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 On
Dance
I'd like to learn Kathak more regularly;
mom doesn't always have time to teach me. And I really want
to learn a martial art form, like Chhau, something very masculine
and powerful. I'd like to do Western dance, too, but I'd have
to go abroad, to get good teachers.
In Indian classical dance, there are
so many great artistes, but it can be quite boring, sometimes.
I mean, I wouldn't go to see it. A lot of contemporary dance
in India is nothing new, it's just copied from the West. And
you can't do that. Because in the West, they're so highly
trained, in terms of their bodies and strength and everything,
that we can't compete with them. We have to do our own thing.
Mum is always open to ideas, she likes
it if we participate and share. So, in that sense, I'm part
of the process of choreography. But
I still have years before I choreograph
on my own. There's so much I need to learn, and I want to
get as much dance into my body as possible, because when you're
older, you can't do that.
On Her Family
My parents are really open people, so
there's never been a chance for me to fight with them about
things like partying, or clothes, or anything! They've always
said that whatever I do is totally up to me, it's my decision.
Sometimes I tell my mom, 'You can't go out wearing that',
she's so casual and laidback about how she looks, so I help
her dress up. When we were leaving for Delhi, my dad hadn't
slept for two days; there was so much to do. I got all my
parents' clothes ready, washed, ironed, so that they could
just pick them up and pack them.
On The Stage
I'm used to the stage, because I practically
grew up on it. I learnt gymnastics when I was 13, for a year,
but it was really far, and my mum had to drop me and pick
me up each time, so I stopped. When I was 14, I suddenly told
my mom that I want to join the company. And she said 'fine,
start coming for rehearsals tomorrow'. They were working on
a piece where I ended up doing a really small part in the
encore, so that would be my stage debut, I guess, which was
six months after I joined. But my first real performance was
in Sarpgati.
 The
Dancer
A green spider writhes on stage and a
box-headed alien cavorts on the ground. Both are human, brought
to life by the amazingly skilled Isha. On the floor, she devastates
with her flexibility and fluid, sinuous lines. And in the
air, she's a swooping, soaring feather; hanging from a rope,
or turning on a variation of a trapeze. On stage, she's confident,
poised, focused. Off it, she's the excited teenager who's
living out her dream, still a bit uncomfortable with the people
who gush over her.
Dancing is in Isha's genes. Her mom,
Daksha Sheth, a skilled Kathak dancer and one of India's most
acclaimed modern dancers, has her own dance company. Dad Devissaro-an
Australian trained in the piano, the bansuri, and the pakhawaj-is
a musician, composer and photographer. And 10-year-old brother
Tao Issaro, who is keen on breakdance, debuted in their latest
production Bhukam. No, the family dogs don't dance!
They spend months in rural villages with
the dance company, learning authentic folk art forms, and
host many workshops where international artistes are invited
to train dancers in their techniques.
On Faves & Fears
I like movies. I don't get to go to movie
halls much, but I watch a lot on tv. I don't like Hindi films
much, though. They can be so stupid! I like a lot of different
kinds of music-Eminem, Whitney Houston... I used to like BSB
once, but I hate 'N Sync. And there's always classical music
around, though I'm not a musical person like my dad.
I'm not a 'clothes clothes' person, either,
but I do like dressing up. I wear western stuff, also a lot
of kurtas on jeans and stuff like that. I like short skirts
and dresses. Also, I love photography. But after school I'd
like to take a year off, and just dance, see what I want to
do. Maybe go abroad for college, study modern dance techniques,
maybe graduate in Arial Dance. I'd love that.
I'm afraid of heights! When I began dancing,
I looked at the ropes, and I didn't know how I was going to
get up there. And the first time I did, I was so scared I
couldn't come down, so someone had to climb up to get me!
But now I'm okay. When I'm on the stage, on the ropes, I'm
fine. But I still don't like heights, in buildings, and off
stage, anywhere.
What I need is more strength. When I
joined the company I couldn't even do one push-up. Now, yeah,
I can do around 15-20. But that's nothing compared to the
guys!
On What It Takes
The ropework can be difficult, I've got
hurt a couple of times. Once, just before we came to Delhi
to perform, I hurt one of my toes. And that's what holds the
whole body on the rope. I was not supposed to dance for two
weeks! The show would have had to be cancelled. I think I
took around two or three Brufens before the show. Of course
I was in pain, it was pretty bad, but mom didn't say anything.
She couldn't have stopped me from dancing.
On Travelling
We do travel a lot, but what we do, it's
not like a tourist, I mean, we get to actually see how people
live. Like, we'll be in Finland for a month this summer, doing
a workshop, and we'll be staying with real people in their
village. And I get to travel, which is what I love, by dancing,
which is what I love. I think I have a pretty cool life. I'm
having fun. I love travelling, and dancing, and being on stage.
And that's what I do.
On Studies
I've lived this gypsy life since I was
six months old, so for me the whole touring thing, setting
up and rehearsing and performing, is normal. I didn't go to
school until I was 10. Then I wanted to try a 'normal' life,
so my parents took me to Rishi Valley. I really loved it,
but I missed my family, so in standard VI, when I was home
for the holidays, I decided I didn't want to go back. And
my parents were like, 'fine, it's totally your decision.'
By then we were living in Trivandrum, so I went to a local
school for a year, but didn't really like it. So I decided
to stay at home.
Now I'm studying through the Australian
Distance Education System-it involves the Internet, video
and audio tapes, and the evaluation is mostly through assignments,
so the final exams don't matter that much. The exams come
sealed, but it depends on your parents to monitor them. I'm
in the 12th and can choose my subjects, so I'm doing Photography,
Art, English, History and Life Science. But grades are important
to me... I like to do well! My parents, though, really don't
care much. In fact, my dad is like, why bother, just get 50
percent and forget it. When Tao came first last year, he was
like, 'Tao, you're embarrassing me!'
On Home
For the first time, we've settled down.
We live about an hour's drive from Trivandrum; we have this
huge place with around 150 coconut trees. It's on the banks
of one of the two freshwater lakes in Kerala, so in the morning,
when I have time, I go for a swim. I guess I'm a pretty good
swimmer. I swim the whole length of the lake, it's around
a kilometre each way, probably.
I wake up at around 6:30 or 7, maybe
go for a swim, get something to eat, and then it's rehearsals
from 8:30. At around 11 am we stop for something to eat, maybe
not. Rehearsals go on till around 3. We do some yoga, aerobic
exercises, stretching, a lot of kalari (an Indian martial
art form), before going on into the dance choreography. After
lunch I go home and study, and by 9 pm I'm ready for dinner.
When I'm on tour I don't have time to study, so whenever I'm
at home, I have to make up for that.
I have no social life! I live in the
wild, and we tour half the year. I have, like, two girlfriends
in Trivandrum. That's it. And I'm a social person, I love
partying, meeting new people. I'm really a socialite! As for
boyfriends, how can I have a boyfriend, when I don't even
have a chance to make friends! But that's okay, I figure there's
always time for that!
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