What is a Tandavam and what is a Lasyam ? What is the only ancient classical dance that has a single male dancing with energetic steps? Do you know who Nataraja Ramakrishna was?
These and more questions find their answers in ‘Resurrecting an ancient dance form’, a 27-minute documentary film, written and directed by city-based film-maker Kanala Jayadev and produced by himself and a friend, B.K. Ramesh.
Tandavam is performed by one man and if it is by a woman, it is called Lasyam . Perini Tandavam is a classical dance of Telangana patronised by the Kakatiya dynasty. It faded into oblivion later, until the late Nataraja Ramakrishna worked for its revival after he visited the Ramappa temple in Warangal.
Mr. Jayadev said it took four months for the research and five days for shooting. “We shot with our lead actor Perini Kumar (55) at Ramappa for two days and then at Kusumanchi where we shot with Kala Krishna the first disciple of Nataraja Ramakrishna,” he said.
We want to promote it here as it belongs to Telangana, he added.
