Sweet Nikita

AT Sweet 16, Nikita Jaimungal is all set to glide on Canada’s fashion runways. The young dancer with the Shiv Shakti company was spotted while performing in Toronto by fashion producer Laurence Welch, who signed her to model for fashion houses in Canada. The Form Four student at Debe High School is no stranger to the limelight. She has been dancing with Shiv Shakti since she was nine years old and has toured the world. She is very much at home modelling or dancing for big audiences. “I think it is really the amount of time I spent on stage that has really groomed me. While I love being on stage and dancing away, entertaining the crowds, it is really difficult at times. Sometimes I am not in a good mood, but I have to put on a good face and go out there,” said the beauty from Sunset Cove, Edge Waters, La Romaine.

When we met Nikita shorty after completing dance classes at the Creative Arts Centre in San Fernando, she was breathless but she put on a good face and seemed very much at ease as she moved gracefully for the camera. Her parents, Cindy and Vishnu Jaimungal, are very supportive of her choices as a fashion model and dancer. They also praised Michael Salikram for giving her the exposure through the dance company. Nikita, too, says that her mother has been always been supportive. “My mom is always there. She is a friend and supporter and I didn’t think I could get this far if it hadn’t been for my mother,” she said, adding that parents’ support is very important for children’s success. Nikita is happy she was introduced to Indian dancing as it has helped her to stay focused, sparing her the fate of other teenagers at school who are “caught up with the wrong company and the wrong boyfriends and things going wrong within quick time.”
 
“There are girls who come to school because they must see their boyfriends. Their studies come after. This is so gross. This is why I am so happy that I was introduced to East Indian dancing. It has taken a lot of my time and energy and I believe it has saved me from falling into the wrong bracket,” she said. She is pursuing business studies and science subjects but has not decided on a definite career, but she would like to make enough money to live comfortably. “I think getting into business is good but I would like to see where my studies take me. I believe that I must have a good education in order to gain respect from people.” She admires Indian actresses and former Miss Universe winners Aishwarya Rai and Sushmita Sen. “Every time I look at Aishwarya Rai I think that I could get this far in life. I feel I could accomplish the same goals.” This young woman is also very conscious of the need to take care of her hair, skin and face. “As a teenager, one needs to care for their skin and hair. It just does not come naturally, and I have been doing this every day,” she said.

Dance tutor Salikram was full of praise for Nikita. “When she came to dance classes, she was a shy little girl who chose the last line to learn dance but as time passed by she got closer to the front row. Many students leave dance classes because they just cannot apply themselves, but Nikita was one of the girls who decided that she wanted to dance and she was prepared to work hard at the art,” he said. Salikram also noted that Nikita has style and attitude when she is on stage and those are a plus. “There are girls who just learn the routine and you have to beg them to smile while dancing, but Nikita has the precise facial expression for the dances. She is 100 percent into the art and it shows,” he said. He congratulated her for sticking with the dance company saying there are many rewards ahead of her. Her next local performance will be at the Newsday and 103 FM’s concerts at the Centre of Excellence in Macoya on May 29 and Guaracara Park on May 30. The concerts are part of the Indian Arrival Day celebrations and Nikita is preparing an up-tempo folk dance. She will share the stage with India’s Anup Jalota and Anuradha Paudwal.