The Stage welcomes a dancing debutant

The last 20 years have seen an unusual but memorable continuity. This is one tied with the thread of dance that connects Jin Shanshan, a Bharatnatyam dancer from China, and her daughter Jessica Wu, who is at the threshold of her artistic maturation with her Arangretram on February 6. Both perfected their movement art under the tutelage of well-known dancer Leela Samson. Today, as Wu takes her first steps towards a grand solo performance, following years of training, she will embark on the road that will let her explore the entire spectrum of her form hereon. 

Years before this day could materialise, Wu and her mother detached themselves from besieging worldly pleasures that conquer one’s senses with a promise of delicious gratification. They said no to it all. Wu, instead, pledged her life to dance when she started training at age five. Her first guru was her mother. “From her, I understood the context in which this dance blossoms. From the outset I was besotted by its technique and began acquiring knowledge that would help me attain a skillfulness that my mother and I could be proud of,” says Wu. 

Learning Bharatnatayam for Shanshan wasn’t preconceived. She happened to stumble upon some visuals of classical dancers while she was still in China, where the both of them live. Intrigued and curious she began reading more. In a matter of a short period, she began the pursuit of Bharatnatyam. She found herself a Chinese teacher back home who could teach her the dance form. Then she met Samson. “It’s heartening to see my daughter learning from the same guru as I. It’s reassuring to know that she is in able hands,” says Shanshan. 

18-year-old Wu will start college soon. After her debut, she will continue perfecting her dance, however, not at the cost of neglecting her other deep passion which is painting. “There is a possibility that I will make that my full-time occupation in the future. Art and dance will run parallelly. That’s the beauty of this time. One can harbour and hone multiple desires without having to compromise, and I intend on making the most of it. February 6, at 6.30 pm, Triveni Kala Sangam.