World Dance Day: Prachi Saathi, the quiet flame of Mumbai's artistic landscape

In a city like Mumbai, where the noise of ambition often overwhelms nuance, Prachi Saathi whispers truths—through rhythm, breath, and stories that hold both soil and soul. A classically trained Bharatanatyam dancer, an award-winning voice-over artist, and now, the creator of When Walls Dance, Prachi Saathi's journey is less about flash and more about the quiet persistence of purpose.

Her signature work, When Walls Dance, isn’t just a performance—it’s a movement. It invites audiences to pause, reflect, and reconnect with deeper emotional landscapes. In an age of viral choreography and algorithmic applause, Prachi’s art gently reminds us that it’s okay—necessary, even—to slow down and feel.

Spotlighting Prachi Saathi's When Walls Dance: The Story of a Soulful Symphony

Rooted in classical language and yet blooming into something utterly contemporary, When Walls Dance is a poetic jugalbandi of Bharatanatyam, tribal Warli art, and animation. At its centre is a story both intimate and universal: a young Warli girl named Champa, and her relationship with a tree planted the day she was born. As both grow, so does their bond—until urbanisation threatens their shared sanctuary.

“Can a girl save a tree?” is the question When Walls Dance gently asks, but it’s the larger reflection that lingers: can we save what roots us?

Seeds of a Dream

The idea germinated in 2019, and like any organic creation, it needed time to bloom. “It took more than a year just for pre-production,” Prachi shares. “We met the Warli community, developed the animation, choreographed the piece, designed the costumes… all during a time when the world had paused.”

Yet, despite the beauty of its conception, finding a stage wasn’t easy. “We were rejected by many curators,” she recalls. “And then Andre Tully, an art enthusiast and tattoo artist, saw the spark. Would you believe When Walls Dance had its first show at a tattoo convention?” she laughs. “But honestly, we were just grateful that someone said yes.”

That moment of acceptance became the quiet spark of what is now a widely appreciated production that’s completed over 25 shows across India.

A Life Between Sound and Silence

Prachi’s life has always moved between movement and voice. She’s a celebrated voice-over artist whose journey began by happy accident. “I was a child artist in Karamati Coat, and during dubbing, I realised I had a knack for voice work,” she says. That realisation led to a three-decade-long parallel career. “I now live between two art forms—sound and silence. And I love both.”

Much of this grounding, she credits to her mother. “She was a connoisseur of music, dance, and cinema. She noticed how I mimicked dancers on TV and encouraged me to join theatre workshops and dance-dramas at Prithvi Theatre. That early exposure was everything.

Dancing with Legends

Prachi trained at Nalanda under Vaibhav Arekar, followed by her arangetram under Guru Lata Raman. But it was a 2012 performance by Rama Vaidyanathan in Delhi that became a turning point. “It was love at first sight,” she says. “Rama Akka opened up Bharatanatyam to contemporary ideas. That changed everything for me.”

With When Walls Dance, she follows that very path—honouring classical roots while letting them branch into new expressions.

A Memory with the King of Hearts

Her brush with stardom came early—she appeared in Pardes, acting alongside Shah Rukh Khan. “SRK was every schoolgirl’s dream, and there I was, in scenes with him!” she smiles. But even then, she knew film sets weren’t where she belonged. “They didn’t speak to my soul. Dance did.”

One memory remains vivid: “there was a scene in the film where he hugged me once. Oh my God! He made every single person on that set feel important. That’s a kind of magic not many carry.”

On Reels, Roots, and Relevance

Now a performer herself, Prachi sees the lure of instant fame tugging at young dancers. “Sometimes a student asks, ‘How much money will I make in three months?’ And I sigh. We’ve been learning for decades—and still are.”

But she isn’t cynical. “If your art is honest, it will find its way. If it’s just noise, it will fade. All noise does,” she says, with a sage-like softness.

The Heart Behind the Walls

Behind the meditative beauty of When Walls Dance lies a collaborative heart. Visual storyteller Upasana Nattoji and her Switch Studio created the animated world; Warli art researcher Rajendra Chaudhari brought depth and cultural grounding; Satish Krishnamurthy composed the moving score; Swapnil Chapekar wrote and sang the lyrics; and Keerthi Kumar’s lighting design turned shadows into performers.

“It may look like a solo on stage,” Prachi says, “but this was never a one-woman show.”

When Walls Dance is a soulful offering—part performance, part prayer. It is a story about a girl and a tree, but also about us and our roots. It is about stillness, listening, and the spaces in between movement. A reminder that in the rush to move forward, we must never forget to dance back—to where it all began.

(By Arundhati Banerjee)