Haleem Khan, actor, dancer, popular for his female impersonation in Kuchipudi, has now come up with an instructional DVD to help students learn the dance form at their own convenience. “Most dance students attend classes hardly twice a week, that too for a few hours, where they may not warrant singular attention. Parents, unless they are trained dancers themselves, can’t provide much input to their children during practice at home. This initiative is for them and the aim is to act as a reference point,” he describes, early in the conversation.
This DVD, he promises, is a first of its kind for dance aspirants and has every trace of the authenticity one desires for progress in the arena. The content has nearly 20 dance professionals, including the likes of Shobha Naidu and Kaza Venkata Subramanyam, imparting their insights. “And my intention is to break free of barriers such as age, gender, personality and leave nothing for them to question or feel doubtful about,” Khan clarifies. Moreover, there’s no question of him taking the centre stage too, as he’s made sure, everyone from 6 to 60 years have participated in its making.
Adding more credibility to the claim, Khan says is the mention of charis in the same, an old practice in the form, often ignored, even taking his guru by surprise when the latter saw it. When asked if the DVD would do justice in taking forward the guru-shishya parampara and if the finesse attained would be the same, Khan states, “It’s only a video book. I’m not claiming one could either be a teacher or a learner with this. Just like how parents, teachers and text books equally help a school-going child in learning, this would also act as a supportive material and yet provide a total picture.”
On a further note, he’d felt, the work wouldn’t have had the same sheen, if it directly released on streaming portals like Youtube. “I wanted this product to shine through in the history of dance and not restrict itself to a couple of clicks. I’d love to see it as a preserved item over the years,” Khan is hopeful.
