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No. 18 Vol. 8
My Life Publications • 973-809-4784
August 2022
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Livingston Grad Dances on the Carnegie Hall Stage
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By Steve Sears ecent Livingston High School graduate, Nidhi Ladda, relives Saturday evening, July 9, 2022, when she stepped onto the Zankel Hall stage at Carnegie Hall. “Walking onto that stage, it was amazing,” Ladda says. “It was an out of world experience that I don’t even know how to describe. You just have to be on that stage to know exactly how it feels. The lighting there and everything - it’s so perfect. Honestly, I wish I could keep dancing right there and keep it going.” Ladda danced with her partner, Krupa Patel, performing an Arangetram - also known as a graduation dance. Ladda trains at the Kalashri School of Arts Dance School in Parsippany under Guru Bina Menon. “Arangetram is a debut performance. That is just saying that the dancer is ready to perform and she’s been fully trained. I’ve been preparing for the Arangetram itself for that performance for the past two months, and I’ve trained in classical dancing for 12 years now,” Ladda says. For Ladda, it was her second time performing at Carnegie Hall. In January 2020, Ladda was on stage at Stern Hall as part of Festival World of Dance. Ladda is trained in three different types of Indian classical dance forms: Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, and Mohiniyattam. She explains. “These three dance forms are from the southern part of India. It’s all heavily influenced by the culture down there.” And Guru Bina Menon has been with her every step of the way. “My guru has to be my biggest inspiration,” she says. “And she not only gave me dance, she gave me the most valuable lessons of my life. She is really there for you and she guides you through every single thing every step of the way. Without her, I would not be here where I am today.” Ladda also speaks highly of her dance partner. “Krupa
Morristown • Livingston Nidhi Ladda (credit Bhagawathi Ladda)
is my best dance partner ever. We both have a healthy competition, and we’re always trying to push each other, making sure that we’re both doing our best. And that really helps me as a dancer because I’m always improving, continued on page 2
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