Article - Benefits of dance - Rajyshree Ramesh

A recent article in The Hindu about teaching Bharatanatyam for its therapeutic benefits to women and housewives acknowledges the importance of making dance accessible to all genres of participants. Even while dance continues to enjoy a professional standard, with the necessary training being imparted that grooms dancers for a performing career, such an acknowledgment coming from one of the stalwart gurus of Chennai, who is known for the professional dancers he has brought forth, underscores the fact that it is equally important to make the same professional standards of training available to those who may not be aiming at or reaching out for the stage. It exposes the relevance that is being given to its practice in a modern world, where we are looking beyond categorizations and segregations. It is an important step in the right direction. This aspect however also poses challenges to teachers, both in the methods of teaching and the approach to dance in general.

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Best talent of the 5th Naveen Kalakar

Best talent of the 5th Naveen Kalakar
The 5th Naveen Kalakar, an international level individual talent search program for young artists from 7 styles of Indian classical dances besides Kathakali, Indian classical music and instrumental music was held at the Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalay’s mini auditorium from 10th to 13th June 2011 by the Devdasi Nrutya Mandir in association with Samskritiki (an organization run by dance critic Shyamhari Chakra) as well as with the Department of Tourism and Culture, Govt of Orissa.

Artistes from USA, London, Peru and many parts of the country participated for solo performance of Odissi, Kuchipudi, Kathak, Manipuri, Sattriya, Mohiniattam and Bharatanatyam. Young classical singers of Odissi and Hindustani classical music and instrumentalists of flute, tabla and mardal also performed solo.

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Stirring a hornet’s nest? - Book review

Stirring a hornet’s nest?
- Kiran Rajagopalan

In October 2010, Mumbai’s Sri Shanmukhananda Fine Arts & Sangeetha Sabha published a special commemorative issue of their quarterly magazine, Shanmukha, on the banis and latest trends of Bharatanatyam. Most of the major banis are adequately discussed in the first half of the issue by leading dancers, gurus and scholars including Kamala Lakshminarayanan, Alarmel Valli, Leela Samson and Ashish Khokar. The Vazhuvoor, Pandanallur, Kalakshetra and Kattumannarkoil banis are each represented through single articles by these authors. Interestingly, the Thanjavur bani is more extensively covered in the four articles on Kitappa Pillai (Dr. Sucheta Chapekar), Sri Rajarajeshwari Bharatha Natya Kala Mandir (Jyothi Mohan) and Dhandayudapani Pillai (Jayalakshmi Alva & Urmila Sathyanarayanan).

A commendable effort by the organization to compile such an exhaustive and informative issue featuring articles by so many different artistes. The editor of this issue, Radha Namboodiri, thoughtfully remarked whether this endeavor would “stir a hornet’s nest.” Hopefully, it will be a starting point for serious discussions about the future of Bharatanatyam.

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