After a long hiatus from the Bengaluru art scene, it was a pleasant surprise to have Prathibha Prahlad back in the news. The dancer was in high spirits, not only because her Prasiddha Foundation celebrated its silver jubilee recently, but also because she inaugurated the Ramakrishna Hegde Cultural Centre on his 90th birth anniversary. The dancer goes back in time and talks about her journey as a dancer, life and more.
Excerpts:
Why did you wait for so long to start this?
We did not get the land. Life took its own course. Mr. Hegde fell ill and passed away. I moved to Delhi and so on and so forth. It was in 2011 that I applied for the land and it was approved. So, I decided it was time to start this.
Why did you move to Delhi abruptly?
At that time I felt it was necessary and wanted my children to be kept away from the media and the political attention. It was in their best interest.
You had your Rangapravesha when you were a 12-year-old. Tell us about its importance and how the concept has changed today?
Yes, I did start early. The decision to go on stage was entirely my teacher’s. It should be the same today. The teacher should decide whether the child is ready to do his/her rangapravesha. Some children are smart and pick up the nuances of dance early. But today parents are in a hurry and demand for the rangapravesha to be done as soon as possible; it is sad.
Do you give in to that?
I don’t. In fact I don’t even take a group class. But work with senior students who want to improvise on a particular choreography. My classes are on a one-on-one basis and I have very few young children that I teach based on their passion for the dance. I prefer this method as I can give individual attention to each one. Sadly, teaching dance today has become a kind of an industry where you have a large number of students. The more rangapraveshas your students do, the more coverage a particular school teacher gets. I don’t believe in that style. It has a sunny side as well – you see many children take to dance. So if the teacher is able to instil love in the heart of a child for the performing arts, then it is worth it.
What do you feel about classical dancers who say they are migrating to contemporary dance as it provides more freedom and exploration?
Most contemporary dancers are trained in classical dance. No matter how contemporary their dance moves are, it is based on some classical foundation. If a contemporary dancer says she is a dancer with no classical training, then it is a lie. We have contemporary dances that are based on Kalari, Chau or Bharatanatya. Madhu Natraj has a strong Kathak base, Attakalari uses Kalari, Chandralekha was Bharatnatya based, so on and so forth. You can clearly see the stylistic nuances by just seeing their body move, which is trained in a certain way. But the body, which is trained for years in a particular style, finds it hard to let go off that style. Like, if I try ballet, you will see traces of Bharatanatya in it. For me it does not make sense when some dancers reject the classical and move towards the contemporary. But when they say that they come from a strong classical background and want to explore the new though contemporary, that makes sense.
Classical does not restrict your freedom as a dancer. I have danced for 40 years and have never felt restricted in any way. Dance, in fact, has liberated me. I’ve lived life on my terms. I’ve spoken my mind. And I’m more free-spirited and contemporary in my approach than most contemporary dancers themselves. Classical dance has set me free in mind, body and spirit. I believe this form has touched my soul and contemporary has not.
There were times when politicians like Hegde and Jeevraj Alva did a lot for the arts and culture. Today we don’t see that happen. Why?
You are right. When Mr. Hegde was there, art and culture thrived. Those were the days when Nrityagram, Maya Rao, S.G. Vasudev, and Ranga Shankara happened. It is rare to find someone like Mr. Hegde who understood the value of art and culture. We just pray and hope that we find someone who will support the performing arts. You see art brings us together and politics divides us. A cultural city is a peaceful city. Excellence is hardly seen in the arts or politics today. Look at even journalism. The passion and the impartiality is missing. Life is sold out to money in every field. So are the artistes and the politicians. Everyone is doing something to make a living and are not living out their passion. It is a sad thing to happen.
