Was it possible to experience classical dance in one’s lifetime? This
lament echoed around me repeatedly in the mid 90’s, often by my dance
students’ parents and then others in their thirties or more. They felt
doomed that perhaps this unfulfilled dream would have to be taken into
another lifetime as they had crossed the requisite age bracket. It
rankled me no end - this thought of carrying something over for another
lifetime. It seemed like the beautiful art of classical dancing and
Bharatanatyam was like a far away world or planet that was inaccessible
to them. One began to feel then, was it not possible to build a bridge
somehow, or create a chink space in the door for this ‘marginalized
section’? They did not ask be to be donned in glorious costumes, they
did not ask for a performance platform, they did not seek applause, they
only wanted to ‘experience’ moving in the classical dance way!
‘Nritya Uphaar - The Gift of Dance’ was thus born as a via media, a workshop first tried out in 1999.
Read the article in the site
Namaskaram. It's so refreshing to know that you have devoted so much time, effort and compassion to teach those who have no external stimulus, past their prime age. Nowhere is it mentioned the therapeutic healing values of learning music and dance especially in cases needing emotionL healing urgently. ~ Balaji.
ReplyDeleteWow. Nandini. Congratulations. Just read this article. This is a good effort to reach out to people who missed learning dance in their early ages. I do not understand what exactly is being taught in three weeks, but I guage enough knowhow of the art to make people enjoy and appreciate classical dance is disbursed. It is very much needed that such successful workshops get regularly to maintain and sustain followers of the classical tradition. .
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