Bharatha Natyam falls away

Subashini Pathmanathan

The approach to Bharatha Natyam could be divided into two different angles. One approach is based on the students’ level, and other approach is based on the teachers’ level. Ten years back, many students showed interest in learning this art form. Now the interest level of the students in learning this classical dance is quite lesser.

Today the present generation students show more interest in other studies than in the cultural studies. Mainly so many ventures are opened for them to seek shortcuts to earn foreign degrees, diplomas, and post graduate degrees. All these degrees are job-oriented courses.

According to the job opportunity oriented courses, once they complete any degree or diploma course they have more opening for their earning chances. For instance the studies like business and marketing studies, management studies, technical studies, and computer studies which provide much more job opportunity for the youngsters to meet the needs of the fast growing needs of the society.

After a particular stage, as soon as they get an opportunity to enter into any of these job oriented fields, naturally their first preference goes to their life career. Anyhow dance is a physical art. Taking up dance as a lifelong career is really tough. This is also one of the causes for the present generation students to switch on to other careers, rather than to stick to the dancing.

Normally the present generation teenage students are very much interested in dance for performance, and they are crazy to get certificates in dance, or to perform on TV shows, or to get video recordings of their dance performances, and gradually they leave the art. The majority of them do not understand the depth, and the aesthetic value of this divine art.

A section of the student community wants to pursue and to do a degree or post graduate degree in Bharatha Natyam. Most of them are aiming to get a teaching post for their livelihood; or to get a promotion in their present profession. Once they become dance teachers, they lose their interest to perform on the stage. Only a very few are interested to become professional performing dancers, especially in Sri Lanka.

Most of the Oriental classical dance forms are very deep in traditional culture, and they have very old longstanding historical background, development, and aesthetic essence and aesthetic values. These dance forms are very good physical and mental therapy for the individuals, which develop a very strong willpower within themselves.

Nowadays there are plenty of dance teachers in this field as compared to the earlier days. Most of them have taken up dance teaching as their profession, not because of their deep interest or involvement in the art form, but mainly for earning venture. Being a dance teacher, he or she must also have certain qualities. First of all a classical dance teacher must have a dedication and devotion to the art; and be dutiful to his or her service.

They must avoid too much of mere publicity through different mass media. Some teachers are too much crazy for their own publicity. They do not hesitate to use unrecognized titles, and accepting awards, titles, and rewards from any unrecognized, unauthorized organizations, or unrecognized institutions, or even from any single individual. Such teachers instead of paying much attention to train their students perfectly, they think too much of their own publicity. They also arrange the programs by using so many external factors such as modern techniques, glamorous stage decorations, and insert all sorts of entertainment factors in between the programs. The external factors do not help them uplift the standard of their dance performances.

The advertisements and publicity are needed for the business and marketing fields only, not much necessary or needed for the classical art field. Building up the reputation of a dance teacher is much more important, than seeking publicity. Reputation and preserving the self respect are very much needed for a dance teacher. They must try to preserve their self dignity and try to transmit the divine art form to the next generation properly.

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