For this 22-year old dancer-actor, sky is the limit. Not satisfied with the kathak dance course she completed from the Dharitri Kala Kendra in Ranchi, Supriya Kumari, 22, started learning acting to expand her horizon.

At present, she is working in a television serial ?Yeh Berang Sapney,? directed by Prakash Sinha. Shooting for 13 episodes has already been completed. The 104-episode serial will be telecast from DD-Ranchi, DD-1, ETV-Bihar.

The young actress now plans to move to a bigger city like Mumbai or Delhi. Supriya has been the recipient of the young artist scholarship in kathak for two years from the Union ministry of tourism and culture. She also stood first in a national dance competition in Cuttack in the duet category and she represented Jharkhand in the All-India programme of Folk Dances organised by the National School of Drama (NSD).

She is also a regular face on Ranchi Doordarshan. Moreover, she has featured as an actress in Nagpuri albums Bambai Ka Lola and Bambai Ka Hero. She has also acted in Nagpuri films like Doli, Jaan Tere Naam, Deewana Yere Liye, Nayan Matwali, Oh Re Kach-Kach and Pichha Kare La.

?Training in classical dance is essential in order to become a choreographer. It makes one?s basics of taal and laya strong. So its importance cannot be ignored. But this is the age of modern dance. People want new things. I wanted to change because of the demand of the present day audience,? she points out.

But does the capital offer a conducive atmosphere for young artistes, she says: ?I would say the situation has improved. Earlier, parents rarely encouraged their daughters to enrol on dance courses classes. But now the trend has changed. Now there are several women stage artistes in the city.?

According to Supriya, one can learn a lot in Ranchi as teachers give more time to students which is not a case in metropolitan cities like Mumbai or Delhi where people are professional.

This girl is also a sports freak. She loves playing kabadi and any other outdoor game, which involves body movements.

Dance, she says, helps keep the body fit. ?Dance involves many facial emotions and expressions. I have studied facial expressions in depth,? she adds.

A commerce graduate from St Xavier?s College, Supriya feels dance has many advantages. She says: ?You mind is always fresh and your concentration power increases. There are no distractions. Your creativity also gets a boots. Dance helped me in studies as it improved my concentration power.?

Supriya is of the view that the government should make classical music and dance compulsory so that children benefit from it. ?This will not only spread awareness about Indian culture but will also hone their artistic talent. Such children will be a great asset to the nation,? she adds.

Navtan Kumar