Belle of ballet

"To see all the students of the school come together was such a warm and lovely gesture. I was overwhelmed by the love and thoughtfulness put into this tribute by everybody. It was a day to remember,” says the doyenne of ballet teachers Tushna Dallas of the Tribute to Tushna program held on October 19, 2013 at the St Andrew’s Auditorium in Bandra, on her having completed 50 years of teaching the demanding dance discipline.
Actor and businesswoman Perizaad Zorabian who hosted the evening added, "When I got the opportunity to celebrate Tushna’s legacy of dance I was thrilled because I got to celebrate not just my teacher Tushna who I totally worship and adore but I got to share countless stories with the audience about Tushna’s legacy of love, dance and discipline.” Another legend in the field of dance, albeit of another genre, Shiamak Davar, who was present noted: "Tushna is one person who has stayed true to her art and not gone commercial.”

Ballet at program to honor Tushna Dallas.

Dallas started her ballet school, The School of Classical Ballet and Western Dance in 1966 with just four pupils, all of whom were Parsis, her daughter Khushcheher informed Parsiana via email. An accomplished dancer herself, Khushcheher is today co-director of the School. At the celebratory program she observed, "I see the appreciation, genuine fondness and admiration your ex-students have for you and I am very proud that this amazing person is my mum! You have set us all a very high standard to follow which I hope to be able to maintain and do you proud.”
The petite Tushna has taught ballet and allied forms of dance to thousands of students for half a century and is the first and only Indian to have qualified in nine branches of the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance (ISTD), London of which she is a Fellow, her daughter reveals. She is also an Associate of the Royal Academy of Dance. In addition to promoting western classical ballet the School also teaches other dance forms such as modern, Latin American and European folk dances. Focusing on developing self-awareness through ballet, Tushna strongly believes that dance imparts important values which individuals can implement in life.
The School’s teachers Mahafreen Sarkari, Vaidehi Patel, Shivani Mistry, Sukanya Shah and Ricki Deb were ably assisted by guest choreographers including Behnaz Khusrokhan Bhandare to stage the show which was sponsored by the Sona Group, as noted in the brochure.