Kala Master has seen it all in her dance career — from training debutants to experienced actors to getting State Awards to National Awards. At the Dancer’s Union on Monday, it was a proud moment for the choreographer to announce her latest achievement with the team of her directorial dance show Manaada Mayilada, for bagging the Guinness World Record on April 18.
Kala says they were awarded the Guinness World Record for creating the biggest Ames Room Illusion, which is creating an optical illusion, through a distorted room and delivering a dance performance with six couples from Manaada Mayilada Season 10. She says, “It was an unforgettable day when the results were declared. The efforts of around 50 people for a period of eight months went behind this achievement.”
She adds, ”We created an Ames Room Illusion with approximately 4,900 cubic square feet. The walls were uneven and distorted, making one dancer look tiny and the other look tall. Our dancers performed in the room, though it was difficult to be there in the room for even 10 minutes, as it causes dizziness.” Kala, who has worked in around 1,000 movies and has a State Award and a National Award to her credit, has choreographed dance moves for every actor — from Sivaji to Dhanush.
After the record, what next? “I dance for my satisfaction not for achieving anything, neither do I aim for awards. My only aim is to reach out to more people through dance,” she says.
From the innumerable actors that she has trained, she hails choreographing for Vijay, Bhanupriya and Simran as the most enjoyable experiences. They are excellent dancers, she said. “The song Kozhi Koovuthu Neramachu from Azhagan, Sivakara Damaruka song from the Malayalam film Kochu Kochu Santhoshangal and Ra Ra from Chandramukhi are my favourite songs that I have choreographed till date,” she adds.
Looking back at her 31-year-old career, which started when she was 12, she says, ”While at that time it felt thorny, my experiences look like a water bed to me now. It was hard work, which kept me going and helped sustain my work.”