Krishnakshi Sharma during one of her performances

July 3: She has won rave-reviews across the globe, but home is where her heart lies. And the thrill of performing in front of the home audience for the first time can only compare to a rebirth for Chennai-based Bharatnatyam exponent Krishnakshi Sharma.

Practising for three hours non-stop at her ancestral home in Silphukhuri for her Guwahati debut at the Pragjyoti ITA Centre for Performing Arts at Machkhowa tomorrow, Sharma shows no signs of tiring and is determined to put her best foot forward.

She will perform at the closing ceremony of the year-long golden jubilee celebrations of New Art players (NAP), one of the oldest socio-cultural organisations in the state. “I will always remain indebted to NAP for inviting me to be a part of their golden jubilee and giving me a chance to perform before my home audience for the first time,” said 25-year-old Sharma. “All the fame and adulation earned outside one’s hometown becomes meaningless, unless and until your own people appreciate your art. In that sense, tomorrow, is going to be a rebirth of sorts for the dancer in me.”

Accompanied by three other artistes from Chennai ? vocalist Rajesh, mridamgam player Sukhi and dance-conductor Suhasini ? Krishnakshi has been practising day and night to make their maiden performance in the city a memorable one, both for the audience and themselves.

The third child of Guwahati-based physician Mrinal Sharma, Krishnakshi started her dancing career since she was only three-year-old toddler. A visarat in Manipuri classical dance, she was drawn towards Bhatnatyam while a student of T.C. School in the city. Under the tutelage of Padma Haragopal, she became a visarat in Bharatnatyam from Bhatkhande University, Lucknow.

To further hone Krishnakshi’s tremendous potential, her guru Padma asked her to shift to Chennai, the cradle of the art of Bharatnatyam, after her matriculation. There she got admitted to the prestigious Bharat Kalanjali.

Till date, she has performed as the lead artiste in several classical dance ballets and also performed individually in countries like United States of America, Canada, Sri Lanka, Burma, Bangkok and elsewhere.

Her last performance was an innovative celluloid show on noted music exponent of South India, Kanadasan at Chennai.

The young danseuse has also won millions of hearts in her debut Tamil film Kadal Manan opposite South Indian superstar Ajith Kumar. “Acting happened by chance, but my calling has always been dancing. To avoid any sort of hiccups during my learning period, I made a conscious decision to put an end to my acting career,” she said.