parents understand that ballet is for everybody. I had a boy training with us in my class, he had a muscular body but performed ballet beautifully. Ballet is for everyone.”
Tara’s sister Pia today runs her own ballet school and she couldn’t be happier. “We are so happy to take forward what Tushna taught us. I can only imagine how difficult it would have been to start a school back in her time when only a few people trained in western dance,” she says.
