Profile - Steps beyond sound: How Devika taught Devalakshmi to hear through movements - Bibin Balan

18-year-old Devika's story took a compelling turn when her guru returned to his native village, entrusting Devika with the full responsibility of running the dance school. With no time to hesitate, she had to swiftly transition from student to teacher, mentor, and guide, all at once. Among the first two students to learn under her was Devalakshmi....

Born to ordinary working parents in a humble household, the early years of Devalakshmi were marked by quiet struggles. Until Grade 7, she attended a regular government school, relying on basic gestures and lip reading to communicate with those around her. In Grade 8, when she joined Bishop Moore (Special) School, she learned formal sign language for the first time, giving her the confidence to express herself and connect more deeply with her dance teacher.

"The beginning was incredibly slow," Devika recalls. "I didn't know sign language well, and she struggled to communicate too... 

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Article - Unsung characters for adaptation in dance (Part 1) - Dr. Padmaja Suresh

Aesthetic experience says John Dewey in his Art as Experience, has been superimposed from systems of thought framed without direct reference to art. Rajashekhara in Kāvyamimāmsa, calls Sāhitya Vidya, Sarvapārṣada common to all Darshanas - hence we have drawn our aesthetic theory from concepts of Sānkhya, Nyāya-Mimāmsa, Vedānta, Tantra, Pratyabhijñya and all Bhakti schools. The Taittrīya Sootasamhita extolls the spiritual value of dance and music, both of which are performed incessantly by Śiva. Dance productions rely heavily on the poet, the scripts and the aesthetic value it holds. Choreography will depend on the artistic capabilities of imagination and skills to bring before the spectators, the popular legends and poems with added novelty or to bring to life a rarely exploited idea by inventing a production and discovering new possibilities of relish. The need to regulate Kama with Dharma and Mokśa sees the integration of beauty with goodness and truth all through our dance productions.

Bhārat is indeed the home of storytelling. It was from here that the Persians learned the art, and passed it on to the Arab continent, Constantinople, Venice and so on. The book The Ocean of Story of Somadeva's Kathāsaritsāgara is a magnum opus, the earliest collection of stories extant in the world. Somadeva was a Kashmiri court poet of the 11 century. It contains 22, 000 slokas, nearly twice as long as the Iliad and Odyssey put together. We can find well-known tales from the epics, as well as Rig-Veda, the Vetālapancavimśati and also some original ones. Embedded or Nested Stories can be traced back to the Rāmāyaṇa, the Mahābhārata, Pañcatantra, Jātakaṭṭhavaṇṇanā and the Kathāsaritsāgara.

The authors of the Mahākāvya-s and Nātaka-s gave a portrait of the sublime hero, Dheerodātta or a Mahāpuruṣa. Rama of Valmīki was both Dharmātma and Gāndharve ca bhuvi Śreṣṭha, a master of music (Ayodhya Kānda). The origin of the Ādi Kavi marks a sheet-anchor of poetic theory being the embodiment of Rasa, as cited by Anandavardhana in his Dhvanyāloka. 

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Anita says...June 2025

Welcome to the June monthly newsletter!

This month my writings will be brief. I have been travelling for most of May and have not seen many performances. Personal time has been uppermost on my calendar. May has always been a quiet month. The weather is blazing hot in most cities and academics take an annual break. I remember being in the mountains in Kodaikanal for summer vacations with my cousins and far away from dance classes, studies and examinations. It was a time to enjoy family, friendships and reset energies for the rest of the year.

For India based dancers, May is when many head to the west seeking opportunities in teaching, sharing and performances. Having just returned from the USA, I have seen Northern California already buzzing with musicians and dancers who have made their annual "Pilgrimage" to the Bay Area Bank of Mylapore! KA Ching! KA Ching! The sound of dollars is flowing in and the eager students are willing to part with significant sums of money to "enrich" themselves - for one weekend - through short intensives in technique through item learning. 

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