Common Negotiations with Indian Classical Dance

Course

COMMUNICATION AND CULTURE

Submitted to

Dr. P. Thirumal

Submitted by

Gautami Challagulla (10SCMC08)

Submitted on

08 November 2011

Classical dance in India has been associated for a long time with words like tradition,

nation, culture etc. It is the way one can find their roots in what we call “Indian

tradition”. It is also synonymous with the idea of Indian nation as it was crucial in the

building of our nation. Classical dance is also seen as an indigenous product of Indian

culture. With roots drawn into the texts like Natyasastra and narratives built around the

epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata, Indian classical dance is predominantly seen as a

product of Hindu, upper class elite.

In culture studies, many scholars have looked at Indian classical dance critically. When

one tries to find answers to the question, “why do people learn classical dance?” the

immediate, broad answers would be: to uphold Indian tradition, to promote Indian art and

culture. But, when it comes to the engagement of the art at a personal level, what are the

reasons? This paper explores the ideologies of the common people, their negotiations in

engaging with the art. I would establish a couple of personal narratives to elucidate the

same.

I would first talk about few reasons for parents to introduce their children to the art of

Indian classical dance. For most parents whom I have encountered, dance is an

interesting way for their children to learn Indian epics and Puranas. While dancing, the

children are involved with the epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata at a personal level, so

according to these parents, they do not just learn about these epics but they imbibe the

embedded philosophies in these texts.

For few mothers whom I have interacted with, dance is a way of offering freedom that

they as girl children were denied. In the past, in most middle class families, woman was

denied access to learning classical dance due to various social and economic constraints.

When such a woman, whose choices were curtailed, becomes financially independent and

eventually becomes a mother of a girl child, sending the girl child to a dance class is an

act of offering the choices that she was denied as a girl. Thus, for such mothers, dance is

more than an art; Dance offers them a channel for living their dreams of freedom through

their children. Dance in a way for these women is empowerment.

After bringing in the lens of gender, I feel it is also appropriate to bring in the angle of

caste and class as well. I would present the cases of two people from the lower sections of

the society – one from washer men community and the other from weaving community.

For, both of them, who reside very close to my dance class, the very idea of dance is

alien. They are intrigued by the aura associated with the dance class. They are also aware

of the fact that dance is perceived as a hobby of the elite. But, this did not deter them

from sending their children to the dance class. In fact, they do not have to really

understand the “importance”, “high value” of Indian dance. Just the fact that their

children are interested suffices to send them to the dance class.

I also know of another mother who sends her children to the dance class because,

classical dance is one of the most preferred extra curricular activities that would add

value to their resumes when they grow up. For my own parents, sending me to dance

class was the easiest way to pacify a hyperactive child. So, for them, dance was a therapy.

In all the above cases, it is not the big words like tradition and culture that attract people

towards the art. These are the uncommon gratifications that common people derive by

sending their children to a dance class. If for one, if it is a modern way of teaching epics

and puranas, for another it is liberation and empowerment. For some, it is an aura and for

some it is a therapy.

But, do children of these parents really understand these ideologies? Do they march into a

dance class with an aim of becoming torchbearers of the dreams of their parents?

Typically, when a three year old enters a dance class, he or she is devoid of any of these

ideologies. The only thing that attracts him or her is the rhythmic movements and sounds

of the bells, the chanting of the slokas. They do not worry about perfecting the art form or

performing it. They learn the dance just for self-fulfillment and immerse themselves in

joy. Dance offers children a legitimate way of jumping and running around. For some,

dance class is a place where they can meet new friends; spend time with people who

share similar likings. For few children, it is the righteous way to skip homework and

enjoy. For, others it is the coolest thing because of the aura associated with the classical

dance. Most often when people have to refer to a dancer, they refer to him or her not just

by name. i.e. when a teacher has to talk about a student called Sri Lekha, she would not

just say, Sri Lekha. She would say, Sri Lekha, the Kuchipudi dancer. Thus, dancing

gives one an additional, inseparable, unique identity. So, even in case of children, it is not

the big words like tradition and culture, but these small happinesses that keep them glued

to the art form.

In all the above descriptions, I have consciously used the terms dance and dance class

instead of performance and stage, because, when it comes to performing and performing

on a stage in front of audiences, dance is susceptible to ideologies and politics. Ideologies

of the sponsors, producers and on few occasions, even the ideologies of audiences might

creep into dancers’ performance. For amateur dancers, there is also a risk of their dance

being tagged as a mediocre performance. However, despite all these politics, ideologies

and risks, it is very interesting to observe how students of one dance class, who become

part of a dancing family, strive hard when it comes to performing as a group. Starting

from sharing berths on a train, the students share literally anything and everything. There

are times when students will have to exchange dresses two minutes before one enters

onto a stage. It usually does not matter who has what properties, it is about how a 4 year

old and a 40 year old come together and do all they can to put up a good show. Thus, for

a dancer, it is again the aesthetics of the art that he or she enjoys the most in a

performance as compared to the politics or ideologies present in the dance.

The other argument that surrounds the Indian classical dance is that of homogeneity- the

classification of dance results in homogenisation. But, the argument that I would like to

put forth here is that, it is only the “art” or “the form”, that could be homogenized. As

presented above, because different people interpret and negotiate differently with the art

form, artists and their families can never really be homogenized. In fact, a same artist can

negotiate with the art in different ways during different periods. When I started off

dancing as a child, dance to me was equivalent to a play. In my days of graduation, I

engaged with dance because it offered me an alternative unique identity.

Later, when I was struggling alone in the U.S, dance became my companion. During the

days of grief, it offered me solace. Each time, there is a different reason and different way

in which I engage with the dance. To me, what is important is not how I engage with the

art, but the fact that I engage with it constantly.

Thus, in my opinion, while the bigger arguments of tradition and culture revolve around

Indian classical dance, it is the small happinesses and constant personal engagements

with the art on a day-to-day basis that keep the wheel of this art moving. All these

elements, I believe add to the mystery and aura associated with Indian classical dance,

and hence, it that cannot be deciphered using ideologies and beliefs. Classical dance is

like a perennial river, with the fluidic emotions and engagements of the dancers. One

should let oneself flow along the stream and enjoy the beauty without trying to find a

need to decipher this beauty.