18 July,2026 11:29 AM IST | Mumbai | Shriram Iyengar
Pranamya Suri holds a pose during a performance
Balance might be the most important thing for a dancer. For Dr Pranamya Suri, it is almost essential. During the day, Suri steps into her role in New Mexico as a specialist of Interventional Spine and Musculoskeletal medicine, but occasionally takes to the stage to showcase her other skill, the Kuchipudi dance form. This evening, the former Hyderabad-resident will perform Cadence, presented by Aalap, at a Bandra venue offering evidence of balance in its true sense.
"I chose my specialty owing to my passion for Kuchipudi," she reveals. The love for the dance form stems from her mother, and guru, Srilatha Suri. "She has been passionately in love with the dance form, and in a way that is contagious," Pranamya admits. Moving from Hyderabad to Bay Area in San Francisco, and later Dallas, she found familiarity and friendship in the dance. But it was not till her pre-teen that she truly understood it. "You begin to feel the movements internally," she says.
The love for medicine is just as complex to explain. While most artistes tend to gravitate towards the Humanities, Suri was drawn to the logical surety of science. "There was a need to find answers to problems. I wanted to be in surgery. I began to like what we could do for people," she elaborates.
Incidentally, the paths converge in many ways. Suri reveals the intense medical preparation, and eight-hour-long exams required discipline and time management - qualities she acquired over her long tutelage in the dance form. "Both these professions require physical stamina and mental endurance. The beauty of it is one helped me with the other," she says.
Moreover, dance also taught her an awareness of her own limits. Knowing when to take a break, and recognising her own exhaustion were key takeaways. "I work with the spine, and you have to be accurate within 1 mm of the body, or you are affecting the patient. Dance lets you learn about yourself and prioritise accordingly," she says.
Pranamya Suri during her residency in John Hopkins. Pics Courtesy/Pranamya Suri
She follows a disciplined routine. An early riser, she spends her evenings after returning from her medical practice to focus on dance. The performance tonight is titled Cadence, she explains, "I chose the title because rhythm and time is important in Kuchipudi, but when you are watching a performance, there is something unexplored beyond these," she says.
The pieces include works from the creations of the late Kuchipudi guru Dr Vempati Chinna Satyam, and her teacher, Jaikishore Mosalikanti. Each choreography, Suri admits, is built over years of rehearsals. "They grow with you as you experience life in different stages. If I did this again in 10 years, it would be very different," she says. The balance, we assume, would remain the same.
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