UC Davis third-year student Vyoma Bhanap’s Strauss year did not go as planned. Instead, it grew into something more complex, collaborative and deeply personal than she ever imagined.  

Last year, Bhanap was awarded $15,000 from the Donald A. Strauss Scholarship Foundation to implement Dance Bhoomi at the Snehalaya school for women empowerment in Ahmednagar, India. At the Strauss Foundation’s final scholarship presentation in April, Bhanap shared the story how the project — her dance therapy curriculum to help children affected by the sex-trafficking industry reclaim their sense of agency — evolved for the better to redefine the power of dance.  

“It was an incredibly gratifying experience to present in front of the Strauss board, trustees, members of the Strauss family and everyone else who was instrumental throughout this process,” Bhanap said. “It felt like everything came full circle.”

On the ground in India 

Bhanap arrived in India on Aug. 2, 2024, and quickly got to work. She took walks around the campus, met with the counselors and social workers and learned everything about her future students.

The original plan was to live on the Snehalaya campus for a month and teach the selected group of 40 students the trial dance therapy curriculum.

“I had big goals in mind for those first two weeks,” Bhanap said. “The team and I wanted the students to learn teamwork and leadership skills, unleash their creativity and feel safe within their own bodies.”

However, most of the students would not engage with the program or her. Attendance, moral and participation were all low for the first lessons. So, she went back to the drawing board. She extended her stay for another month, spent time to connect with students individually and pivoted the entire curriculum.

“These girls lived through the darkest parts of society. Coming to a dance session and being told to do something creative intimidated them — they immediately disconnected,” Bhanap said. “I realized before I could ask them to show up for me, I needed to meet them where they were.”

Movement as dance 

Bhanap left India in late September but continued to co-teach the cohort through virtual meetings, alongside the Dance Bhoomi consultant funded through her Strauss Scholarship.

The two worked together to reflect and research on how to shift their lessons. They soon realized that while the students were hesitant to learn choreographed dances, they did love to move their bodies. More specifically, they liked to act.

“Skits are so easy and fun. The audience knows you are acting and you do too but your body just feels movement,” Bhanap said. “When you add this layer of performance, students were able to harness this power of dance — now of movement — to gain confidence in themselves. Eventually, with enough practice, it starts to feel natural.”

By the end of the year, Bhanap’s program became home for 10 students. They consistently showed up, engaged and connected with all the lessons, she said

Bhanap’s now hopes to expand on this new and improved Dance Bhoomi premise with another group of Snehalya students. She currently works with high school students here in the United States to create new lesson plans and raise funds to continue this work.

“Dance teaches us a way of being, as all art does. It teaches us to view ourselves, because it is so rooted in the physical body,” Bhanap said. “It gives depth to every action and that is what provides us with power.”