A Time to Dance by Padma Venkatraman

Reviewed by Lori
A Time to Dance
Title: A Time to Dance

Author: Padma Venkatraman

Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 82094

Description: In India, a girl who excels a Bharatanatyam dance refuses to give up after losing a leg in an accident.

Rubric Rating: Love 4 - Love It!

Why I Read It: I read Climbing the Stairs by this same author and liked it so decided to read another selection by her.

Lori's Notes: I was surprised when I opened the book to find the chapters written in verse rather than prose.  However, after the first couple of chapters the novel felt not like a book in verse but a book in song.  A song that made you see and feel Veda's dancing.  Veda lives with her ma, pa and Paati (grandmother).  While her mother wants Veda to become an engineer, Veda loves to dance.  And she is excited to learn that has been invited to compete in the Bharatanatyam dance competition.  Veda wins because of her amazing control over her body.  However, her greatest achievement is short lived.  On her way home from the competition, the bus she is in is in an accident and Veda's right leg below the knee is amputated.  With the help of an American doctor Veda is given a new prosthetic leg which allows her to dance but her former dance instructor does not allow her to return to the dance academy.  With her Paati's urging, Veda finds a new dance school, instructor, and relationship to Shiva.  One she can share through dancing.  A lovely story that had me hooked from the first chapter.  Reading this story I had so many images of India in my head that it was like watching a movie.  (I love that).  It also made me think about how people react to and overcome personal tragedy, which will make this book relatable to a very wide audience.

Recommended Readers: Grade 7 and Up.  I would recommend this novel for Curriculum study for grade 9 and up.  The themes are great for study and there are many aspects to discuss as a class.  This book should also be in every library!

Themes: Bharantanatyam Dance, Faith, Family, Accidents, Amputations, Strength of Character, Relationships, India, Shiva, Coming-of-Age, Friendship, Appearances, Novels in Verse.

Cross-Genre Links: 
Videos: Bharatanatyam Dance
Music: Indian Dance Music
Web Search: Shiva
Web Search: India
Web Search: Adrianne Haslet-Davis (Ballroom Dancer who lost a leg in the Boston Marathon Bombing)

Post Reading Discussions, Inquiries and Activities: 

  • Veda is a dancer and her leg is amputated.  How does Veda show strength of character in this situation?  How can tragedy bring out the best and worst in people?
  • How does Veda's dancing change from when she is a child, to champion, to teacher?
  • Why doesn't Veda's dance teacher (Uday Anna) visit her in the hospital or allow her to return to the studio? How did this make you feel?  What might you have done?
  • How does Veda's relationship with her mother change?  What about her relationships with her friends and neighbours?
  • How is Veda treated?  How are Veda and Govinda similar?
  • Who is Shiva?  
  • Invite someone to the class to teach a lesson in dance.
  • How do we use music and dance to express our thoughts and feelings?  Create a soundtrack or dance sequence that you might see if this book were a movie.  
  • How does the format of the novel help accentuate the content?  (Poetry, flow, song etc)


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