Susan Hickman
Assistant law professor Natasha Bakht balances her life precariously between two very different worlds — one where she moves elegantly on the performance stage, and the other where she speaks eloquently in the classroom.
As opposite as academic law and Indian dance may seem, Bakht has come to realize that her two distinct interests have a commonality.
“Dance is social commentary in the same way law professors can provide social commentary,” says Bakht, who teaches a comparative constitutional course on minority rights. “My research interests in dance and law are similar: multicultural and women’s equality issues, for example. I tell in dance the stories of women and marginalized people.”
“Clear communication is important in both fields. In dance, you don’t use words. It’s communication through the body. But whether it is law or dance, the concept and how you get it across are very important.”
Bakht started classical Indian dancing at age five in an effort to stay connected with her culture. By the time she was in high school, her Toronto dance school offered Bharatanatyam training at the professional level. She debuted at the age of 15, and at 20 was dancing in London, England, with the prestigious Shobana Jeyasingh Dance Company — renowned for its groundbreaking work in Indian contemporary dance.
Thus began Bakht’s precarious balancing act. At the time, she was pursuing a degree in dramatic arts, political science and women’s studies at the University of Toronto. After her second year, she left for London to dance with Jeyasingh for a year, and then returned to Canada to finish her degree. Again, she went back to England for a second year of dance, returned to Canada to complete a master’s degree in political studies at Queen’s University, and finally returned to England for a third year with Jeyasingh.
It was the perfect compromise for Bakht who saw disadvantages to both pursuits.
“Dancing full-time was a wonderful experience, but the tedium of living on the poverty line and being on tour for long periods of time, the challenge to do the piece in a fresh way . . . and I couldn’t leave behind other dreams.”
School on the other hand left Bakht yearning to do something “in the real world.”
“This was perfect, because I got to do both for a significant amount of time.”
In 1999, she enrolled at the University of Ottawa to fulfill her “naive dreams of going to law school and fighting for the underdog,” she says. “When I was eight, I saw an idealistic TV film about a great lawyer wanting to change the world.”
During her second year of law school, Bakht began working with Montreal choreographer Roger Sinha and the two performed a duet at the Canada Dance Festival in Ottawa in 2000.
Since then, Bakht has been creating her own work and is praised for her graceful and precise style. She was nominated for a Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding New Choreography in 2003.
“Both aspects of my life provide a balance,” says Bakht. “It feels like a break from law when I am in a fairly intense dance period. On the other hand, I love research and working with students. And it’s great to be in a work environment with people who are progressive and supportive of my desire to do something beyond law.”
