Greenwood High School Student Wins Gold Medal at International Dance Competition in Portugal

Bangalore: In a remarkable achievement on a global platform, Greenwood High International School Bannerghatta student, Aadhya Sachin of Grade 7 represented India and won the gold medal in the Senior Small Group National and Folklore dance category of the International Dance World Cup 2023, the world’s largest dance competition. It was held at the renowned Theatro Circo, Braga, Portugal recently. Students from 62 countries numbering 1,20,000 participated in the qualifier round of this prestigious competition across all categories. Aadhya along with her group won the award for their scintillating Bharatanatyam performance where they competed against participants from 24 countries in their group category.

Aadhya through her dance school Urhythmix got an opportunity earlier this year to perform at the Dance World Cup Qualifiers held in Bangalore. Over 6000 dancers from around 50 countries were selected for the finals held in Portugal. The scoring criteria included technical level of the dance, choreography, originality of the work, quality in execution, artistic interpretation and expression.

Speaking about her passion for dance and her journey to an international Gold Medal, Aadhya Sachin said: “My journey in dance started when my mother first enrolled me in freestyle dance at Urhythmix as part of a summer camp. I was 2.5 years old and barely managed to get the steps right but absolutely enjoyed it. Later, I got to be part of several stage performances and won couple of awards - Rising Star and Showstopper and the like. These performances built my confidence even further. On the day of the show at the competition, when the names of our Bharatanatyam group were announced as the top team, I cried out in joy. The pleasure of holding the India flag and to hear them play our national anthem at the ceremony was pure bliss. This win at an international platform is a testament to the support of my Guru Vidushi Samyuktha Shankar, first Guru Ragini Chandran, family and my school who trusted me in this journey.”

Commenting on Aadhya’s achievement, Louis Dias, Principal, Greenwood High International School, Bannerghatta said: “Hardwork and talent always impart the best results and Aadhya’s achievement exemplifies this having won at the international level. We commend Aadhya for her commitment and wish her the best to win laurels in many more competitions and make us proud.”

Aadhya joined both Bharatanatyam and Kathak when she turned six and continues to learn both dance forms. As a kid, she was inclined towards kathak as Bharatanatyam involved lot of twirling and foot tapping. But when she performed her first composition in Bharatanatyam, there was no looking back and she started appreciating and enjoying both styles of dance. Going forward, Aadhya aims to learn different forms and styles of Indian and Western dance to further increase her knowledge in the dance domain.