Apeksha Bhattacharya

Our little piece of heaven 🌻🧿 A small animal shelter our family began 15 years back, and this is our beautiful life 🙏

Happy to be interviewed by Sputnik, a Russian news agency in celebration of Women's Day. Thank you @sputnik_india @sputnik_news for empowering girl power through ballet 🌸 It's so humbling to know the opportunities we are creating for the Indian ballet community 🩰

I am happy to share my interview with Harper's Bazaar magazine 🌻 Sharing the space as one of the six women amongst actors @nanditadasofficial @sheeba.chadha , cricketer @mithaliraj , theatre personality @lilletedubeyofficial and doctor @gitaprakash ~ with my opinion on how beauty is perceived in the ballet world ~ it's a blessing to witness the revolution of Ballet in India 🩰 Some excerpts from the interview - As a dancer, more so in the art of ballet, there is an unending fixation on body image and sizes,” says ballet dancer, teacher, and entrepreneur Apeksha Bhattacharya. “Female ballerinas are expected to be of ectomorphic body type—tall and slim, and have lesser body mass. This was, and is still, very crucial in succeeding as a ballerina and for the aesthetics. To maintain this, ballerinas limit their food consumption, and this can have a traumatic effect on injuries and recovery. When the ratio of food intake versus the amount of workload is unbalanced, our body is deprived of energy. Dancers and ballerinas are expected to “dance like fairies”, “float in the clouds”—such presumptions can cause irreversible damage, both mentally and physically.” “The word “beauty” at most times leads you to think about appearances. In ballet, beauty is how you present on stage, it is beautiful to have tall bodies, long legs, long necks and slimmer arms. This is how a ballerina must present herself on stage. Watching a ballet performance, does the audience ever think of who the dancer is, what her inner thought are? “I always tell others it takes madness to wear those ballet shoes and dance on the tip of your toes. The commitment is unparalleled and why would we go through this every week? But, why not? Being in the dance studio, teaching our bodies to move a certain way, finding deeper sensations of our anatomy, trying to find the right knowledge to avoid injuries, going up on stage and being under the spotlight and displaying our expressions—all of these require hard work, resilience, self-belief, and constant motivation, but the journey is worthwhile. Dance does not just create dancers, but gives us life skills. This is my embodiment of true lasting beauty,”

So humbled by this journey. I’m honored to be invited to present my research at the International Association for Dance Medicine & Science Conference in Melbourne, Australia. Deeply grateful to the University of Edinburgh Dance Science team @uoe_dancescienceeducation for their support. Thank you, Heather and Wendy, for believing in my vision—even in my darkest days. There was a time I never thought I would finish this paper, working on it from a hospital bed in Edinburgh. To now have the opportunity to share it with the world reaffirms my belief in dreams and perseverance.

When my lil boy finds me in the paper 🗞️💕😁☺️ That's you, Apeksha!

Whats mom's is mine 💝🎂

Holi 2026

Every dream has an origin story. ✨ Here’s what inspired the founder of Indian Academy of Russian Ballet to begin this beautiful journey. @appy1203 #balletindia #danceeducation #russianballet #ballet #fyp

Our vegetable garden, chillis & tomatoes. Baby steps to home farming

If you’re building something slowly, patiently, and with care. This conversation will feel familiar. 🎧 Listen on Spotify. . . . . #creativelife #artistsofinstagram #longformcontent #storytellingpodcast #creativework [artist journey, creative discipline, ballet education, creative process, artist podcast, storytelling podcast, discipline and joy, finding your path, women in arts, slow creativity, creative spotlight, meaningful conversations]

For every Indian who dares to dream differently. Today I share my Master’s in Science in Dance Science & Education from the University of Edinburgh — a milestone I carry with immense gratitude and quiet pride. I am humbled to be the first Indian to earn this degree at this university, and I hope this opens doors and belief for many more Indians who dream of merging science, education, and dance. This journey was anything but easy. It meant months and months in Edinburgh without my baby son. It meant transitioning into single parenthood. It meant navigating medical battles, including an emergency surgery, and writing half of my dissertation from a hospital bed in Edinburgh — choosing resilience on days when strength had to be borrowed. None of this was done alone. Deep gratitude to the incredible humans across the globe who believed in me and supported my journey—especially during the admission process—when this dream was just beginning to take shape. This degree holds more than academics — it holds resilience, sacrifice, and belief. For my son — this is for you. For every Indian dancer, educator, and researcher — this is for you. And for myself — proof that I didn’t quit. ✨🎓

Presentation by IARB student Adhvika - Grade 6 🩰🔬 The dancer’s spine: where art meets biomechanics The spine is more than posture — it’s a dynamic structure that allows ballet’s fluidity and precision. Research in dance science shows: 📍 Cervical spine → supports head alignment for spotting and port de bras. 📍 Thoracic spine → mobility here is key for épaulement and expressive upper body movement. 📍 Lumbar spine → provides controlled extension for arabesques, cambrés, and lifts. 📍 Sacrum & pelvis → transfer force between legs and trunk, crucial for turnout and jumps. ➡️ Studies highlight that excessive lumbar hyperextension (a common ballet habit) can increase injury risk, while balanced mobility across all regions supports longevity in dance. Strong + supple = sustainable artistry. 🌟 #DanceScience #BalletAnatomy #SpineHealth