After 12 years of intense dancing, one would think that freshman Mayuri Sadhasivan would be, to say the least, a little tired of her weekly four-hour dance practices.

But, since starting a form of Indian ballet called Bharatanatyam at the age of two, Sadhasivan is still going strong. 

The classes started out nice and slow.

“When I was two, we would mostly do stretches or hop on one foot across the room,” Sadhasivan said. 

Later, she began the three-year-long process of learning a move called an attami, which is where your head swivels back and forth, giving the illusion of a bobbing head. 

“We built muscle and learned basic steps, like stomping your feet,” Sadhasivan said. “Then the teacher would put on music and see if we could do it to a beat.”

When performances were coming up, Sadhasivan would not only spend the usual four hours practicing on Sunday, but also practice during the week in El Dorado Hills.

“There are annual recitals during the spring where we dress up,” she said. “They’re at the Crest Theater with lots of people.”

“Getting dressed up” usually means wearing a two-or three- layer dress covered in gold. “You’re wrapped up like a mummy, and it’s really heavy,” Sadhasivan said. 

During regular practice, however, Sadhasivan just wears a chudidar, a dress that is easier to move around in. 

Possibly one of Sadhasivan’s biggest accomplishments was her solo graduation performance, or Arangetram last September. 

“It’s like a senior project, or getting a black belt [in karate],” she said. “There were about 300 people there, and the performance lasted for three hours.”

Sophomore Brian Crush and junior Brigit Cvetich also enjoy ethnic dancing. Crush prefers Greek folk dancing, whereas Cvetich specializes in Serbian folklore dancing. 

“I’ve been dancing sporadically,” said Crush. “I danced from ages five to ten, and then a half a year when I was 13. And now I’ve started again.” 

Crush practices once a week at his church for up to three hours. He is in an organization that participates in the FDF, or Folk Dancing Festival. 

This festival is an annual event in Ontario, California. Crush’s latest performance at the FDF was from February 12-15, where he participated alongside many other Greek dancers. 

The actual dancing is generally performed by many people standing in a line. Steps can vary, ranging from simple toe-taps to complicated rhythmic jigs. 

“I like meeting new people at FDF,” said Crush. He also likes competing against other Greek dancers. His group, Neo Kyma, “won the highest award possible last year,” he said. 

Eight judges graded Crush’s group’s dance based on skill and the authenticity of their costumes.

Cvetich has also been dancing since she was about five. Though she no longer takes classes, she used to practice once a week at her Serbian Orthodox church for two to three hours. 

There was a younger group and an older group, and since Cvetich was in between ages, she danced in both. 

“It’s fun,” said Cvetich. “I’ve always really enjoyed it, even when I was really young.” 

“We traveled to other churches around the Bay Area to perform,” she said. “It was fun because other people would go after us and we could compare ourselves to them.”

Even so, Cvetich doesn’t see herself continuing to compete.

“At Serbian concerts and parties I’ll dance, but I don’t think there is such a thing as Serbian folk dancing as a profession,” she said. “I stopped going to church as much and our group kind of broke down. But it will always be a hobby.”

Crush wants to continue his dancing through senior year. “But I won’t dance in college,” he said.

“I’ll definitely keep dancing,” Sadhasivan said.