NOT my day job | HR Dancer
13 Oct 2014
In the latest NOT my day job series we speak to Parvathy Krishna, Human Resources Advisor at Fonterra by day, and Bharatanatyam dancer by night.
Written by
The Big Idea Editor
In the latest NOT my day job series on The Big Idea, highlighting creatives with multiple careers, we speak to Parvathy Krishna – human resources advisor at Fonterra by day, and Bharatanatyam dancer by night.
"Keeping dance separate from my full-time job allows me that bit of temporary escapism into another world where I can leave behind reality for a little while. I love my day job and I love dancing in my spare time, I wouldn’t alter that balance in any way."
Qualifications:
By day, I am an HR-Graduate Advisor at Fonterra. I graduated from The University of Auckland with a Commerce and Arts conjoint degree (Marketing, Psychology & Management).
By night, I collaborate with different dance groups to create compelling dances pieces using a combination of Bharatanatyam, Bollywood, Kathak and more contemporary dance forms.
Tell us about your day job
I’ve been on Fonterra’s Graduate programme for nearly two years now. As a graduate advisor, I support managers through operational HR activities that arise during an employee’s life cycle (e.g Recruitment, Performance Management, Capability, Remuneration, Talent, Misconduct). It’s the culture, the people and the opportunity for growth that has fuelled a real passion for my job.
Tell us about your creative work when you're NOT doing your day job?
I work with different dance groups to choreograph and perform in a variety of dance events. My involvement with multiple dance groups has allowed me to experiment with different spectrums of creating a dance piece – classical versus contemporary, dance versus drama, lyrical versus instrumental. Currently, I’m working on a classical duet depicting Shakespeare’s ‘Taming of The Shrew’.
How do you manage juggling both?
Insane time-management and daily doses of caffeine! That, and a sheer passion and drive for dancing that prompts me to dive into some very time-consuming dance projects. I’ve been lucky enough to have some strong foundations by way of a supportive family who help me maintain balance, perspective and energy that is much needed during dance season.
Tell us about your creative background
I began learning bharatanatyam in Kerala (Southern India) at the age of 6. My mother decided to channel my energies further into dancing upon reaching NZ. Since then, under the tutelage of two amazing dance gurus, I have been able to hone my bharatanatyam as well as delving into other classical dance forms such as mohaniattam and kathak.
What has inspired you? Who or what keeps you going?
Growing up in Kerala (Southern India) – home to Mohaniattam and Kathakalli – I was always surrounded by people that had great love and knowledge of the arts. What was initially just a hobby has now become a crazy passion through my gurus and the amazing dancers that I am fortunate enough to have danced with to date. Being around talent and being exposed to different dance styles inspires me to continue developing myself as a dancer.
Would you like your creative work to be full-time?
For me, personally, I feel like my passion might get diluted if one of the outcomes of my dancing becomes centred on money to pay the bills. Keeping dance separate from my full-time job allows me that bit of temporary escapism into another world where I can leave behind reality for a little while. I love my day job and I love dancing in my spare time, I wouldn’t alter that balance in any way.
If you had the chance to start your creative career or path again, what would you do differently?
I would have travelled to India and spent a few months learning Bharatanatyam in its purest form in Tamil Nad. I’ve also always had a strong love of Mohaniattam as a dance-form and if I could rewind the clock, I would learn it properly and in more depth.
What advice would you give to someone pursuing a similar creative career or pathway?
Embrace, watch and get involved in different creative art forms that place you outside of your artistic training – it’s the best way to expand your horizons as an artist and I think too often people tend to stick purely to what they know.
Tell us about your recent or upcoming creative projects.
My next big project is a classical rendition of Shakespeare’s ‘Taming of the Shrew’ as a part of Tempo’s Dance Festival. “For the Love of Dance” presents contemporary interpretations of the relationship between lovers in Romeo & Juliet, Othello, Macbeth, The Taming of the Shrew and A Midsummer Night’s Dream through the ancient Indian dance form of Bharathanatyam. We’re aiming to push the envelope through fusion music, lighting and narrative, while remaining true to tradition and discipline in the choreography of the dance itself.
What’s your big idea for 2015?
I want to focus more on fusion work! It deters from tradition, but there is something magical that happens on stage when you combine classical-with-contemporary-with-drama and I want to explore that in more depth. Dance for me has always been a means of story-telling and I think in many instances, fusion work is a very engaging, refreshing and effective means of doing this.