International Dance Day: Natyam to ballet, city taps with all

For decades, it was almost a norm for culturally-inclined parents to introduce their kids to a classical dance form at an early age – the impending arangetram in a few years would be a matter of celebration for the whole neighbourhood, and the artistic gene in the family would be kept well and truly alive. Elders were thrilled that the children not only found purpose with their talent, but also were educated in an art genre that was seeped in history and tradition – with many going on to pursue it actively with stage shows and demonstrations for years to come. 

The summer holidays were an especially busy stage for teachers of Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, Kathak, and so on; eager-eyed tweens flooding rehearsals in spanking new costumes with the jingling sounds of their anklets lifting the ambiance for viewers. Veteran experts pulled out their natya shastra volumes, and dusty CDs and cassettes with the nattuvanar chanting were recalled. 

But is that still the case today? While Tamil Nadu, being a hub of classical dance – with the Margazhi festival holding pride of place – still supports the traditional arts extensively, more and more youngsters are being drawn towards global dance forms, heavily influenced by the west. 

From the lilting pleasures of ballet and the diva-like movements of jazz to the earthiness of Afro dancehall and heady highs of hip-hop, there are a plethora of options for dance aspirants to choose nowadays – each one swankier than the other. With the influx of social media, reality contests on TV and YouTube bearing upon young minds, it is but natural that in-house DJs and leotards are finding more favour with millennials over sabhas and saree costumes. Every suburban corner in a city like Chennai boasts of a glitzy gym or studio that hosts even more flashy instructors whom kids instantly connect with –quite different from traditional guru-shishya ideologies that are propagated. 

But it is not a competition, insist proponents from both streams of dance – adding that sustained interest in the hobby is what is important. Moreover, a new breed of young instructors, well-versed in both philosophies, are ensuring children get the best of both worlds with fusion acts. This International Dance Day, DT Next takes a look at where the city’s aspiring dancers are headed towards – the sabhas or the cameras?

Actress, choreographer and dance teacher Gayathri Raguram is someone who has trained and taught in both genres – and has worked in movies and judged reality shows for kids. Talking to us, she says that while there’s nothing wrong in joining any dance course, a classical one – that has its roots in Tamil culture – goes a long way into developing one’s body grammar and expressions. “Even if you notice in reality shows on TV, judges constantly ask the contestants to improve their overall expressions – that comes easily from training in Bharatanatyam, etc. It is the base for all things, and kids would do good to understand that. I know most of them want to do Bollywood or mimic a Vijay or STR from day one, but their skill also comes from years of expertise in the dance forms that originated from our own heritage.” She adds, “These days when I travel abroad, I notice Indians living overseas are more inclined to respect classical dance forms rather than people in our country. NRIs seem to understand the value of these arts a lot more.”