Monday 19 March 2012

Article - A dancer’s success quotient - the flip side - Dr. Kanakam Devaguptapu


The dance extravaganza showcasing celebrities for Rukmini Devi’s birthday celebrations came to an end. All the artistes, with legendary track records that put them on the pedestal that they are, left the audiences in an awe filled mood. Every evening, as my husband and I left Rukmini Arangam after witnessing two shows of sheer mastery in craft and creation, we felt that we were leaving the place of eternal bliss and returning to a chaotic order of trials and tribulations. Such was the atmosphere that the artistes created with their par excellent depth of research and understanding of their presentations, excellent choreography and unique ways of staging them, in the ambience of Kalakshetra, an epitome of serenity.

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2 comments:

  1. Exactly so: the supporting musicians get paid by the dancer as they are professionals. The dancers are not.

    Merely "wanting to deliver her best after enormous effort" is not enough: an ant cannot lift a tree. Merely the ambition ("inner fervour and endeavour") does not deserve the support system they want.

    If they really had the "far reaching abhinaya", they could literally hypnotize everyone. If they can only hypnotize their moms and dads, they see the results.

    As to the "exhilarating and lilting movement", if my 82-year-old hopelessly obese auntie Amu can perform it in her wheelchair, does she too deserve the support system?

    Funding is available to sports because in sports there is a well-defined set of parameters by which everyone (not just a few bribed judges) can see who is the best. In classical dance, these parameters - though far more sophisticated - exist too, but if my auntie Amu were to compete, she would make sure that these parameters were removed from the list, the judges were properly bribed/persuaded and auntie Amu's review were published in the Friday Review. She would become a celebrity.

    But... Were my auntie Amu to give a recital during the December season, would the auditorium be fully packed? Having the least audiences could even made her think if her choice of career is right! Poor auntie Amu...

    If some are disappearing from the arts scene saying that their future could be more secure with a BBA, etc. degree than 15 or many more years of some mediocre arts training, it means that the art is not their priority. And if it is not, they do not deserve anything at all.

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  2. Excellent article! It is very ironic that learning and perfecting an art form involves a lot of hard work and dedication but the rewards are not the same as the other professions. I hope the future generations of Indians are encouraged to not only learn but also appreciate the art forms like music and dance.

    Hope to see more articles from you, great work!

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