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Ananga Manjari Malatesta Gonzalez:
The Peruvian Dancer Whose Heart is Indian
Her mother is Peruvian, her father is Italian but Ananga’s heart is Indian.This young Peruvian has lived in many countries and imbibed many cultures but her soul is Hindu and her passion is Indian classical dance, particularly Bharatanatyam, which she learned at the age of 4, along with classical ballet, tango and flamenco.
Thousands of miles away from India, Ananga, who is a university student, has become an accomplished Bharata Natyam dancer. She has performed in many South American countries, Malaysia and India. She performed her margam ‘Marga Anjali’ under the guidance of Guru Shankar Kandasamy, head of the Bharatanatyam department in Temple of Fine Arts in Malyasia and was bestowed the title of YogyatPatra’. Now she herself teaches many young Peruvians at her dance school Gopesvara Arts.
For this love of dance, she has both her parents to thank. Her father is an artiste who had studied trumpet and piano, and traveled to Europe and India. Her mother was born in Lima, Peru and was always a dancer learning ballet and western classical flute from the conservatory. Anaga has a story about how her parents met. “For her acting class she was asked to go to a “strange” place, so her friend suggested the “Hare Krishna” temple to observe devotees. After the course, mother kept going for classes and puja, attracted by the philosophy.”Her father and mother both met Somaka Maharaj, a sanyassin who was building an ashram in the middle of the jungle “Chapare” in Chocabamba, Bolivia. They both went with him to build this ashram in the jungle and it was here that they were married in a Hindu ceremony.
Ananga was born in Cochabamba – Bolivia, and her brother was born two years later in Columbia. In the year 2000 Colombia was a dangerous place so the family moved to Peru where her mother’s family lived.
Was she a vegetarian from birth and has it been difficult coping in a largely meat-eating country? “Yes, I was a born vegetarian,” she says. “Peru has a variety of vegetables, fruits, and cereals and that makes it easier for a vegetarian; the only problem is when we go out to eat because Peruvians are used to eating a lot of meat, so our choices are not many. By God’s grace I have friends that understand my way of life and respect it, so this makes it easier for me.”
Ananga’s earliest memories of dance are learning from her own mother. “My mother was very attached to discipline so I had a teacher in and out of class which made me progress faster.” When she was just four, her mother wanted her to learn a spiritual art form, so in Colombia she found an academy named “Four Elements” that taught basic theory. Not wanting to send her daughter alone to the class, her mother started taking the class with her and become completely captivated! Ananga’s father bought them CDs in Sanskrit and as many books as they could find online.“At that time in Peru we had no teacher and there was no YouTube or Facebook,” recalls Ananga. “Mother used to study every day, write notes trying to understand the different banis and she even translated to Spanish a small Natyashastra book, Abhinaya Darpana. She started teaching dance in 2001 for one student, but it went on to become lessons for 8 girls every day. I could see her work hard every day and she would be in the dance room with everyone for 5 hours a day. Around this time, I left regular school to be home schooled, so dance became a major part of my day.”
How important is dance to Ananga’s spiritual quest? She says, “Dance is Natya Yoga, and for me is a very vital part of my spirituality. We learn about traditions, language, Vedas… it’s one way of praying and remembering God, keeps me interested in the lives of poets and saints and of course inspires me to follow the path I have chosen and reminds me that we are not this body. People have different ways of communicating, so for me dance is the way I express myself and feel connected with the divine.”
Currently Ananga and her mother run a dance school in Peru, Gopesvara Dance, and most of the students are Christians, working women as well as students. They have been teaching since 2001, trying to explain the Hindu culture and the classical dance Bharatanatyam. Recently Gopesvara became a nonprofit organization, Gopesvara Arts.
As Ananga points out, “This took time because in Peru we had a lot of Bollywood and people used to misunderstand; so to explain to them we performed in many poor places, big and small theaters. We shared our traditions, and found stories from our Vedas and philosophy are very attractive for Peruvians – of course, adding the make-up and jewelry becomes even more attractive!”
Local Indians have also helped Ananga and her mother spread Indian classical dance and Ananga has special regard for Geetu Chugani “who has been helping us for more than 7 years and has been like a mother to me. She has also helped students who couldn’t afford classes, organizing programs, receiving artistes and supporting many other activities we have, and offering emotional support in our journey.”Ananga mentions her father as being her first big supporter, encouraging them to hold festivals and sharing Carnatic music and shouldering all the expenses. She says, “We say God’s blessings come through people. Father is a blessing for me, my family, and Indian arts in Peru.”
Recently things came full circle when Ananga herself came to New York and performed at the Indian Consulate along with her student Nandini Chakravorty, amazing audiences with how the beauty of Bharatanatyam had flowered in Peru.
Spirituality is a big part of Bharatanatyam and while explaining the poems and philosophy, Ananga tries to convey the connection with emotions to her students who may not be Hindu: “We try to find connections with their own culture and tradition. To teach principles and meditation helps students a lot not only in dance, but in general and that is our happiness!”
Ananga is currently a university student and says, “I try to begin my day with prayers and puja, it helps me to focus and be at ease, my days have been changing with university studies and different timings, but dance practice is always a part of me, same as teaching dance.”
She has learned from some noted dance gurus – Padma Bhushan Sonal Mansingh, Janaki Rangarajan and Indira Kadambi as well as her own guru Shankar Kandasamy. She says, “They are all artistes who passionately love what they do – sadhana is their life and you can see when they perform, a happy soul dedicating everything on stage! I am always fascinated by their passion, strong minds and character.
She adds, “The first time I went to India, for me it was like a dream. To see the artistes was like meeting a superstar, and to experience such a vast ocean of Bharatanatyam! My experience with them has been amazing – sometimes I wish I had two brains so I won’t forget even a word they have said. I only pray I can have the strength and charisma they have, and realize their words in this life.”
And that has made Ananga a strong dancer and a devotee who knows the value of dance and determined to share her knowledge with people who want to learn, giving scholarships to those who cannot afford to pay. She says, “People always tell us to charge and make money but we don’t have the soul to do it. Bharatanatyam is a spiritual dance, how can we make a profit from it and make people who want to learn go through the same struggle as we did?”
She adds “I have traveled many times to teach and perform, only asking organizers to cover my ticket and accommodation. I know what it means to have the passion to learn and not have the chance to do it because of lack of money or being far from a teacher. Being far from India or Malaysia is always a challenge, but mother is always trying to help me and of course I love to dance, so I pray what I’m practicing is correct, trying to get the blessings of God.”
A version of this article was first published in Hinduism Today
Now the article has been published in Russian in Moscow!
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