UNLOCKING LIVES - MALE BHARATANATYAM DANCERS_SEG 1

[dpinvogue]

Plus, Dhanajayan Sir was quite right when he said that Sadir Natyam or Dasi Attam was only performed by women dancers, with male teachers and nattuvanars in the background. However, although Rukmani Deviji opened Kalakshetra first in 1936, US Krishna Raoji and his wife Chandrabhaga Devi opened their school Maha Maya in 1942. In real terms, they were contemporaries, and US Krishnaraoji danced as a male dancer. The credit does not belong to Kalakshetra alone.

[eastexotic]

Bhava + Raga + Tala = Bharathanatyam, not Baratha - natyam. I think it was completely incorrect to define Bharathanatyam as the dance of "Baratha" or "dance of India," as the news-journal did. India is and has always been a mosaic of South Asia. There are many other classical dance styles in India: Oddisi, Kuchipudi, Manipuri, Kathak, Kathakali. I think we need to be clear as to what our artistic heritage is.