This summer, Junoon welcomes two incredible interns, Nikita and Hema, who will be joining us in Dhasa, the birthplace of The Junoon Method. Their time with us will be immersive, collaborative, and reflective of the core values we uphold: deep commitment, experimentation, and the passing on of knowledge.
Meet Nikita
Hi everyone,
Hema and I have just begun our journey with Junoon, and we’re writing to share a bit about what we’re doing and what lies ahead.
In June we’ll be joining Ms. Mythili and the girls in Dhasa, a place that feels like the heart of Junoon. It’s not just where the Method was first born, but where it continues to grow, shift, and be tested every day. It’s intense, alive, and full of learning.
My main focus here is to document The Junoon Method, both in writing and through audio-visual formats. I’m shadowing and working alongside Ms. Mythili to capture how this approach came to be, and how it plays out in real-time. From how a rhythm or raga is chosen to how movement is shaped from that, I’ll be observing and mapping the full process. Especially with the senior batch, I’ll get to see the Method in its most evolved form. With the younger and beginner groups, I’ll be tracking how the body is first introduced to Classical Movement,how it’s prepared, trained, and slowly transformed. I’ll also be focusing on how The Junoon Method supports absolute beginner women.
This isn’t just about documentation, though, it’s about understanding and protecting something that’s been built with years of care, trial, and devotion. Eventually, the content we’re creating here will help bring Junoon’s intensives and workshops to more people across the country, while staying rooted in where it all started.
Hema and I will also be designing and leading a session for the girls, something that draws from our own backgrounds and interests. I’m especially excited about working on a publication and sharing what I’ve studied deeply with the students. It’s a chance to not just learn, but to give back.
Of course, it’s not going to be easy—being in the field, staying present, keeping up with the pace of things but I’m certain it’ll be incredibly rewarding. There’s something very special about being part of a Method that’s still growing, and being trusted to witness and help shape that.
I give you,
Hema,
Hello everyone,
Nikita and I were part of the very first batch of students of The Junoon Gurukul – a parallel Arts curriculum – instituted at our school in Pune, India, by The Junoon Foundation in the early part of 2022. We were the guinea pigs (and gladly so!), excited to give this grand balancing act of our academic curriculum and a newfound Arts curriculum centered on classical dance a shot. Voilà! We survived, we thrived, and we loved every minute of the challenge that grew us in more ways than we can count – artistically, athletically, in our respect and management of time, emotionally, intellectually, and in our overall capacity and functioning.
I grew up extremely fond of playing sports and with a yearning to learn Classical Arts in a holistic and deep sense. When I enrolled myself into The Junoon Gurukul, I fit, and it fit my dream of an ideal education, way of being, learning, sharing, and growing.
I’ve been a student of Junoon and experienced a new education system that actually worked for me, and it might work for many more. Educational framework has always been one of my core interests. I’ve eagerly conducted research and participated in conversations to better understand the relationship between students and teachers and their impact on the education and well-being of students. Hence, how something is taught and how the same thing can be received, learned, and imbibed in a more effective way is my current focus for all the time Nikita and I spend at Junoon’s headquarters in Dhasa, Gujarat.
Interacting with students from the beginner and advanced batches, observing the audition process, and closely looking at how students interact with each other and the experts – their gurus—and related behavioral acts would provide great qualitative data that can be used to make better lesson plans to fully engage students in every session. Recording all my observations and also conversations to further analyze and evaluate would be a whole and complete research experiment that I’d love to engage in. The conclusions, I’m sure, will help construct and further strengthen the lessons provided by Junoon.
Additionally, being an undergraduate business student would mean I could apply my knowledge of marketing and branding and effectively execute a marketing plan for Junoon – something so integral to an Arts endeavour. I want to keep a record of everything that goes into creating and executing The Junoon Methodology to communicate this to wider audiences.
I strongly believe the establishment of a very strong brand is underway. A brand that speaks for rich and historic classical forms dissipated through modern but rooted methods, executed by passionate dancers practicing till sweat drips like water. My journey is a long and organic one. Whilst on the field in Dhasa, I aim to give the current lot of students the best of myself and help nurture their passion. Junoon has given me a place and purpose – a space where I can use my skills and develop them through experience, interaction, and exposure on the field in Dhasa.
Nikita and I are so ready to give back what we have gotten and give yet some more from all that has been built inside us by way of our Junoon. This is going to be memorable. And this is going to be significant in shaping the story ahead…
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