Making Bharathanatyam look simple is an Art

R. Janani- Student of Roja Kannan

A number of sabhas are making an honest effort to encourage and motivate youngsters to perform and get the rewards of their many years of learning.  Dasyam Yuva Festival and Vipanchee are two such dynamic organizations.  Today, I got a chance to attend the Bharathanatyam performance of R. Janani.  (Full disclosure: My daughter learns from Janani's mother- K. Subha.)

One thing that stood out at the performance was the enthusiasm of the dancer.  Right through the performance, she was smiling, showed no fatique, and was extremely vibrant.  Her white teeth showing could be mistaken for a Close-Up advertisement.  Her tempo was quite fast but she made the whole performance look simple, while still getting out the story.  During these performances, my daughter and I try to figure out what the dancer is saying through the movements.  In this case, Kaveri was able to comprehend and explain what the dance was about.  Of course, the giveaway was that it was related to Lord Krishna!!  Watching kids like Janani performance encourages other kids to also want to perform publicly. 

Bharathanatyam movement

Janani is a 10th standard high school student from Chennai.  I have seen her practice dance with Subha and learn abinaya's from Saranya (Kaveri music teacher).  The thillana piece generated a lot of claps from the audience.  Her abinaya was very well choreographed and allowed her to express the story  in a way that 4 year-old could figure out.  Her selection of songs were very good.  Moreover, her finale with a kavadi chindh was really creative and changed the tone, from being a monotonous "Krishna story" to a lively Southern piece.

Accompaniments to R. Janani.  Nattuvangam by Roja Kannan

A special mention must be made of the Compere.  She spoke very well clearly and explained the song before Janani started the performance.  It was very helpful for parents such as myself to explain the dance.  The accompaniments were veterans, which was nice and is a true encouragement for an youngster. The dancer's mother was glowing and her beaming face was brighter than the dancer.  It was truly a great performance.

The real problem in today's Sabha performance is that the top performers get the crowd.  Very few folks attend the up-and-coming.  This is a serious mistake.  If you are looking for the next MS, you are not going to find it in a Aruna Sairam kutchery.  People's mentality must change.  In American football, the scouts and agents attend High-School football to find the next Joe Montana.  I do not see it in these Sabhas.  Even the organizers of Dasyam, like Gopika Varma, did not attend today's performance.  To the credit of the auditoriums, they do have a nice atmosphere and a good facilities.  Youngsters must be rewarded for their talent and options must be attractive to make this their livelihood. 

The talent is there, the culture is there, high-quality education is available, auditoriums are established.  So, what really ails the industry.  If you are involved with Bollywood or Pop/fusion/Rap, you get a multi-million dollar pay check (cheque).  Here, most people simply get the satisfaction and a thank you ponnadai.