In the seven years of her dance journey, she has performed in over 200 programmes, festivals and competitions. Last year, she won the national Kala Utsav competition, received an award and met Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “As per the schedule, I’ll get to meet the prime minister this time too,” she says. The 19 children will also be part of the Republic Day parade on January 26.Laxmi Priya says the Covid-induced lockdown was a crucial period in her dance journey. “I spent a lot of time honing my skills and also learning the history of dance forms and Vedas. This helped me understand my characters better,” she says. She credits her guru, Bompally Sudheer Rao, for her growth. “During the pandemic, Laxmi Priya spent 2–3 hours every day, working on her footwork and most importantly, her expressions. It takes time to perfect the expressions but she is a quick learner,” says Sudheer Rao. He fondly describes his disciple: “Normally, only young women above 18 can perfectly portray the emotions of Sathyabama but she has been able to do it at this age.” In fact, Laxmi Priya says Sathyabama is her favourite character to play. “I like to live in the character,” she says.
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