Nia began training in Bharathanatyam dance in the GTA when she was four, becoming a full-fledged teacher by the time she was 13. This South Indian dance art form, alongside music, was a way for her to maintain links to her culture as well as to express herself. From the time she was a small child, her dream had been to operate her own dance studio school, but during her time at University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier, where she is now in her fifth year of a Math/Business double degree, Nia began rethinking her plan.
In conversation with others, as well as reflecting on her own experience, Nia recognized that this was a place where she could apply her desire to do good, and that her ideas could be compatible with her professional career, rather than competing with it.
Rather than running a dance studio academy (often with under-motivated students), Nia decided she would develop a dance company offering two different but complementary services: occasional workshops in cities across Canada and abroad, where dancers could both learn and practice skills through improvisation, and support emerging artists; and occasional performances for audiences such as seniors, hospitalized children, people with disabilities or dementia, etc.
She has found all that and more at GreenHouse. Nia says one of the chief benefits of living at GreenHouse is being surrounded by others who are passionate about making a difference in the world.
She says,
"When you hit a roadblock along the way, you have people with you who aren’t only friends who care about you, but people who care about your passion and helping it and you succeed. This has been extremely motivating.”
She also observes that many young people want to “save the world,” but if they don’t pinpoint the specific way they will attempt this, “there will be chaos.” She adds, "GreenHouse is a great way to funnel a creative mind into making a difference.”
For people like Nia, who already have a clear plan, GreenHouse offers something different: “Motivation, reinforcement, confidence and steps to adapt a plan to be more realistic.”
As she looks ahead toward life after graduation, Nia is excited that she will be able to bring all her dreams together — working as a consultant. but also developing innovative ways to dance and share dance and music with a wider group of performers and audience.
Nia recently applied and won a spot as a GreenHouse Fellow for the spring of 2016. Congratulations Nia! We look forward to watching you progress!
See a video on Saakshi Innovations here.