Think of bharathanatyam for kids and you imagine them in shiny salangais and dance costumes like the fan skirt. Textbooks and exams are not what you associate with the form, but at the Prayathnam dance forum in the city, that is just what happens.
The forum, which is the brainchild of three dance teachers — Sasirekha, Divyasena and Sreelatha Vinod, conducts exams on an annual basis to check the proficiency of children in the art medium. Come August, and the centre will be conducting Yathnam exams for young, budding school-going dancers for the third time.
This is how it works. Children who pursue dance from different dance schools in the city come to take the exams designed and conducted by the dance school. These exams are designed to enable the students to balance theory and practicals and to help them pursue higher studies in this ancient art. “The course book printed by us is in a simple language. It helps the parents assist their kids to crack these exams,” explains Divyasena.
Speaking about the environment in which dance is taught today, Sasirekha says, “The guru-sishya parampara in dance has almost vanished with time. It has become necessary to conduct examinations even in bharathanatyam so that the kids don’t treat it lightly.”
The dance course is not without its incentives. The toppers of the exams are awarded cash prizes and are given a chance to perform. In some cases, the students are even said to receive higher CGPAs in CBSE schools after flashing the certificates for dance, which counts as an extracurricular activity.
Bhuvana, a parent, says, “These model exams for Yathnam, conducted by the dance school, make it easy for my daughter to face the main exam fearlessly even if she is busy in her tenth standard”.
Usually, three months of rigorous training can make kids stage performers in other styles of dance. But for bharathanatyam, members of Prayathnam feel more training is necessary. They are striving to standardise Yathnam exams for this dance form, much like the Trinity College examinations for piano.
“The evaluation pattern is transparent,” points out Revathi another parent.
The goal of the members of the forum is standardise the teaching of the artform in schools, and to make Bharathanatyam, a non-commercial art form that is affordable to all. “We hope Prayathnam succeeds in encouraging young artistes to take up dance and teaching as a career” Divyasena adds.
To know more about Prayathnam visit www.prayathnamgroup.blogspot.com.