For the love of dance

Dance gurus on the challenges of teaching the current generation of students

Devoted to dance

Dance classes in the capital city are alive with the sound of anklets. But dance teachers bemoan the fact that not many students wish to pursue dance as a career. Dance teachers, especially those who teach classical dance forms, take pride in being the torch-bearers of their respective dance forms. As another Dance Day is observed today,

MetroPlus asks experienced dance gurus in the city about the challenges they face in carrying forward their tradition.

With dance schools mushrooming all over the city and its suburbs, there is a no dearth of wannabe dancers. But how many of them are really passionate about the art form, wonders KR Kurup, director, Noopura Institute of Mohiniyattam, one among the first dance institutions to come up in the city.

“There was a time when dance didn’t receive much of a patronage. Also, dance teachers didn’t earn much. Even veteran artistes had to wait months to get a programme. But now everything revolves around money and that is not a very encouraging aspect,” he says.

Bharatanatyam performance by Renjith and Vijna.

Girija Chandran’s Regatta Dance Academy has been grooming students for more than four decades. She says the toughest part is making the students understand the dance tradition in its purest form. “In this fast-paced world, all of them are juggling many things at the same time. They have to balance their studies with their extra-curricular activities. So, very often, they fall short of the dedication we expect from them as disciples. They are not patient enough to go deep into the dance form and want to learn everything as fast as they can. They should understand that many years of practice and perseverance are needed for perfection,” says Girija.

Agreeing with her sentiments, Aswathy Nair of Lakshya School of Dance, says that many youngsters “want everything in a capsule form”. “Before the classes have begun, they want to know about their stage performances and chances of participating in youth festivals. That thirst to know more about the dance and its nuances is missing in many students. But I refuse to fall pressure tactics. Unless they complete their basic training in the mudras and movements, I don’t let them perform,” she explains.

Sharada Thampi too observes that students have packed schedules that often force them to give up their dance practice when they reach higher classes. She is disheartened when talented children don’t take up dance as a long-term vocation. “Many students stop practice once they are in class nine. Even if they do resume dance, it is when they are settled in life. However, the continuity is lost when breaks happen,” says Sharada, co-founder of Kaalangan Dance School.

The teachers also observed that there has been a huge change in the attitude of the students as well. Girija and Kurup pointed out many instances when the students pay little heed to the teachers’ advice. “There are many who learn dance for fun. That attitude gets reflected in their learning process also. They don’t report on time, make excuses and bunk classes. Some of them want to learn just one classical piece, that’s all,” says Kurup.

Girija adds, “Academics comes first for them. I just wish they would understand the importance of art and culture as well.”

At a time when learning dance has become a costly affair, with thousands being spent on an arangetram, these teachers say that the trend has not yet caught on in Kerala. However, the students and their parents are always in a hurry to hold the arangetram. While most of these schools insist that the students train for at least five to 10 years for a proper arangetram, there are schools that hold group arangetram to make the parents and the students happy.

Nevertheless, whatever be the shortcomings and challenges, the teachers stress that they pass on their knowledge to the students. V Mydhili, who runs Midhilalaya Dance Academy says she makes her students understand the rich artistic and cultural heritage of our country by exposing them to the works of the masters. “We need a generation that realises the value of our classical dance and art forms,” she says. And nothing can stop the present generation from amassing the knowledge. “For they are such amazing multi-taskers. They can do anything, they beat us when it comes to using technology and even help us to browse topics on the social media. But they should also understand that learning classical dance is not a cake-walk,” Sharada observes.

(Inputs from Saraswathy Nagarajan)