Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to ANINDITA ANAAM. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

ANINDITA, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I started dancing at the age of 4 but it was only after school that I was fascinated and driven to take up art professionally. I belong to a family of artists and it was natural for me to be inclined to performing arts. Throughout my school and college days, I won state and national competitions and became one of the youngest Kathak Dancers in my city to travel abroad (Germany) as a soloist. I trained with the maestros of Kathak in Delhi and went on to represent India in many national and international art forums. When I came to States, I became a representative of South Asian arts and represented India in many prestigious events.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a teaching artist and performer. It is a rewarding profession with many aspects to its financial offerings. As a performing artist, I have worked in the K-12 settings, UChicago, Wisconsin Dance Council, and Lawrence University to name a few. I became the South Asian woman of color who was selected as the State Affiliate Director for National Dance Educational Organization which was a big moment of pride for me as an artist. Presently, I run a dance studio and teach students offline and virtually. I have tied with many leading universities for DEI events and cultural outreach.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

When I arrived in Peshtigo, Wisconsin, in 2015, I found not only a void of classical Indian dance—and my form, kathak, in particular—but a void of art in general. So I began dancing at public forums, DEI events, schools, and colleges to generate awareness for Indian classical arts making sure that it is not getting confused with Bollywood freestyle dancing. 2015 and 2016 were the hardest years for me to work as I was residing in a rural setting. Sometimes, I had to travel 2 to 3 hours for my performances on weekends. It was a lot of preparation for me right from changing the style of costume to carefully selecting music that can give the audience a glimpse of Indian arts in the most aesthetic manner possible. As I got to know people in my area and expanded my network reach, I found that the typical music and ornate costumes of kathak threw them off. I began experimenting with fusion music, without lyrics, and simpler costuming. The result is a hybrid that is entirely my own. “In India or a large city, I wouldn’t have to compromise but here I have been pushed to do something different.” Redefining my art was the most viable solution to keep my work thriving. In the next few years, went on to perform for prestigious events like Rhythms of the world, New York Kathak Festival, John Micheal Kohler Art Center, Rubin Museum of Arts in New York, and Native Arts in Canada. I won many awards in India and US for my work in Kathak Dance.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Social Media is my lifeline as a dancing artist which helped me transcend territorial boundaries and connect with my followers all over the world. For all the newcomers, it is my advice to first understand your offerings, identify the target audience and their personas and then create organic content to their liking. Too many genres can be overlapping for a single account so make sure that you are segmenting them in a way that does not overwhelm your audience. The idea is to maximize engagement. Another good tip is to use relevant hashtags.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sargamcreativeservices.com/
• Instagram: @aninditaneogykathak
• Facebook: @aninditaneogykathak
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anindita-neogy-anaam-2a6a8013/
• Twitter: @aninditaneogykathak
• Youtube: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anindita-neogy-anaam-2a6a8013/
• Other: https://www.ndeo.org/About/Our-Organization/Advisory-Council

Image Credits
– John Michael Kohler Art Center – Shaaz Anaam Photography – Soulful Odisha