Dance with me
Introduction: While Indian classical arts have enthralled connoissuers from all over the world, our youth have moved towards western dances.
The upcoming global dance day celebrates not only dance but also people involved with the art form, like, scholars, critics, dance gurus and audiences from all over. We as Indians share a rich culture of classical dance forms, like Kuchipudi, Kathakalli and Bharatnatyam etc. Our dancers have enthralled art lovers all over the world, but our younger generations have somehow drifted towards a westernised outlook. This has resulted in not only a dearth of good performers but has also created a gap in the upkeep of a rich heritage left behind by our forefathers.
Many reasons can be cited for this sort of a deviation in the development of classical dance forms. As we continue to live a fast paced and materialistic life, the responsibility lies within our teachers and gurus to transform and recreate the dance form in such a way that it appeals to the ordinary people. Our classical dances do require dedicated commitment and a sturdy guidance by well-informed gurus, who can impart to the new students.
In the past few years, there have been several dance schools and studios that have opened their shop with an attempt to impart dance education to students. Salsa, abstract, jive, ballroom… Exotic dance forms have captured the interests of the students. One reason for this is because the students not only find it easier to learn but the presence of instant gratification. Young children, middle-aged individuals or software professionals, profit from it and consider it a mental release… while thinking of these workshops as a more rejuvenating pastime.
On days such as these we are reminded of students who try there utmost on their prescribed college festival days to win a prize for best dancers, be it as a group, solo or western and Indian. How is this related to the various forms of dance in Bangalore?
The college youth are a direct reflection of the changes that have occurred in the past few years, on how dance is being perceived and adopted. It was only a few years back when there was a marked difference in their performance of western, Indian and classical based dances. While competitions in the cultural festivals consisted of popular music with beats as a base for performance, Indian dances would usually involve film-based soundtracks and costume ideas extracted from the same. The movements would consist of those from the film song itself. The classical slot would consist of performances, which would be hard to decipher by ordinary audience. These performances would be rare, and the dancers involved would be hardly noticeable.
While the western dances would look like a series of unfortunate aerobic classes practised to perfection, the Indian dances were mere clones of its filmy counterpart. This of course is a rough indication of how the common modern youth of Bangalore perceived dance, then.
Times have changed now. The youth has finally decided to take the middle path. They have started to combine the Indian with the western, and blending in the classical. Competitions in festivals heat up as they have become organized and professional, even to the extent that they will leave no leaves unturned to hire a professional choreographer to assist them in winning that coveted prize. While one is in charged of the costumes, the other is in charge of the music and the third of the choreography. The color, feel, beat, costume and feel are coordinated with relation to the theme of the season/festival. Ethnic dances have evolved into fusion of traditional beats and movements, as a result, they are not filmy anymore; they're a result of a meticulously drawn plan.
There is a lot of speculation on whether ancient dance forms would cease to exist. The advent of new dance forms in India need not mean that they will exterminate our culture. There will always be students who contribute to every form of dance. The creative outbursts have resulted in individuals finding their own means of self- expressions and interpretation of dance forms. However, the need arises that we as individuals adapt and blend in the present with our long withstanding culture, so that we may leave a mark on an everlasting form of art called dance.
(c) Puja Goyal.
The upcoming global dance day celebrates not only dance but also people involved with the art form, like, scholars, critics, dance gurus and audiences from all over. We as Indians share a rich culture of classical dance forms, like Kuchipudi, Kathakalli and Bharatnatyam etc. Our dancers have enthralled art lovers all over the world, but our younger generations have somehow drifted towards a westernised outlook. This has resulted in not only a dearth of good performers but has also created a gap in the upkeep of a rich heritage left behind by our forefathers.
Many reasons can be cited for this sort of a deviation in the development of classical dance forms. As we continue to live a fast paced and materialistic life, the responsibility lies within our teachers and gurus to transform and recreate the dance form in such a way that it appeals to the ordinary people. Our classical dances do require dedicated commitment and a sturdy guidance by well-informed gurus, who can impart to the new students.
In the past few years, there have been several dance schools and studios that have opened their shop with an attempt to impart dance education to students. Salsa, abstract, jive, ballroom… Exotic dance forms have captured the interests of the students. One reason for this is because the students not only find it easier to learn but the presence of instant gratification. Young children, middle-aged individuals or software professionals, profit from it and consider it a mental release… while thinking of these workshops as a more rejuvenating pastime.
On days such as these we are reminded of students who try there utmost on their prescribed college festival days to win a prize for best dancers, be it as a group, solo or western and Indian. How is this related to the various forms of dance in Bangalore?
The college youth are a direct reflection of the changes that have occurred in the past few years, on how dance is being perceived and adopted. It was only a few years back when there was a marked difference in their performance of western, Indian and classical based dances. While competitions in the cultural festivals consisted of popular music with beats as a base for performance, Indian dances would usually involve film-based soundtracks and costume ideas extracted from the same. The movements would consist of those from the film song itself. The classical slot would consist of performances, which would be hard to decipher by ordinary audience. These performances would be rare, and the dancers involved would be hardly noticeable.
While the western dances would look like a series of unfortunate aerobic classes practised to perfection, the Indian dances were mere clones of its filmy counterpart. This of course is a rough indication of how the common modern youth of Bangalore perceived dance, then.
Times have changed now. The youth has finally decided to take the middle path. They have started to combine the Indian with the western, and blending in the classical. Competitions in festivals heat up as they have become organized and professional, even to the extent that they will leave no leaves unturned to hire a professional choreographer to assist them in winning that coveted prize. While one is in charged of the costumes, the other is in charge of the music and the third of the choreography. The color, feel, beat, costume and feel are coordinated with relation to the theme of the season/festival. Ethnic dances have evolved into fusion of traditional beats and movements, as a result, they are not filmy anymore; they're a result of a meticulously drawn plan.
There is a lot of speculation on whether ancient dance forms would cease to exist. The advent of new dance forms in India need not mean that they will exterminate our culture. There will always be students who contribute to every form of dance. The creative outbursts have resulted in individuals finding their own means of self- expressions and interpretation of dance forms. However, the need arises that we as individuals adapt and blend in the present with our long withstanding culture, so that we may leave a mark on an everlasting form of art called dance.
(c) Puja Goyal.
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