Vinitha Subramanian founded Natyalaya School of Dance in 1982, a long journey for any enterprise that bespeaks a dedication to a vision. Natyalaya is the largest and oldest classical dance school in the central Texas area, Austin, U.S. Vinitha is greatly respected for her sanguine temperament and graciousness. The Hindu, In this interview, she talks about how she took Indian arts to foreign lands and much else. Excerpts:
What does the run of over 30 years mean to you? How has Natyalaya grown into an umbrella organisationwith multiple teachers?
Thirty years has been just the blink of an eye. It seems like only yesterday we were in my garage in Temple, Texas, with four students trying to get this off the ground. There have been many ups and downs. In the early years, it was difficult to have classes in Temple and Austin, so growth was constricted.
But with the expansion of the Central Texas Indian community, our school also grew. We have had an open door policy in Natyalaya. If our alumnae wanted to learn through teaching, we gave them short term and long term assignments. Over the years, we also found other teachers, who held the same philosophy of teaching and were able to bring them in.
What is your take on the purist viewpoint of Indian art? Doesn’t Natyalaya’s wide arch of programmes indicate an embrace of experimentation and innovation?
Any art form has to evolve. Art must reflect the sentiments, mores and attitudes of the time. Indian art and dance have been steeped in ancient tradition. Tradition is important, but the stories and legends may not always connect with modern audiences. We need the ability to tackle modern issues as well. Or reflect the needs of people from different states, cultural and religious backgrounds as we move more into a global mindset. We try to have music from different regions of India and outsideIndia, as well as incorporate music from other religious traditions such as Christianity and Buddhism.
Being an MBA from IIM, Ahmedabad, your career began in the corporate world. How did you make the transition to dance?
Do those MBA skills help you to manage Natyalaya?
For many years, I pursued both. Ran my own IT consulting company while shuttling between Austin and Temple dance classes. I worked for WebMD but when I started teaching in College Station, dance class commitments started to grow. So I wound down my IT career.
What about your goals? and Have you achieved them?
Back in 1982, I was not sure how this would turn out, since I was a new immigrant living in a small town. All I knew was that Natyalaya gave me a forum to propagate this art. There were examples of Guru Rathna Kumar in Houston and Guru Revathi Sathyu in Dallas, who expanded their schools into established institutions. I never dreamt that we would grow like them.
But with Austin’s explosive expansion, the school has also grown into the institution it is today and just by word of mouth.
Give your insight into the classical dance scene and collaborations in Austin.
It has been a Natyalaya tradition to include the repertoires of various dance maestros and to invite teachers for summer programmes. Tell us about these collaborations.
As a young student of Bharatanatyam, I learned from several teachers. I feel that each one has contributed to make me the dancer and teacher I am today. My earliest teacher was my sister Sujatha Krishna (Jamshedpur). She instilled the work ethics in me. My last teacher Jayaraman (Madurai) was a gentle soul, full of poetry and visions of dance – he composed all the dances he would teach us. I derived a passion for choreography and for emoting from him. I, believe that multiple teachers within the same learning environment can enhance dance education.
To provide an immersion instruction environment, we bring in master teachers from India such as Guru Saraswati (back in 1987), Jayalakshmi Eshwar, Vyjayanthi Kashi, Anusha and Narendra Kumar, Leela Samson, Sanjay Shantaram and Suma Krishnamurthy.
The dedication of schools such as Natyalaya ensures a continuum of Indian culture for those growing up in the West. Their service cannot be underestimated. Comment?
Without torch bearers such as Guru Rathna Kumar, Indian classical art may not have had a foothold in Texas. The State, in the late 1970s, was conservative. I had wondered how much exposure my children would have to Indian art and culture. But thanks to pioneers such as Dr. Shyamala Nair, they had music, dance and religious lessons from the age of three or four. These dedicated teachers made sure that we did not forget our roots.
What do you feel are the standards of dance schools in the West? How can teachers ensure quality?
. You received tutelage in Thirukoshtiyur and Pandanainallur styles of dancing. What are the differencesand what doyou emphasise at Natyalaya?
Bharatanatyam started with the Thanjavur style and many of the current styles typify marginal modifications in executions of adavus done in a variety of villages around Thanjavur district: Vazhuvoor, Pandanainallur or in Mysore and in Chennai’s Kalakshetra. The grammar of these styles is essentially the same. The Vazhuvoor style initiated the entry from side of the stage. Mangudi Dorairaja Iyer initiated Suddha Nrtyam, which is only the mridangam and bells sounding off of each other. There’s no music or jathis being sung or uttered. Pandanainallur is widespread since it is from there that Guru Meenakshisundaram Pillai exported it to Mysore and Bangalore to Guru Kittappa Pillai. The styles diverged as they were intensely practised within their geographical area. Since my last guru was from the Pandanainallur style, that is what we follow; we have also borrowed the best from other styles such as Vazhuvoor or Mangudi.
How much of theory are your students expected to study?
There is a basic level theory all students must know – some essential slokas from our ‘Bible,’ the Natya Shastra, and the vocabulary for the hand gestures, facial expressions, neck, leg positions and movements. As the students progress to higher levels, we add additional subjects such as charis and karanas.
We are considering adding a whole coursework on theory leading up to an Assoc Degree, which students can obtain before they finish high school.
Tell us about Your approach to teaching?
As a student, I detested the fact that the teachers always sat while teaching us dance. I always wanted to be part of the class I taught. I work out the moves with the students, trying to understand what would motivate them and what difficulties they faced in class and trying to make the class more manageable in smaller bites.
What has dancing taught you in your inner journey?
For me, dance has always been about elevating one to a higher plane of consciousness. When I dance with the students I forget my pains. The daily grind seems infinitely more tolerable. I remember driving home around 9 p.m. each week after classes and doing chores with energy. The energy comes from the dance environment, where my students and I buckle down to the task and the art takes hold of us, removing our stresses and there’s just the music, moves and us in harmony. We only see the creativity leap out and find its form. The task of making the dance better consumes us, making us forget anger, bitterness, disappointment and jealousy. We are unafraid of admitting our mistakes and shortcomings and we yearn to be better selves. If that is not divinity I don’t know what is.
Published - August 07, 2014 05:35 pm IST
