Hima Thota

“I can look over at other people for silent encouragement and you can smile. If I was by myself on stage, I wouldn’t have that. I would just be me in the spotlight. It’s easier knowing that there are that many people in the audience when you have everyone else who’s going through it with you,” Saloni Shah (12) said.

Spotlights shine down onto the stage as an announcer presents the winning dance team in the garba dance contest, an event dedicated to celebrating Gujarati folk dance. Saloni Shah (12) and her teammates stand together near a large stage, where they spent the afternoon witnessing and participating in a flurry of dance. Lights shine overhead, and the announcer speaks into a mic. Excitement and happiness erupts as the results come out, and the team jumps up in a huddle full of joy. They placed first!

“When I’m doing garba, just dancing with the entire community, it’s definitely where I’m most in my element,” Saloni said. “As the team grows bigger then you have to bond with all of these new people every time they join and a lot of the time we’ll have a certain partner moves or formations in which you really have to get to know your partner to do it.”

For Saloni, garba means more than just dancing and competition. The skill of forging relationships with teammates and working as one cohesive unit became a core tenet throughout her years in high school. Saloni’s years-long experience in an ever-changing dance team with new members pushed her to appreciate change in those she surrounds herself with and learn to adapt and build new relationships. 

“I definitely used to be the kid who stood against the wall and just had my own one or two friends in the team, and I really had to put myself out there to get to know all of the other people,” Saloni said. “Especially as the team started to change, I had to learn how to approach them and be comfortable with starting a conversation with someone.”

Beginning garba at six years old, Saloni’s built-up confidence in the dance also extends to the Harker community. She participated in the Hoscars, Harker’s annual show for student performers, in junior year and performed an Indian dance routine with Anuradha Datar, upper school computer science teacher, as well as other students. Datar recalls learning more about Saloni from the experience. 

“I got to see a different side of Saloni when we were practicing for the Hoscars,” Datar said. “I learned about her passion for garba, and she shared how she participates in garba and many contests. I personally have a passion for dance as well, so we shared that.”

The close connections Saloni develops with whoever she performs with, whether at the Hoscars or at a garba contest, remains the most important part of dancing to her. A naturally quiet person, Saloni finds the team connections and easy dynamic with teammates to be integral to her confidence in performance. They push her to seize the opportunity to shine onstage. 

“I am a quiet person and generally in the background of things,” Saloni said. When I’m dancing on the stage, I can put myself in the center of attention without actually being the center of attention because I’m with my team and that’s important to me. I have a bond with my teammates and that is part of what keeps me involved in the dance.” 

For Saloni, garba ties directly with the concept of team bonding. Saloni’s affinity for working in a team environment extends beyond garba. As a student interested in robotics and computer science, she recalled the several ways that her work in robotics also invoked the cohesion that only comes with efficient teamwork. 

“I feel like even in robotics, teamwork plays such a huge part because you have all of the different aspects of the robot that have to come together,” Saloni said. “You have the software people who are working on the code, then you have the mechanical people, then you have people who are designing, and everything has to come together in the end to play the game. If your team doesn’t gel well, it’s not going to be as good of an end result.”

Robotics reinforced the importance of building personal connections within a team for Saloni. This philosophy also extends into her personal friendships, where closeness sometimes includes the ability to spend time with friends without needing to work towards any definitive goal.

“She is very sweet,” close friend Sarah Westgate (12) said. “That’s the word that always comes to mind. Very sweet, very friendly, kind hearted. She really cares for the people around her. If both of us need some quiet time or some space, we go listen to music together and just kind of sit together silently, which can be really cathartic sometimes.”

Close friend Serena Janny (12) also explained that Saloni’s persistence despite any difficulties throughout high school is a quality that adds to her success. First meeting in advisory during online learning, Serena’s friendship with Saloni revolves around their ease in staying true to themselves around each other. 

“She’s very resilient,” Serena said. “Obviously high school is very hard and a lot has been going on, but she’s a very strong person and she’s stayed steady throughout everything.” 

Persistence stands as a critical aspect to maintaining close connections, and over the years, Saloni feels shaped by the different encouragements that a strong team offers. Group dances, first-place wins, and intricate costumes are compounded by the smaller team moments, like the silent smiles, eye contact, and celebrations. Saloni remembers these moments most vividly from her time on stage. 

“I can look over at other people for silent encouragement and you can smile,” Saloni said. “If I was by myself on stage, I wouldn’t have that. I would just be me in the spotlight. It’s easier knowing that there are that many people in the audience when you have everyone else who’s going through it with you.”