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Worried about the state of classical dance forms, many experts and maestros feel that there is an urgent need to make them popular among youth for their preservation, writes Jayasri Viswanathan INDIAN classical dance forms could be a rage among art lovers abroad but exponents here say much more needs to be done to make the rare classical forms of art popular with the younger generation.
"Artistes in TV soaps, who get to play small roles, get more recognition than us. It is not that I am against the western culture or pop music but there is a certain kind of discipline that comes in the practice of traditional music, the metre, rhyme, taal (beat), dhyaan (concentration), abhyaas (practice)," says renowned dancer Pt Birju Maharaj. Many eminent dancers besides him too, are worried about the state of the traditional dances and feel there is an urgent need for their preservation and dissemination. "It is up to the parents to raise their children in a way that they learn to appreciate aesthetic beauty," adds the dance maestro. Bharatanatyam danseuse Sonal Mansingh points out that like all visual art forms, dance also ultimately needs to be appreciated and understood by an audience. "Dance is an visual art. Unlike reading, writing, painting and to some extent even music, that can be rejoiced by the artist in his alone being, we need audience," she points out. "Indian dance forms bring together all kinds of philosophy. It is a living, visually captivating philosophy. "Let us preserve it but not in a pickled and mummified way. We need to pass on this message and philosophy to the younger generation and connect it to them in their own language," asserts Mansingh. "Preserving art and culture is as important as preserving water. It brings people together. Each family should take an oath that at least one child in the family should be involved in some kind of classical dance," says Kuchipudi exponent Raja Reddy. He also says that preservation of art is a must for the society. "The articles, literature and documents related to the classical arts must be preserved very carefully. We must also adapt changes in the current forms else they will waste away," he says. "It needs to be clarified that we do not attempt to convert everyone to practitioners of dance but the youngsters should not lose sight of their culture or feel the need to do so. They need to be more understanding and sensitive to it to carry it forward," states social activist and dancer Shovana Narayan. "There is a constant relation between education and culture. Education cannot be completed only in a classroom. Children need to be taught to appreciate their culture as well," says noted Kathakali exponent Kalamandalam N Raman Kutty. "I appeal to the teaching community, the patrons, parents and mentors to rejuvenate the current education process by making the children aware of the plurality of the cultural variation of the country, integrated with education", he adds. Manipuri dance exponent Sharon Lowen says, "Dance forms must be preserved. We need to document, archive and access them. Introduction of good dance dictionaries would be a great idea". "Unless art connects to the youth, its future is bleak. They are the ones who can carry it forward," says dance historian and critic Sunil Kothari. "They have to
understand that dance is a way of life. Parents have to ensure that
their children develop that aesthetic sense and appreciate their
culture," he adds. — PTI
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